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John Farnham Honored at Rod Laver, Charity Concert Tickets June 2

5/29/2026

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Summary

Farnham Honored

John Farnham will be honored at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena on 20 September 2026, with proceeds funding Head and Neck Cancer Australia’s support for about 5,300 patients annually.
Tickets go on sale at 10 am on Tuesday 2 June 2026 via Ticketek.
Celine Dion, Hugh Jackman, Keith Urban, Jimmy Barnes and Tina Arena will appear with a 38-piece orchestra, choir and Farnham’s band led by Chong Lim, while Farnham will not sing.

Summary

Dion Invites Farnham

Celine Dion met John Farnham on her 2018 tour and called him a favourite singer.
She invited him onstage to duet “You’re The Voice.”
Backstage footage aired on The Project, showing Farnham thank Dion and Dion reply, “You are the voice.”
Farnham’s last live show was the Fire Fight Australia concert on 16 February 2020, where he performed “You’re The Voice” with Olivia Newton-John, Brian May and Mitch Tambo.

Summary

Farnham Rejects Tribute

In his first interview in four years, Farnham said singing publicly is not possible after his mouth and facial surgeries.
He credited his wife Jill as the “rock” who kept him strong and supported sons Robert and James during his cancer battle.
Farnham told the Herald Sun he does not want a tribute, saying “no one needs to do this for me. I’m not dead yet.”

History

Historical Context

On 20 April 1992, Queen guitarist Brian May and MTV staged the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert at Wembley, drawing 72,000 fans and raising £3 million for the Mercury Phoenix Trust after Mercury’s death from AIDS in November 1991. The event, featuring Elton John and Tony Iommi, cemented the model of high-profile benefit shows that later inspired similar health-fundraising concerts.

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Farnham Honored

John Farnham will be honored at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena on 20 September 2026, with proceeds funding Head and Neck Cancer Australia’s support for about 5,300 patients annually.
Tickets go on sale at 10 am on Tuesday 2 June 2026 via Ticketek.
Celine Dion, Hugh Jackman, Keith Urban, Jimmy Barnes and Tina Arena will appear with a 38-piece orchestra, choir and Farnham’s band led by Chong Lim, while Farnham will not sing.

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