HE REPAYS FAN FAITH WITH AN UNEVEN SHOW
By DAN AQUILANTE
Last updated: 8:02 am
July 23, 2008
Posted: 3:11 am
July 23, 2008
IF you don't believe that absence makes the heart grow fonder, then you should have been at pop crooner George Michael's comeback concert at Madison Square Garden Monday.
At the nearly sold-out concert, the first of a two-show series that concludes tonight, the crowd was totally nuts for Michael and his music that runs the gamut from rock to schlock.
Gay men, packs of girls and their drag-along dates all gave the arena's concrete floors a workout, literally making it bounce to the beat of hits like "Freedom" (played during the second encore call) and his ultra-catchy pop tune "Faith."
For his devoted fans - who've suffered his mediocre late career musical offerings as well as his run-ins with the law relating to sex and drugs - this gig reaffirmed why they kept the faith all this time. Michael is a fine singer with a strong gift for interpretation.
His cover of "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" - a slow, brooding ballad - was a powerhouse piece that showed off his range and his ability to be emotive.
But the minor original hits that were at best retro nods to his past were so dated and out of touch with contemporary music that you had to wonder why they were in the set at all.
Michael is a good singer, but his roller-coaster set list never established a flow and, surprisingly, lacked the sure-fire radio hits that made him a solo star; he's an act whose time seems past its shelf life.
The singer explained his 17-year absence from MSG, telling the house, "There are reasons - complicated, f - - - ed-up reasons - I haven't been back here that have nothing to do with being gay or being a complete idiot." He went on to say how he gave up stardom in America to engage in contract fights with his old record company, Sony.
C'mon, George. If your music were better, you would have maintained your stardom instead of becoming joke fodder for late-night talk-show hosts.
While the music was uneven, the production was not. The stage that extended to the center of the Garden's floor allowed him to play the arena in the round, offering even fans in the far seats a good view. It was smart and considerate. And the lighting that employed a huge, five-story state-of-the art LED video projection system was as good as it gets, approaching the level of technology Coldplay brought to the Garden earlier this summer.
Michael played more than 2½ hours. He'd be wise to tighten up the show, play more hits (even if they're covers) and ditch explaining where he's been - anybody who watches Letterman already knows.
GEORGE MICHAEL
