John Farnham’s rare appearance at Coldplay concert after cancer battle

John Farnham made a rare public appearance in the wake of his cancer battle, stepping out in Melbourne to attend Coldplay’s concert with his family.

John Farnham made a rare public appearance in Melbourne on Sunday night while attending Coldplay’s concert with his family.

The legendary singer, 75, was among the sold-out crowd at Marvel Stadium, which marked the British band’s fourth and final show in the city before continuing their Music of the Spheres world tour in Sydney later this week.

And Coldplay certainly left the best for last, going out with a bang as they paid tribute to The Voice himself by singing Farnham’s iconic anthem You’re the Voice.

“Mr John Farnham is in the building,” frontman Chris Martin told the crowd as he belted out the 1986 hit.

John Farnham made a rare appearance at Coldplay’s Melbourne show on Sunday in wake of his cancer battle.

Farnham’s sons later shared some photos and video of the moment on Instagram, including a photo of their dad smiling in the background wearing a black shirt as he sat with wife Jill and sons Robert and James.

“We were guests of @coldplay last night at Marvel Arena,” eldest son Rob, 44, captioned the photo. “They were amazing. Was a pretty special night.”

James, 36, also shared a video of the moment the crowd joined in and honoured their dad.

“[One hundred per cent] a show that you have to see in your life time! Was amazing! So cool seeing/hearings the tribute to dad.!!” he wrote alongside the clip.

Public outings have been far and few for Farnham, who has kept a low profile since he was diagnosed with mouth cancer in August 2022.

Shortly after making his diagnosis public, he underwent a marathon 12-hour operation at a Melbourne hospital to have a tumour removed before reconstructing his jaw.

In October 2022, his sons James and Robert opened up to A Current Affair about their father’s surgery and subsequent recovery.

“He is in recovery now. He pulled through the surgery. That was hectic. Pretty hairy,” Robert said.

“Now he’s almost back to his normal self, just dropping jokes all the time. The nurse teams come in and it’s new people, a new audience. He’s a performer at heart and he’s always trying to make people laugh, which is just who he is.”

Farnham made another rare appearance at his son Rob’s wedding day in June this year.

The singer was in good spirits as he posed for the newly weds.

Roughly one year later, in August 2023, Farnham shared happy news with fans, revealing he was cancer-free.

“I am the luckiest man I know right now. It’s been a year since my first surgery and to be honest I’ve lost count as to how many other procedures there’s been since then,” he said in his personal statement.

“I’m sure someone’s kept track of them all – let’s just say, there’s been a few. But, I’m home now and I’m a very grateful and happy man.

“It’s only now that I can start to appreciate and comprehend, for myself, how many messages of love and support have been sent to me over the past year. I don’t know what to say, other than thank you so very much. It honestly means the world to me.”

Originally published as John Farnham’s rare appearance at Coldplay concert after cancer battle