Warne was bid farewell by close friends and family at a private funeral on March 20 after suffering a heart attack while on holiday in Thailand at the age of 52. Now the general public has the opportunity to pay tribute to their favorite sports image. A round of extra last minute tickets was released for the event on Tuesday.
When Is?
The state memorial service will be held Wednesday afternoon in Melbourne. The MCG Gates will open at approximately 5:30 p.m., starting at 7 p.m., with the event lasting two hours.
Who is going to attend?
TV personality Eddie McGuire, whose production company hosted the event, said that in addition to family and close friends honoring Warne, there will be a mix of performances by celebrities in Australia and abroad. Celebrities such as Russell Crowe, Hugh Jackman, James Packer, Eric Bana, Greg Norman and Kelly Slater will pay tribute to Warne. Several international stars will appear from a distance, either live or recorded. “Elton John, Chris Martin, Robbie Williams and Ed Sheeran will sing songs dedicated to Shane Warren in his memory and for that night,” McGuire said. Kylie and Danni Minogue will both be there, but it is unclear if they will show up. Jon Stevens is ready to face a band that will play a mix of Warne INXS and Noiseworks favorite songs, while Anthony Callea will also sing. The greats of cricket Nasser Hussain, Wasim Akram and Brian Lara fly to Melbourne for the memorial service, which takes place at the place where Warne passed the 700th test test against Ashes, the enemy of England. Warne’s three children, his father Keith and brother Jason, will also speak at the Shane Warne Pavilion, formerly known as the Great Southern Stand. McGuire, who will be the master of ceremonies, said that both Warne’s ex-fiancee Liz Hurley and his ex-wife and mother of children Simone Callahan would be “part of the show” but would not attend.
How many tickets are available?
More than 50,000 people have already received tickets for the event, which are free. Another 10,000 seats were vacated on Tuesday morning after the construction of the tent was completed. Warne’s family asked fans to wear cricket equipment, if they could, to help commemorate him. McGuire said the two-hour event would be “quite spectacular”. “We would like to invite people to come because this will be just one of the biggest events in the history of the city, in this country, in many ways – a tribute to a champion.” Tickets are free and still available through Ticketek.
How can you watch it?
All free TV channels will broadcast the service. The Guardian Australia will also cover the event with a live blog, starting just before 7pm. The Victorian Government’s website will also broadcast the event. Other major Australian cricket courts, such as Sydney Cricket Ground, Gabba, Adelaide Oval and Perth Optus Stadium, will all broadcast the service. The broadcast at SCG has no tickets and the gates open at 6:45 p.m. At Brisbane in Gabba, guests are invited to register before arrival and the gates open at 6 p.m. (local time). The Adelaide Oval event is only open to SACA members and their guests and in Perth, the public is invited, but is invited to book a free ticket through Ticketmaster. – with the Australian Associated Press
