Live Review: John Farnham, Olivia Newton-John

A pair of Australian icons illuminated the Adelaide Entertainment Centre stage, as Olivia Newton-John and John Farnham doubled down for their combined Two Strong Hearts tour.

The human jukeboxes let loose a spit-fire succession of inimitable hits, replete with six costume quick-changes, two live bagpipe players and more key modulations than you could shake a Bedazzler at.

Strutting on stage to Farnham’s 1988 hit, Two Strong Hearts, the duo were met with a wave of applause. The packed house lapped up the rampant nostalgia, perhaps relieved to hear the legends still boast the vocal power for which they’re world famous. Backed by Farnham’s touring band and the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, it was clear from the outset all were intent to put on a damned good show.

Farnsy left the stage, giving Livvy the spotlight to perform a plethora of her solo hits, among them I Honestly Love You, Have You Never Been Mellow and Hopelessly Devoted To You. A smorgasbord of fan favourites from the Xanadu soundtrack had the crowd in lycra-loving rapture. There’s a rasp to Newton-John’s voice now, testament to her decades spent giving audiences her all, but punters in droves made it known she’s still the one that they want.

Whispering Jack returned to take a turn around the arena floor, arms locked with Newton-John. Together they performed Dare To Dream, their rousing anthem fondly remembered from the 2000 Sydney Olympics. With ostensible warmth and sincerity, the pair doled out hugs, kisses and handshakes to some fortunate audience members. In return they were showered with gifts and gratitude before exiting for interval.

The show’s second act saw Farnham treat the crowd to timeless tracks Burn For You, Pressure Down and Every Time You Cry among others. Better yet was his top quality “Dad Banter”, packed with enough saucy wordplay to trigger a torrent of hot flushes throughout the mostly menopausal crowd. Donning a pair of leather pants, he and Newton-John knocked Grease hits You’re The One That I Want and Summer Nights square out of the park. After duetting on Newton-John’s titillating Physical, the duo climaxed with a call-to-arms version of You’re The Voice.  

Having whipped the crowd into a suitable frenzy, they departed from the stage only to return moments later with Farnham teasing, “You knew we were coming back!” – Classic Farnsy. They then rounded out the night with the Australian national anthem: It’s A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock’n’Roll). With 80 years industry experience between them, these national treasures filled revellers with a sense of Aussie pride unrivalled since Hey! Hey! It’s Saturday! went off air in 1999 (#neverforget).