The Songs Of John Farnham: A Living Legend, The Celebration Concert will be broadcast live into Hoyts cinemas across Australia on 20 September, extending the sold-out Rod Laver Arena event to audiences nationwide.
by Paul Cashmere
The Songs Of John Farnham: A Living Legend, The Celebration Concert will be screened live in Hoyts cinemas across Australia on Sunday 20 September, giving audiences outside Melbourne access to the one-night celebration of John Farnham’s music as it takes place at Rod Laver Arena.
The cinema broadcast follows the rapid sell-out of the Melbourne concert, which will bring more than 120 artists and musicians together for a performance dedicated to Farnham’s six-decade career. Farnham himself will not perform. Instead, his catalogue will be interpreted by a large ensemble of Australian and international performers under the musical direction and arrangements of his longtime Musical Director, Chong Lim.
The Hoyts broadcast is an extension of the original concert rather than a separate production. Audiences in cinemas will watch the event as it unfolds at Rod Laver Arena, where the September 20 performance has been conceived as a single celebration of Farnham’s contribution to Australian music.
The scale of the production is significant. The concert will feature Vanessa Amorosi, Tina Arena, Jimmy Barnes, Mahalia Barnes, Kate Ceberano, Diesel, Rob Farnham, Dannielle Gaha, Hans, Human Nature, Jack Jones, Richard Marx, Jessica Mauboy, Ruby Rodgers, Jon Stevens, Mitch Tambo, Keith Urban, Mark Vincent and Ross Wilson. Celine Dion and Hugh Jackman will contribute performances remotely.
For Hoyts, the broadcast represents an opportunity to bring a major Australian concert production simultaneously to cinema audiences beyond the capacity of the Melbourne venue. Hoyts Group General Manager of Programming and Content Michelle Gater said Farnham’s music had become part of the lives of several generations of Australians.
“The Songs Of John Farnham” celebration was announced earlier this year as a fundraiser for Head and Neck Cancer Australia. Farnham was diagnosed with oral cancer in 2022 and has subsequently spoken publicly about his experience. The fundraising purpose gives the concert a dimension beyond a retrospective of his recording career, with proceeds supporting services, awareness and advocacy associated with head and neck cancer.
Producer Tony Cochrane said the response to the concert demonstrated the continuing connection between Farnham’s music and Australian audiences. Thea Jeanes-Cochrane said the production had been developed on a large scale and that the cinema broadcast would allow fans who could not secure Rod Laver Arena tickets to experience the event.
Paul Dainty, producer of TEG Dainty, described the cinema extension as an unprecedented opportunity to take the concert beyond the arena.
Farnham’s connection with Rod Laver Arena is particularly strong. Organisers have stated that he has performed at the venue 94 times during his career, with more than one million people attending those performances. The September concert therefore places his catalogue back in a venue that has played a substantial role in his live history, although this time the stage will be occupied by other performers.
Farnham’s career stretches back to the 1960s, when he emerged as a teenage pop performer. His most consequential career transformation came in 1986 with Whispering Jack. Led by “You’re The Voice”, the album became a defining Australian recording and established Farnham as one of the country’s major live performers.
The subsequent albums Age Of Reason, Chain Reaction and Then Again extended his commercial success. His catalogue includes songs that have remained part of the Australian popular music repertoire, including “Burn For You”, “A Touch Of Paradise”, “Pressure Down” and “Two Strong Hearts”.
Chong Lim’s involvement provides a direct musical connection with Farnham’s established live sound. He will lead the arrangements for the celebration alongside Farnham’s longtime band, orchestra and choir.
The concert also has a place in the final chapter of Farnham’s performing career. His appearance at the 2020 Fire Fight Australia benefit concert is regarded as his final live performance. The new production instead places the emphasis on the songs and the artists interpreting them, rather than presenting it as a return to the stage for Farnham.
The Hoyts screening gives the September 20 event a substantially wider footprint. Rather than being limited to those inside Rod Laver Arena, Farnham’s music will be experienced simultaneously by cinema audiences around Australia, creating a national audience for a concert that remains a one-night event in Melbourne.
Tickets for the live cinema broadcast go on sale at 9:00am AEST on Thursday 3 September through Hoyts. The concert itself takes place at Rod Laver Arena on Sunday 20 September 2026.
Tour Dates
Sunday 20 September 2026, Melbourne, Rod Laver Arena
Ticket Details
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