IN the immortal lyric of Crocodile Rock, Elton John recalls the sheer pleasure of savouring the delights of the then newly imported noisy music from across the Atlantic.

Holding hands and skimming stones... yes, he and Suzie had so much fun, no doubt about it.

The Rocket Man was, of course, indulging in a bit of retro even when he wrote this number during the early 1970s.

For to some extent, the music had already forsaken the dance halls, cinemas and other assorted local venues for massive stadiums. And this is where it remained... until now.

First, it was the Rolling Stones who went back to their roots and played a small club before a major US tour. Then, as we informed readers yesterday, R&B colossus Van Morrison has been signed to play Worcester's Huntingdon Hall.

Could it get any better than this? Well, yes. For today, as we exclusively report, a certain gentleman who started life as Reginald Kenneth Dwight will be performing next summer at Worcestershire County Cricket Club.

We haven't seen anything like this since those heady days when county star Ian Botham used to invite rock mates Eric Clapton, Bill Wyman and Mick Jagger down for the weekend.

Perhaps rock is starting to become wistful in its old age, yearning for a return to the days when audiences were close to the stage rather than just seas of anonymous faces.

We don't think this necessarily heralds a return to the era when a teenage Michael Grundy reviewed Buddy Holly's show at the Gaumont. But we do hope it signifies a bit more than just a candle in the wind.