John Farnham will be saluted with an all-star concert in Melbourne this September, which promises to shine a light both on his storied songbook and cancer, which Jack has battled with in recent years.
Rod Laver Arena will host The Songs Of John Farnham: A Living Legend The Celebration on Sunday, Sept. 20, featuring 120 artists and musicians, and raising funds for Head and Neck Cancer Australia.
Among those performers are Keith Urban, Tina Arena, Jimmy Barnes, Kate Ceberano, Ross Wilson, Human Nature, Richard Marx, Jessica Mauboy and Jon Stevens, with Celine Dion and Hugh Jackman joining in via satellite.
On the night, Farnham’s longtime musical director Chong Lim will lead the John Farnham Band, alongside a 38-piece orchestra and choir, “delivering a rich, powerful sound befitting the catalogue that has defined generations,” reps say.
“I’ve been incredibly lucky to spend my life doing what I love, and even luckier to have Australians embrace my music the way they have,” comments Farnham in a statement. “This night isn’t about me — it’s about giving something back and supporting a cause that means a great deal to me.”
Farnham personally invited each artist appearing at the show, and he has a record-breaking connection with the 15,000-capacity Rod Laver Arena, part of the Melbourne Park complex. He has performed at the Olympic Park venue on 94 occasions, doing so to more than 1 million total fans.
“The fact that so many extraordinary artists from around the world have so generously agreed to be part of this night is incredibly humbling and says far more about the spirit behind this event than it does about me,” he continues. “I hope everyone has a great night. Just enjoy the music and have a laugh too.”
With 1986’s Whispering Jack, Farnham became a comeback king, and a homegrown pop superstar. The Sony Music release spent 25 weeks at No. 1, en route to shifting more than one million copies, becoming the first domestic LP to do so. It remains the highest-selling album ever in Australia by a local talent.
Whispering Jack houses Farnham’s signature song, “You’re The Voice,” a top 10 hit in the U.K. and, four decades on, the unofficial anthem of Australia.
The legendary, ARIA Hall of Fame-inducted singer faced his toughest comeback yet, when he underwent major surgery to remove a cancerous growth in August 2022. Since then, he has made only a handful of rare public appearances, and in 2024 October was heard for the first time in more than two years by way of an audiobook excerpt for his memoir.
The singer was the subject of a 2023 documentary, John Farnham: Finding the Voice, which became the all-time highest-grossing Australian music documentary in these parts, and a musical on that classic album is in the works.
The one-off Melbourne concert is produced by Tony Cochrane and Thea Jeanes-Cochrane of Cochrane Entertainment Collective and Paul Dainty of TEG Dainty.
“John Farnham is truly one of the great voices of the world,” explains Celine Dion, who is both a fan of, and a collaborator with, the Aussie legend. “I have such beautiful memories of the time we shared on stage together — his generosity, his humor, and that incredible voice that fills your heart the moment you hear it. It’s such an honor and a privilege for me to be included to celebrate the extraordinary legacy John has given to music. He’s an iconic artist, and he’s also a deeply special human being. I know his songs will continue to live in people’s hearts for generations to come.”
Tickets are on sale from Tuesday, June 2 at 10am AEST from Ticketek.
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