Charismatic star stirs feet and memories
STAR power. It's something George Michael has in abundance. As soon as he took to the stage - a matter of months after wowing them in The Point - it was clear that he still possessed that indefinable presence and charisma that so many of today's pretenders lack.
Aided by an fine troupe of funky musicians and backing singers (stacked on either side of a state-of-the-art big screen/floor combo), he owned the stage, engaging 40,000 people like few others could. And his vocals were as impressive now as they were in his heyday, as comfortable with soulful moments as with the many disco-pop numbers.
'Faith', 'Careless Whisper' and a rare outing for 'Edge of Heaven' - songs to stir memories as well as feet - sounded marvellously potent.
Emotion
There was plenty of emotion in the dancefloor pop tunes. 'Jesus To A Child', a song written for a former, deceased lover, Anselmo Feleppa, was beautifully realised. So too, was a sobering 'My Mother Had A Brother', inspired by the suicide of his uncle, unable to cope with being gay in 1960s Britain.
Even the more up-tempo songs hinted at the pain he's been through: 'Amazing' touches on the fallout of Feleppa's death, when a grief-stricken George was unable to write for 18 months, and how a new partner helped him find redemption.
The autobiographical meets the confessional on 'Outside', the gloriously playful send-up of his being caught, in tabloid parlance, "engaged in a lewd act". Aided by a superb computer-generated video of Los Angeles (where undercover cops found him with his pants down, literally), he looked like he was having the time of his life.
There was also time for him to dust down an Elton John song, and he delivered a fine rendition of the underappreciated 'Idol'.
An excellent show all round, and a great shame a second date couldn't go ahead last night. It is hoped that the gig can be rearranged for later in the tour. Let's hope that's the case.
JOHN MEAGHER
- George Michael
