RANCHO MURIETA, CA (MPG) - Before Entertainment, Theater & Culture for Rancho Murieta (ETC) transported concertgoers back to the era of Billy Joel and Elton John on July 11, it honored a resident whose vision helped to make evenings like this possible.

ETC Vice President Jane Rosetta asked founder Erin Reed to stand as she attended what would be her final ETC concert before moving to Arizona. Rosetta credited Reed and fellow founder Michael Jones with creating the organization that has brought summer concerts to the Lake Clementia Amphitheater for nearly a quarter century.

“Let's give her a round of applause,” Rosetta said. “None of us would be here tonight, Erin. One thousand people are all here because of you having that beautiful vision 25 years ago.”

Rosetta said Reed and Jones founded ETC in 2001, recruited volunteers and sponsors, set up a nonprofit and launched the first amphitheater events the following year.

The tribute was followed by another journey into the past as Kenny Metcalf, portraying Elton John, and Adam Shapiro, portraying Billy Joel, re-created the legendary Face to Face concerts of the 1990s.

It didn’t take long for the audience to become part of the performance.

The youngest fans claimed the dance floor first. While many adults remained on blankets and lawn chairs, little children danced with their parents near the stage or happily twirled on their own as the music began. During one song, Shapiro leaned over the edge of the stage to bump fists with a little girl held high in her mother’s arms, drawing smiles from nearby concertgoers.

Soon, the dance floor filled with residents of all ages, dancing, clapping and singing nearly every word. Audience members continued singing even after the musicians stopped playing.

Several dozen residents embraced Elton John’s flamboyant style, arriving in oversized glasses, glittering jackets, sequined tops and flashy jewelry. About a dozen teenagers – who weren’t even born when Billy Joel and Elton John were filling arenas – sang along and danced with the same enthusiasm as longtime fans.

The band rolled through signature hits including “Bennie and the Jets,” “Rocket Man,” “Tiny Dancer,” “Movin’ Out” and “Piano Man,” with nearly every song becoming a crowd sing-along.

Throughout the evening, Metcalf and Shapiro joked with concertgoers, encouraged them to dance and sing along, and fed off the audience’s enthusiasm.

By the end of the scheduled concert, the audience wasn’t ready for the night to end.

ETC President JT Turner announced the band had agreed to perform two encore songs. During the finale, backup singer Stephanie Kirscher stepped off the stage and sang among the audience as excitement built toward an over-the-top rendition of “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting.”

The dance floor erupted as audience members sang at the top of their lungs, danced shoulder to shoulder and clapped in rhythm while the performers matched the crowd’s energy.

By the final notes, little children dancing with their parents, teenagers discovering the music for the first time, and adults who remembered Billy Joel and Elton John in their heyday were all singing and dancing together.

“The crowd was over the top, totally having a great time,” Metcalf said after the concert. “We loved performing here and hope to come back.”

Shapiro agreed.

“It was a huge crowd, loud,” he said. “Most audiences you have to challenge to get them going. Not here. They had fantastic energy and wanted more.”

After performing for nearly 100 minutes with so much energy radiating from the crowd, Shapiro said he felt like “like I’m melting like a chocolate bar.”

Before the concert, Murieta Dance Company competitive dancer Gemma Neuman performed a lyrical solo to “What a Wonderful World.”

Turner also recognized longtime title sponsor Karen Hoberg, who praised ETC’s volunteers.

“What ETC and what they do for the community is priceless,” Hoberg said. “I think all of us should be appreciative of all the hard work that the members and these volunteers do.”

The pre-concert festivities also included sponsor recognition, birthday celebrations, a volunteer gift basket giveaway and Turner launching ETC fleece blankets into the audience with a T-shirt cannon.