More than 9000 people enjoyed a day in the sun and a dose of red hot Australian rock 'n' roll on Saturday at Roche Estate in Pokolbin.
It was a welcome respite from nearly two years of COVID-caused restrictions on crowds and events.
"It was fantastic, mate," Red Hot Summer promoter Duane McDonald said on Sunday.
"It was good to see so many people come out. It was fantastic."
McDonald admitted that officially imposed conditions of no singing, no dancing and no standing were a challenge. But, he said, "People got it. People understood it."
The show had been postponed from October last year.
"We had a lot of eyes on us," McDonald said. "There was a little bit of concern if people would come, or anxiety and issues would come into play. But 90 per cent of the audience showed up."
Anybody who could not attend because they contracted COVID could get a credit or refund from Ticketmaster, he said.
Ninety per cent of the ticketholders showed up.
"We had a lot of help from police and health," he said. "They were there in big numbers, which was fantastic.
"It was successful all the way around."
The Red Hot Summer Tour was playing Mt Penang Parkland at Kariong on the Central Coast on Sunday. Acts on the bill included Jimmy Barnes, Hoodoo Gurus, Jon Stevens, Diesel, Chris Cheney, Linda and Vika Bull (Vika was ill for the Roche Estate show, and Mahalia Barnes stood in for her).
Jimmy Barnes played a lot of his newer material at the show. Jon Stevens provided one of the highlights, with his tribute to Michael Hutchence (who would have turned 62 on Saturday) with his version of Never Tear Us Apart. Linda Bull and Mahalia Barnes dedicated Bridge Over Troubled Water to the people of Tonga after the recent volcano.
The artists were kept in their own "bio bubbles" backstage for the show, another pandemic lesson.
McDonald said the new rules may be here to stay.
"We've done a lot of this in the other states. They were in that no mode - no singing, no dancing, no standing. I thought it would be gone by now. Omicron has changed that.
"It's just about keeping people safe."
As for the crowd response, McDonald said, "it was a lot more relaxed atmosphere" than usual.
