Sir Elton John has rearranged his tour of Australia to allow him to replace George Michael as the first ever act to perform at a new venue in Perth.

The former Wham! star was due to open the Perth Arena on 10 November (12), but he has axed his entire Australian tour to seek treatment for anxiety issues stemming from his near-fatal battle with pneumonia last year (11).

The cancellation meant bosses at the Perth venue were left without an opening act to debut the new building, but the Rocket Man has now stepped in and offered to fly to Australia two days early to start his tour Down Under at the arena.

Sir Elton says in a statement, "My dear friend George Michael has been giving some amazing performances on (his) Symphonica tour, and I'm very sorry that he can't play the Perth concert. But I'm more than happy to step in for him and play the opening night at the brand new Perth Arena on November 10. It is a fabulous building and I'm told we can even have the roof open for our concert and play under the stars!

"My band and I will make absolutely sure that the Perth Arena has an unforgettable opening night, and we are looking forward to seeing the city come out in force to celebrate this stunning new building.''