John Farnham will not be present at the sold-out concert built to honor his half-century career, his family confirmed the day before the Melbourne event, citing a decline in his health that has kept the details largely private until now.

In a statement shared to social media by wife Jill and sons Robert and James, the family explained the decision to go public.

“Many people have been asking whether John will be involved in the concert or attending Sunday night to watch it all happen. Unfortunately, he will not be able to attend, and as a family, we feel it is important to provide an update on John’s health to help explain why,” they wrote. “John’s health has deteriorated in recent months. He now requires continuous oxygen support and uses a wheelchair for mobility. It has also become necessary for John to receive 24-hour nursing care at home.”

The family added that they’d “kept these matters private while our family has adjusted to John’s changing needs,” but felt it was time for fans to understand his circumstances.

The decision to keep him home was framed as protective rather than reluctant. “As a family, we have decided that it’s best for John to remain at home, where he can be safe and comfortable,” the statement continued, noting that Farnham was nonetheless “deeply moved” by the effort put into the show and had wanted, in another world, to thank everyone involved in person: “He would undoubtedly have been a little overwhelmed by all the fuss, but he would also have wanted to thank everyone involved.”

The concert, The Songs of John Farnham: A Living Legend, sold out quickly ahead of Sunday’s (Sept. 20) show at Rod Laver Arena and features 120 performers Farnham personally selected, including Jimmy Barnes, Tina Arena, Keith Urban, Jessica Mauboy and Kate Ceberano, with Celine Dion and Hugh Jackman appearing via satellite.

Proceeds benefit Head and Neck Cancer Australia, the organization that supported Farnham through treatment following his 2022 oral cancer diagnosis, which required a 12-hour surgery involving 26 surgeons.

He was declared cancer-free in 2023 but has made only rare public appearances since, and previously confirmed that singing again is “just not possible.”

Ed Sheeran needed to address the situation before he could start playing guitar. It wasn’t how he wanted to start his show, and he’s made it abundantly clear that the last thing he wants around him is controversy or, in his words, to be an “activist musician.”

But here he was, at the first show after his opener and friend Macklemore was kicked off the tour, following pressure by a group of venue owners led by Robert Kraft who took issue with Macklemore’s statement of support toward Palestine. That led to the rest of the tour’s openers and even Sheeran’s backing band for the tour dropping off the tour in solidarity with Macklemore — all of which became a huge news story and PR nightmare for the usually very un-controversial Sheeran. And though he had already made one highly scrutinized statement online while the news story was at its most potent, Sheeran felt the need to address the crowd at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field on Saturday night (Sept. 19) in person, before the show really started.

“I’m used to my music being criticized, and I’m always happy to take that because I’m lucky a lot of you like my stuff, and to be honest, I’m surprised,” Sheeran said. “I’m not surprised that other people don’t. It’s normal. But this week, the criticism was about something much more important, and I’ve had to take and make difficult decisions, and I am making mistakes, and I’m so, so sorry.

“What happened in Israel at the Nova music festival on October 7th was horrific and compounded centuries of Jewish pain. What is is happening in Gaza is catastrophic, unjustifiable, and disproportionate,” Sheeran continued. “My heart has been broken by the scale of devastation and loss of civilians’ lives, of children’s lives. And the systemic injustice we’re seeing unfold in the West Bank cannot be overlooked.

“I am already speaking to people across the spectrum to work out how to make a contribution that helps victims of these terrible times, and listening and learning because I do not know enough,” he concluded. “I honestly am so grateful that you’re here tonight with me. This concert is still a place where everyone is welcome, and everyone here can stand beside people that have opposing views. Everyone here can stand by people that they don’t agree with on everything, and they can all agree on singing these songs. And these songs are about love, hope and unity.”

The crowd in Philadelphia – a nearly full Lincoln Financial Field – enjoyed that, and there was little sign of any controversy from that point on in the stadium. Any protests outside of the venue had disappeared by the time most of the crowd had shown up, and if there was heightened security as reports had suggested, it wasn’t obvious. There were maybe a few extra news crews reporting on the show as people filed in and out, but if Sheeran hadn’t brought it up, the crowd did not seem like one particularly anxious about any elephant in the room.

Sheeran’s “Loop Tour” centers around his performances mostly entirely alone, using a loop pedal to create backing tracks each night and mostly spending time on stage alone. But now without openers and the backing of Irish band Beoga, who pulled out of the tour out of solidarity with Macklemore and empathy toward Palestinians, Sheeran’s solitariness was magnified. At the break in the show where he would have typically gone to a separate “B stage” setup, Sheeran explained that that part of the show had been scrapped for safety, as he was concerned about “what might happen if [he] stood in the middle” of the crowd.

Without directly calling out Beoga — and assuming the crowd either knew the full story or didn’t need to know that detail if they weren’t privy to it — he introduced his backing musicians for the evening, led by violinist Alicia Enstrom, who has toured with Sheeran in the past, and proceeded with the section of the show that included the Ireland-set ÷ hit “Galway Girl.” Sheeran didn’t elaborate whether this last-minute backing band would stick around for later dates on the tour. 

It was mostly business as usual after that first statement, with Sheeran only occasionally letting on that things were different. Before introducing “Old Phone,” he joked that “until this week,” the only time he appeared in the news was if he was in court. Earlier, he jokingly asked if the crowd enjoyed the openers. Such comments were subtle enough that if an audience member, especially one of the many kids in the crowd, weren’t in on it, it might just go over their heads and they’d move on. If you didn’t get it, don’t worry about it. 

Before the big finale, though, Sheeran took a seat on the edge of the stage and made his lengthiest statement of the night, even longer than the one at the beginning, which was clearly being carefully referenced from a teleprompter. This one was a little more off-the-cuff and maybe even slightly less prepared.

“The last week of my life has been one of the worst weeks of my life, and today has been one of the weirdest days of my life. Tonight has been honestly the best show of my life,” Sheeran declared. “I really didn’t know whether this tour would carry on, I really didn’t know whether I’d get on stage again, whether I even wanted to be an artist at all. But, you know, in these situations, you really find out who your friends are. And it’s been a weird week. I just feel like everything happened very quickly. And the whole time I have so many people telling me to cancel this tour, and I have so many people falling out of my life that I’ve known for years and years and years, people just kind of backing away.”

Sheeran said that the reaction from his audience strengthened his resolve to make sure the show, and tour, went on. 

“I saw ticket sales for this gig, and I didn’t see cancellations, I saw people buying tickets. I’m there, and everyone’s telling me to cancel, and I’m feeling all of my friends and family and people I know abandon me. And I look at the end of the week, and I see 50,000 people who haven’t abandoned me. People will say what they want, but I’m doing this for you. I love you. I love this. I love the unison we have here. I love the feeling this concert brings. I love bringing people together of all races, all religions, all political ideas.”

He finished by leaning back into something reflective of his original statement online and the commitment to unity — apologizing for the fact that he had to make a statement and take something resembling a stance at all, in his eyes complicating what should be a simple night of music free of any argument or tension.

“A lot of people here have differing opinions, and we’ve had a great night. And you are standing next to people and dancing with people who you may disagree with. And you probably understand them better by being, you know, one and love. I have had so many opinions on this. But the root of it is love. And if this tour ends, love doesn’t win. Love doesn’t win. You know? I can’t let you guys down. That’s why I’m here tonight, on my own, for you guys.”

Sheeran then wiped his eyes, stood up, and then he went into the last few songs of his set, complete with pyrotechnics, like nothing had even happened.

A medical emergency involving bassist Tobin Esperance has knocked Papa Roach out of its scheduled appearance at Louder Than Life, the band confirmed Friday (Sept. 19), just hours before they were due onstage in Louisville.

The group framed the decision as guided by doctors rather than choice. “After careful consideration and advice from medical professionals, Papa Roach bassist Tobin Esperance will be unable to perform this weekend due to an unexpected emergency,” the band said in a statement via social media, adding that his health was their “immediate concern” and asking fans to respect his privacy.

“Therefore, we will not be able to perform at this year’s Louder Than Life festival, and wish everyone the best. Right now, Tobin’s health is our immediate concern. We look forward to welcoming him back on stage in November and appreciate the continued support and respect for his privacy during this time.”

No detail on what happened was disclosed.

The cancellation costs the band its planned closing date of a U.S. run — the Sept. 19 Louder Than Life slot was set to be their final American show before crossing the Atlantic. That festival itself is no small affair: more than 200 acts are playing across the four-day event, including My Chemical Romance, Iron Maiden, Tool and Limp Bizkit.

Esperance has been part of Papa Roach’s rhythm section since the band formed in 1993, playing on every studio album and co-writing much of its catalog alongside frontman Jacoby Shaddix. That run has produced four Billboard Mainstream Rock Airplay No. 1s — “Kill the Noise,” “No Apologies,” “Help” and “Born for Greatness” — plus the band’s breakthrough “Last Resort,” which spent time on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2000 and remains one of the era’s defining nu-metal singles.

Assuming Esperance recovers on schedule, the band picks back up Nov. 1 for its Rise of the Roach tour, opening at Glasgow’s OVO Hydro and moving through Dublin, Birmingham, Manchester, London and Cardiff before a run of mainland European dates that wraps Dec. 6 in Lyon.

Ed Sheeran opened a solo concert Saturday (Sept. 19) with comments about Gaza after controversy swirled around his tour as supporting acts withdrew in solidarity with opener Macklemore, who was dropped after making pro-Palestinian comments onstage.

Sheeran said he wants his music and shows to be about unity and humanity, not politics.

He also addressed “the question of where I stand in the situation in Israel and Palestine.”

“What happened in Israel and at the Nova Music Festival on October 7th was horrific and compounded centuries of Jewish pain. What is happening in Gaza is catastrophic and unjustifiable, and disproportionate. My heart has been broken by the scale of devastation and loss of civilians’ lives, of children’s lives, and the systemic injustice we’re seeing unfold in the West Bank cannot be overlooked,” Sheeran said from the stage at Lincoln Financial Field.

“I am already speaking to people across the spectrum to work out how to make a contribution that helps victims of these terrible times, and listening and learning because I do not know enough,” he added.

Sheeran has performed much of his Loop Tour concerts solo, but he had been joined for several songs at each stop by the Irish folk band Beoga. Macklemore, Sheeran’s original U.S. opener, had been replaced by Danish band Lukas Graham and Irish singer Aaron Rowe before they backed out.

Finneas, Billie Eilish’s brother and musical collaborator, was due to tour with Sheeran in South America later this year before he too dropped out earlier this week.

Before the show, a small group of pro-Palestinian demonstrators congregated outside the stadium. Hillary Steinberg, 34, of Philadelphia, said she got tickets a year ago but wound up getting a refund and attended the demonstration instead, disappointed that Sheeran did not take a stand.

“I was, until this week, a big Ed Sheeran fan,” Steinberg said. “I think all art is political, and all music is political, and so this choice — even though he was saying that he wasn’t complicit — is a political choice.”

The show came after a tumultuous week that opened with Macklemore being dropped in response to exclaiming “Free Palestine” during a Sept. 5 show in New Jersey. Sheeran has said he was not responsible for the decision, which came at the urging of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft. His company owns a stadium where Sheeran’s tour was scheduled to play on Friday.

Within hours of Sheeran’s statement Tuesday, his supporting acts withdrew.

On Saturday, Diane Savitz, a 53-year-old concertgoer from Stroudsburg, said she is a big Sheeran fan, does not think he did anything wrong and a show is not the place for politics.

“A concert should be for people enjoying the music. Music should bring people together,” Savitz said. “Everyone has their right to freedom of speech, but not every platform is the place for it.”

Macklemore said Wednesday he is donating $1 million to support Palestinian relief efforts and called on Kraft to match the gift; a spokesperson for Kraft has said the billionaire and Sheeran have each agreed to donate $2 million but have not specified where the money will be directed. Sheeran’s representatives have not responded to multiple requests for comment.

Sheeran’s Loop Tour was the highest-grossing in the world, with an average box office gross of over $7 million per city, Pollstar said in May. Through the end of 2025, Sheeran was the No. 3 top-earning concert act since 2021.

Sheeran has said the tour promoter was ultimately responsible for the decision to drop Macklemore.

The Grammy winner was adamant in his Tuesday statement that he wouldn’t be drawn into discussion of the war in Gaza, arguing that his fans don’t come to his shows to hear about these issues.

He also said he “spoke with the venues at length all week to try to build a bridge” before Macklemore was dropped. He insisted he would never willingly let down his fans or abandon the touring crew and others who rely on him to make a living.

While promoters and venues wield great power over concert tours, experts say an artist of Sheeran’s magnitude generally has the final say about what happens concerning the shows.

Sheeran told the crowd in Philadelphia that everyone is welcome at his concerts, and they can have opposing points of view while still singing his songs, which are about “love, hope, and unity.”

Céline Dion, barefoot and beaming, joined a fan sing-along of “Pour Que Tu M’aimes Encore” on the streets of Paris on Friday (Sept. 18).

Fan-filmed footage on social media shows the pop icon climbing onto the hood of a car, taking in the crowd that gathered outside her hotel after the third show of the singer’s 26-night concert residency at Plenitude Arena in Nanterre.

Video captured Dion conducting the crowd. She waved her arms, rolled around dramatically, clapped to the beat, got up on her feet and gave heart hands while everyone sang the French-language track from her 1995 album D’eux that translates to “so that you’ll love me again.”

Dion appeared to be surrounded by security, with onlookers close to her yet respectful of her space. Post-show, she was dressed in comfortable attire: loose trousers, a plain top and a bomber jacket.

All the world’s a stage as Dion makes her comeback. After stepping back for several years due to her health — with a diagnosis of stiff-person syndrome — the star made an emotional return to the spotlight a week ago, launching her Paris residency on Sept. 12. She cried tears of joy that night.

“Ça y est, on est là. C’était une promesse. Je suis debout sur scène, dans cette ville que j’aime tant,” a teary-eyed Dion said on the arena stage opening night. “Vous entendez les battements de mon cœur?” (“That’s it, we’re here. It was a promise. I’m standing on stage, in this city I love so much,” she said. “Can you hear my heartbeat?”).

Even more triumphant by night two, on Sept. 16, Dion held back the tears.

Dion’s residency continued with a performance Saturday night (Sept. 19) and will be back to the arena stage Wednesday (Sept. 23). Dates continue through mid-November, and then resume with a series of 10 shows in May.