The crowds came in droves and the stage came alive on Saturday night as Longwood hosted arguably its biggest event in the small town's 187-year history, with Australian pop icon Tones and I lighting up the night with a performance from the heart.

Over 5000 people streamed into the town of population 263, helped by an army of emergency services and other volunteers who slickly marshalled traffic into adjoining paddocks, with the sellout crowd joining as one in a family-friendly and energised night of nights.

The sense of community spirit was on show well before the two opening acts Katlin Keegan and Swim State warmed up the crowd, with a 70-strong group of local volunteers having spent weeks preparing the site at the town's Recreation Reserve.

By the time Tones and I began her set at 8pm, a crowd of several hundred were drawn toward the stage in anticipation, while a sea of picnic chairs and blankets wrapped the event in a spirit of post-bushfire unity.

The multi-platinum and gold award-winning artist opened the show with her 2024 hit Figure It Out from her second studio album Beautifully Ordinary, energised by her band, backing singers, and troupe of dancers; and the mood kept rising as she charged through her setlist, belting out popular hits such as Bad Child, The Kids Are Coming, and Ur So F**kInG cOoL.

The standing crowd around the stage-front pit was filled with people of all ages, and the many silhouettes of young children raised onto shoulders remained a feature all night.

A highlight was the audience joining in as one with Tones and I's 2021 song Cloudy Day.

Throughout the afternoon and evening, families mingled and bushfire-impacted locals were finally able to spend some time away from the local recovery effort to catch up with friends and share in the celebration which raised $25,000 just from ticket sales.

Food vendors and a welcoming bar run by volunteers kept the crowd refreshed while others gave their time to manage the logistics of such a huge event.

In a sobering interlude halfway though the show, the 32-year-old singer-songwriter walked through the crowd to a small rear stage and commended the local communities for supporting the event.

"I understood the situation straight away," she said.

"You all tagged me in AI pictures of me putting out a bushfire.

"And when I yesterday looked up how many people bought tickets for the show versus how many people lived here, I realised that there are so many communities around who also suffered and who want to succeed, came to support Longwood.

"And so this is a very different situation - my choir, my band, my dancers - this is us joining a lot of people wanting to see a community thrive and have something special."

In a gentle dig at rival towns and cities who are vying for the artist to visit, she said she was happy to be in Longwood.

"I am glad it's not Shepp," she said.

"I was so glad that the only thing I saw (here) was a pub.

"And that is what it is to be here tonight - a bunch of communities getting around a smaller one.

"Either the long drive of parents home tonight or the people going just two doors down and are happy to have this on their doorstep, or the food vendors tonight, this is honestly not the first time but is one of the most genuine times when we have sat back and realised we are here for a good reason.

"I hope other artists see that people really come out at these places."

She then sang an emotional rendition of Just A Mess, with its haunting yet uplifting lyrics:

You made me cry, I won't deny that / Yes, we lied and told our friends that we were fine / I'm just a mess, now I'm just a mess / And you're just the person that changed my life.

The show ended with her anthemic number I Made It - a song about resilience and overcoming adversity - followed by a lengthy rendition of the 2019-20 hit Dance Monkey which was accompanied by a chorus of fans who knew every word.

For an encore, Tones and I performed Fly Away, a song she wrote during COVID lockdown about her journey from a little-known busker to becoming the pop artist who managed with just her second song (Dance Monkey) to bump Bing Crosby's 1953 hit I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas from its record 22 weeks as Australia's number one all-time hit.

She has long said that Fly Away was a song about aiming high.

"Fly Away is about chasing your dreams, reaching your goals, and the realities that comes with it.

"I think that’s very powerful, at least to me."