George Michael Concert Tour

[just1paul]

Do What huh? I don't give a crap about Eli Stone (Mr. Whoosbee?)... this is George Michael on stage and he rocks my socks!

For the record I have 4 hrs. of his tunes on my computer and 3 hrs. of Wham! I'm a huge GM Fan!

George Michael plans first U.S. tour in 17 years | George Michael | Music News | News + Notes | Entertainment Weekly

I liked him as part of WHAM! But that was then. Enjoy the show! My all time favorite singer is the late Dean Martin and for the record I have 41.3 hours of his tunes on my PC, the 28 volumes of the Variety show DVDs, all of the movies he's done except for 4 which are not out there anywhere, All of his & Jerry Lewises Colgate Comedy hours. The CD's of all of his albums.

[MRD]

I liked him as part of WHAM! But that was then. Enjoy the show! My all time favorite singer is the late Dean Martin and for the record I have 41.3 hours of his tunes on my PC, the 28 volumes of the Variety show DVDs, all of the movies he's done except for 4 which are not out there anywhere, All of his & Jerry Lewises Colgate Comedy hours. The CD's of all of his albums.

I love watching the ads for the Dean Martin variety show on tv. I swear I'm going to order them one day. "Everybody loves somebody sometimes......."

I Loved Wham and wanted one of those big white T-shirts with stuff written on it in big black letters like the Go-go video.

[BoBoFan]

Unless I win the lottery or win the tickets up for grabs on Ellen, I'm SOL
Wait... that check from W's comin'...Now THAT'S a Plan!
I wanna go to the Vegas show... BAD!

[BoBoFan]

Street

FREEDOM: George Michael kicks off tour in San Diego

It's been 17 years since George Michael played North America. We've been missing out. Seriously.

You might expect the almost-45-year-old to put on a downtempo, jazzy show befitting his age, a la "Kissing a Fool" (which he did play). But he also showed why he made it so huge in short-shorts and ass-hugging jeans: The man has moves.

It's infectious, you know. My husband and I went along to this show because a friend called last-minute with free tickets. We sat in the nosebleeds (literally, five rows from the top) and proceeded to poke fun at everything before the lights went down. But a couple of songs in, I was ready to dance like it was 1989 again, because here I must admit, I was at the Faith tour, screaming alongside thousands of rabid teenage girls. This couldn't possibly measure up, right?

So wrong. Throngs of other moms, dads, gay guys, straight guys, girls-night-out groups and other types danced from the moment the first note sounded 'til the lights came up, about two and a half hours later. As I might have said when I was 14: OMG, that was awesome.

Against a cascading LED backdrop and framed by two large screens done absolutely no justice by these camera phone images, Michael at the outset seemed a little stiff, as unsure as the audience what a 17-year tour gap would bring. His band was set apart "Hollywood Squares"-style, stacked vertically along the screens. It didn't take long for Michael to warm up and get the crowd singing along to a gospel-tinged "One More Try," old school "I'm Your Man" and booty-shaker "Faith."

Five soulful backup singers complemented a gorgeous "Father Figure" early on, and though Michael can't quite hit the high notes anymore, he's done some rearranging to pull off his smooth trademark sound.

Imagery from boombox-inspired equalizers to burlesque star Dita Von Teese performing her glorious striptease set the tone for each song, just like a music video back in the day when people actually paid regular attention to them. Linda, Tyra and Christy graced the screen in their '90s supermodel glory during "Too Funky."

Seemingly stunned and humbled his audience was so big and stuck around so long, Michael closed out the night with a mass singalong of "Freedom."

[BoBoFan]

Last Night With George Michael - Marc Malkin - E! Online

Last Night With George Michael
Wed., Jun. 18, 2008 12:00 PM PDT by Marc Malkin

George Michael showed off more than just his voice last night during the opening show of his new 25 Live tour.

"You could tell he wasn't wearing underwear," reports a concert-goer at the San Diego Sports Arena. "It was flopping all over the place."

Manhood aside, the source raved that the concert was like nothing he had ever seen before.

"Everything from the his voice, to the lighting, to the stage was beyond anything I have ever experienced," he said.

The two-and-a-half-hour show included about 20 songs, three costume changes, six backup singers and a production that reportedly cost upwards of $2 million to put together.

Before dedicating the ballad, "Amazing," to his partner, Kenny Goss, the 44-year-old former Wham! heartthrob acknowledged California's recent legalization of gay marriage. "He said, 'I was watching TV yesterday and saw two women get married,'" the source says. "The crowd went crazy."

They also went crazy for clips from Michael's vintage music videos, especially 1992's "Too Funky," which featured a slew of supermodels. Another video created just for the show and played during Michael's cover of "Feeling Good" featured Dita Von Teese stripping down to nothing but pasties and her undies.

At the end of the night, Michael more than thanked his fans. "He was so humble," the source says. "He got down his knees, and he was bowing to the crowd."

The 25 Live tour is Michael's first North American tour in 17 years.

[jacobson00]

ohhhh so sweet

[BoBoFan]

I wanna see this show so terribly bad! This article actually lists the set lists and encores... Rub some salt in the wound...

http://www.mercurynews.com/music/ci_9646984

Review: George Michael rewards local fans for their faith

By Jim Harrington
Bay Area News Group
Article Launched: 06/20/2008 07:29:07 AM PDT

The fans had to have faith.
It had been 17 years since George Michael's last North American tour. Meanwhile, the pop star had racked up far more tabloid headlines than hit singles.

Yet, his fans were still willing to brave ticket prices that topped out at $175 and turn out in full force to see Michael on Thursday night at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, which marked the singer's first Bay Area performance since Oct. 1, 1991 at what was then known as Oakland Coliseum.

Their faith was rewarded - at times, handsomely - during Michael's two-set show. The 44-year-old Londoner, who came to fame as a member of Wham!, managed to put on a likeable enough two-hour show, despite delivering a set list that was iffy at best.

The capacity crowd rose to its feet to greet Michael as he opened the show with "Waiting," putting a little extra muscle into the line, "Here I am / Is it too late to try again?" Sporting tinted shades, a dark sports coat over a V-neck T-shirt and that still-fab 'do, Michael looked great - and so did his stage.

The stage design was both visually impressive and nicely unobtrusive, providing just enough effects to keep things interesting but never distracting our attention away from the star. There were three video screens, including one that sloped from ceiling to the floor under Michael's feet, and the live band was located on a three-tier set-up at the back of the stage.Although there were more than a dozen accompanying musicians,

including six fine backing vocalists, the music rarely felt "live." Instead, oddly enough, it sounded like a recorded track was pumping behind Michael as he continued on through such boring dance numbers as "Hard Day" and "An Easier Affair."
There have been far too many tracks like those in Michael's solo career, which is why his overly ambitious greatest hits albums - notably 2006's generous "25" would have benefitted from a more judicious editing process. Likewise, this concert had more than its share of filler, which is what kept it from being a truly great show.

The first set had a few killer moments, such as a take on the Wham! classic "I'm Your Man" that was half new arrangement and half original rendition. Yet, Michael - who is nothing if not a showman - ended the set on a surprising low note as he left the crowd with the numbing dance number "Too Funky."

Things improved somewhat in the nightcap. Michael, who seemed to be saving his voice in the first set by allowing the crowd and his backing vocalists to handle the most demanding lines, finally let it fly on a tremendous version of "Faith."

After another dance-floor snoozer, 1996's "Spinning the Wheel," the star got back on track with a sensational cover of the standard "Feeling Good." Michael stuck fairly close to Nina Simone's version, which is the best-known rendition of "Feeling Good," but he wisely didn't attempt to duplicate the jazz singer's vocal gymnastics at the end. Instead, he added the lyric, "You know it's too much to expect a man, a white man, to do it like Nina."

The singer stayed the course by then covering the Police's "Roxanne," featured on Michael's "Songs from the Last Century" CD of 1999. "Roxanne," as the Police will prove with its local shows next month, is one of those songs that we really don't need to hear again, yet Michael managed to make it worth our time by setting it in a semi-jazz arrangement.

Another weak dance number, "Outside" (performed by Michael in a police officer's uniform), brought the second set to a close. Then, however, it was all aces as Michael returned for encores of "Praying for Time," "Careless Whisper" and "Freedom 90." Those three numbers, more than anything else delivered on this night, were the fans' true rewards for years of faith.

Set list - "Waiting (Reprise)," "Fastlove," "I'm Your Man," "Father Figure," "Hard Day," "Everything She Wants," "One More Try," "A Different Corner," "An Easier Affair," "Too Funky."

(Set break) - "Faith," "Spinning the Wheel," "Feeling Good," "Roxanne," "Kissing a Fool," "Amazing," "Flawless (Go to the City)," "Outside."

Encore 1 - "Praying for Time," "Careless Whisper."

Encore 2 - "Freedom 90."

[BoBoFan]

Everytime I read a review it reminds me of how very badly I want to see this show... It's probably beyond amazing.

George Michael in top form at United Center :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Entertainment

George Michael in top form, hot as ever at United Center
CONCERT REVIEW | There's no one he forgets to be

July 10, 2008
BY CHERYL V. JACKSON cjackson@suntimes.com

"I think it's time I stopped the show/There's something deep inside of me/There's someone I forgot to be."

Thank goodness they're just words George Michael sang Wednesday night.

He did stop the performance at the United Center for a 20-minute break. But we could use a breather after the first hour of the party that was the Chicago stop of a tour celebrating the pop star's 25th anniversary in the music business.

His 45-year-old self, dressed in a black jacket, black jeans and shades, promised, "Tonight, I'm going to work my arse off just for you," as he headed into "Hard Day."

His voice was in top form.

He returned to lunge into "Faith" and continued to work all parts of the massive high-tech stage (it extended to the middle of the arena) assembled for this tour, which he has threatened will be his last big arena performance series.

By the end of the night, there's no one he forgot to be.

He was the hot guy in the club that all the girls, and many of the fellas, wanted to party with; the one quick to get in your face, pull you out of your seat and lead the chants.

"C'mon, Chicago, you know you want to," he said, knowing we didn't need any encouragement wail on "Careless Whisper."

Via the screen, and some familiar dance moves, he was a youngster from Wham! as clips of the duo's videos played while present-day grown man Michael performed "I'm Your Man."

He, along with six backup singers, were in the spirit during a gospel-like version of "One More Try," which he followed up with a cover of "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face."

He was Jazz Age with a segment that included a cover of "Feeling Good" recorded for the TV series "Eli Stone" and accompanied by images of burlesque beauty Dita Von Teese (in a giant martini glass, no less); "Roxanne" and "Kissing A Fool."

He returned to club mode and shouted out the California Supreme Court decision that allows gay marriages before performing "Amazing" and "Outside."

Two encores later, Michael exited on "Freedom '90," just as hot as he was in '90.

[Spiritinthesky]

I think I read today that Wham! are getting back together for a few shows?

[buglover]

I think I read today that Wham! are getting back together for a few shows?

I thought Andrew's wife had said they wouldn't be getting back together when asked earlier this year. Maybe money is tight and he needs a quick buck?