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After 25 Years, I Still Have Faith(-a faith-a faith-a)

Jul 28

JeremyMusic Concert, George Michael, live music, TD Banknorth Garden 1 Comment

Okay, so he didn’t show up on stage until 90 minutes after the eight o’clock start time on the tickets, but after he was rushed in from his weather-delayed travels, George Michael proved that he’s still got what it takes to entertain ten thousand screaming fans at TD Banknorth Garden on Sunday night. Despite the late start, the performance was the whole package, tailored to heighten the audience’s experience of George Michael’s glorious vocals. A seamlessly detailed performance, it evoked the air of the Broadway stage rather than a rock concert.

The set list (which can be discovered on this site) was an eclectic mix of his biggest hits and some of his more esoteric material, with a cover or two thrown in. With finesse, he coaxed the audience back and forth between butt-shaking dance numbers (and yes, George can still shake his 45 year old ass and make you want to watch) and soulful ballads. Early on, his frenetic I’m Your Man energized the crowd and reassured them that they would be hearing the old standards, only to be followed up by an amazingly sensual Father Figure, which always just makes us feel so delightfully dirty. With a 20 minute intermission following his first act (and it really was an act, not a set), he easily brought the unruly crowd back into his grasp and restored their Faith. Act II featured the highlight of the night for me vocally, which was a sultry, mellow jazz version of Roxanne accompanied by projected images from Amsterdam’s red light district on the screen behind him. With two encores, George rounded out the night with Careless Whisper and Freedom 90, getting the crowd on its feet and just as involved in the entertainment as him. While the crowd may have ached for a little Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go rather than one of the lesser known tunes, the set list was well-rounded and made for a good time.

For me, the visuals of the concert were one of the highlights of the evening. Maybe it’s my background in set and lighting design, but the staging was the height of concert design. With three levels of scaffolding to accommodate his band and six back up singers and three screens projecting a melange of images drawn from a live feed, pre-recorded images, video clips, and abstract animations. Despite the size of the set, simplicity was the theme of the visual design, down to the simple black George himself wore. Overall, the effect served to accentuate his music rather than distract from it.

As a showman, George apologized profusely and repeatedly for his tardiness, injecting humor into the night. He also played up the gay aspect of the crowd (which, let’s face it, was at least 1/3 gay men). His frequent references and jokes struck me as an apology for his years in the closet as he played the quintessential sex symbol of the 80s. Perhaps the best example of his humor arose after Feeling Good, during which the screens featured a barely-covered yet elaborately-costumed Dita von Teese. George lamented that it was the one part of the show during which the screen outshone him because the straight men in the audience were entranced by her boobs while the women and gay men were entranced by her dress.

My biggest criticism is perhaps that the show seemed even more self-centered than the average performer (and let’s face it, you need to have quite an ego to perform). George never introduced his band as a whole, which I don’t think I’d ever seen happen before. The twenty minute intermission along with the interminable time between performance and each encore added to the illusion of hubris. However, at the end of the evening, as the final strains of Freedom 90 rang out, credits rolled on the screen recognizing not just the band, but all those who contributed to the tour.

All I was expecting last night was a fun evening that would echo the young and carefree days of my childhood. But I also got to see a performer whose vocal and visual styles have matured and allowed for a fuller experience. As the man himself pointed out, “being a George Michael fan hasn’t always been easy,” but by the end of the evening, he fulfilled his promise to make it easier.