Concert Review: George Michael
Last night's George Michael concert at the Verizon Center marked the 100th show of his two-year tour, which began last year in Europe and will end shortly, after two more US performances and a pair of concerts in England, where he will shoot a concert DVD.
While the show wasn't perfect, it was a treat for long-time fans such as myself, who have waited well over a decade to see him perform again in the USA.
Large stadium shows are not typically my thing, as they are usually impersonal, the vocal talent of the artist gets lost in the noise of the crowd and the musical accompaniment, and the spectacle of such shows (light/video/set pieces/backup dancers, etc.) takes away from the artistry of the performer. These clusterfuck elements work for people like Madonna or the average pop-star, but for an artist with great vocals, musicianship, and songwriting ability (like GM), I find them more of a detriment. There were such issues last night, with the shear shock and awe of the massive all-in-one LCD stage and video wall and the ambient noise being a bit overwhelming at times, yet GM transcended the chaos of the setting more often than not by engaging the crowd and performing many of his most pleasing hits from the last 25 years. I would have preferred a smaller venue and less hi-tech equipment (a sentiment not shared by my bf and roommate...and most people in the audience it seems), so that his still lovely voice (he's lost some of his soaring range, but his 45 year-old pipes are still a powerful instrument) would be well featured instead of drowned out, but the goodwill of the audience and the infectiousness of GM's onstage energy made up for any percieved losses in overall quality. 
GM made mention of the gays often in the show, calling out, "Let me see my gay boys" during the beginning of "A Different Corner," a song about self-acceptance; commenting on the hope that one day gays and lesbians will win the right to marry, as an intro to "Amazing," which he dedicated to his partner, Kenny; and claiming that his song "Flawless" (which was possibly the best performance of the night) is the "gayest record he's ever made." There were many gay men in the audience (most seemed older), and during the encore performance of "Freedom 90," the video screen displayed gay pride colors throughout the song.
While I was expecting a mostly female crowd, I saw many straight men accompanying them, and many older married couples with their young adult/teenage children. Whether speaking to a black woman in line as she bought over $100 in merchandise, watching the parade of gay and straight couples parade through the concourse, or drinking with an interracial lesbian couple and a 40-something straight couple that sat next to my group(we all locked arms and swayed together during "Careless Whisper"), I felt a strong sense of joy and diversity among the people gathered in mutual love for the man and the music he produced over the past 25 years.
The set list (provided below) was great, with highlights being the WHAM! classic "I'm Your Man," a cover of Nina Simone's "Feeling Good" and Sting's "Roxanne," a techno remix of "Spinning the Wheel," a jumping rendition of gay empowerment anthem "Flawless," and a fantastic closing performance of "Outside," where he dressed as a police officer (the song, a call to have sex outdoors, is about his arrest in a public restroom).
Word on the street is that this "farewell tour" of sorts is the final curtain on his career and that he wants to lower his profile significantly in decades to come, yet GM said during the close of the show that "playing before these American audiences has been the highlight of my career," and by night's end one couldn't help but feel that he's not quite done with us yet. One can only have faith that the success of this tour will inspire him to give his fans another album in the near future.
1. "Waiting (Reprise)"
2. "Fastlove"
3. "I'm Your Man"
4. "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face"
5. "Father Figure"
6. "Hard Day"
7. "Everything She Wants"
8. "One More Try"
9. "A Different Corner"
10. "An Easier Affair"
11. "Too Funky"
12. "Star People '97"
Break
13. "Faith"
14. "Feeling Good"
15. "Roxanne"
16. "Spinning the Wheel"
17. "Kissing a Fool"
18. "Amazing"
19. "Flawless (Go to the City)"
20. "Outside
Encore
21. "Careless Whisper"
22. "Freedom 90"
5 comments:
If someone had told me 10 years ago that I'd have the chance to see George Michael in concert, I'm not sure I would have believed them. And yet sometimes life throws us second chances, eh?
I had a blast! And while I do see what you mean, Ben, about the splashy perhaps getting in the way, I think there's a kitchy fun to seeing him dance as if he's still in a MTV video and the huge wall and design helped. He also made mention that he had some kind of responsibility in the video design, which is cool if he gets some artistic control there. The fact that he slowed things down with the more intimate slow numbers too helped showcase the fact that this guy still has chops.
I found it a very mixed crowd too.
I also have a GM shirt now that I plan on bedazzling. I feel it's the least I can do for such a father figure...
I was searching for reviews from last night and came across yours.
I disagree about the flashy. Partly, because there were no back-up dancers, little to no choreography, small costume changes that were mostly jackets.
The only thing I felt annoyed with were those graphics that were often bad Microsoft screen savers. Maybe they looked good from far away, but from close up they were a bit much.
I will agree with the previous commenter though. I never, ever thought I would get the chance to see him live. I am so glad that I did (even if it cost me an arm and a leg to do so).
I went and sat up in the nosebleeds with an older co-worker. We LOVED it. Our whole section was up and dancing like nobody was looking. The music was fun, George was looking good, and overall, I thought it was a great time.
I understand Ben's view point - that of someone who appreciates the singer for his vocal talent without the need of flashy distractions or gimmicks. However, I feel fans are drawn to GM for many different reasons. I’ve been a huge fan for Many years and being more of a visual person, I really connected to his cutting-edge videos equally to his voice, daring subject matter, and kink – a fantastic and powerful combination. So I didn’t feel let down seeing him incorporate some ‘flashy’ high-tech LED screens – they were very impressive.
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