George Michael is an enigma, a self-confessed marijuana fiend, unashamed public park predator and increasingly strident Bush/Blair baiter. Oh – and he’s a former teen pop idol and now undisputed king of sophisticated adult soul.
What was remarkable about his first Irish visit in 20 years was how most of the 7,000 or so in attendance all but ignored his tabloid persona, preferring to concentrate on his impeccable pop credentials.
Even when he tried to extract some sympathy there were few enough takers: “I know it hasn’t been easy being a George Michael fan over these last few years,” he mused to scattered response while denouncing “the shit they write about me in the papers.”
Still, this was without doubt the hottest gig of the year (tickets were changing hands for huge sums outside the venue), with the audience largely consisting of 30- and 40-something females, many in large groups – clearly out to party.
And party they did! The atmosphere in the arena was truly something to behold as the ex-Wham! man arrived onstage, resplendent in a charcoal suit and looking tanned and relaxed.
Straightaway it was clear that he was keen to leave his pop past behind. There was no ‘Wake Me Up Before You Go Go’, no ‘Club Tropicana’ and, more surprisingly given the time of the year, no ‘Last Christmas’. He even omitted one of his better earlier numbers ‘Different Corner’.
He did give us an upbeat ‘I’m Your Man’ and a throwaway ‘Careless Whisper’ but seemed more at ease with contemplative fare like ‘Jesus To A Child’ and the poignant ‘My Mother Had A Brother’. Other highlights included the syncopated ‘Faith’ and the mid-tempo groove of ‘Fastlove’.
And then there was that spectacular stage and lighting set which certainly did the trick of keeping Michael in the spotlight and the band pretty much in the shade – apart from the backing singers, that is, who trooped out every now and then.
Bizarrely (and oddly out of synch with the overall mood), his polemical ‘Shoot The Dog’ was accompanied by a giant inflatable George Bush, which Michael unzipped to reveal an inflatable bulldog whose mouth remained attached to the groin area of George W. (subtle or what?)
After almost two hours onstage he left us with an extended, ‘Freedom’, which seemed to go on forever but eventually sang itself out. A thoroughly entertaining evening then but you couldn’t help thinking it could have been even better.