Saturday night will be all right for rock and roll as superstar Elton John arrives in Bristol tonight.

For the first time in five years, the singer who has sold more than 200 million albums and had more than 50 top 40 hits, will perform in the city to an audience of thousands.

A 200-tonne stage has been set up at Gloucestershire Cricket Ground, Nevil Road, and organisers say there has been a buzz of excitement.

Kevin Ashley, commercial manager at the grounds, said: "This is the first concert we have ever held and it is a real achievement for us and for Bristol.

"The city doesn't have a dedicated venue for music events on this scale and to have a world superstar like Sir Elton John playing is fantastic."

While most of the audience will sit on seats on the pitch, some will watch Sir Elton from the permanent stands at the ground. A cover will protect the turf.

"The square is being protected by Supertrack and the company organising the event have done a fantastic job," Mr Ashley said.

"They have done concerts at cricket grounds in Worcester and Somerset so they know what they are doing and cricket fans don't need to worry."

He added: "All the hard work has been done now so its just a case of putting the final touches together and hoping it all goes smoothly. Everyone is really excited as this is such a change for us, in the last 36 hours there has been a definite buzz in the air, we've got Sir Elton arriving."

Mr Ashley said the event could pave the way for future music concerts depending on its success.

Tickets for the concert, costing from £40 to £80, are still available. They can be bought from Ticketmaster by visiting www.ticketmaster.co.uk or calling 0844 847 1581.

There is no parking at the ground, but there are two park and ride schemes – one in north Bristol at the UWE Frenchay campus and another in the south, at the A4 Portway.