George Michael Proves He's Worth the Wait

No song could have started George Michael's 25Live show more appropriately than "Waiting", his Listen Without Prejudice album closer, when he took the stage at the Bank Atlantic Center on August 3rd.

The last date on his very first U.S. tour in 17 years, George Michael delivered a pulsating, beat-driven visual feast, a kind-of male equivalent to Madonna's Confessions Tour but with the songs as the biggest special effect (and not large diamond crosses.)

LCD screens literally ran from the floor to the ceiling, covering the entire stage with music video excerpts such as his Supermodel-laden classic "Freedom '90", a scorching hot cameo from Burlesque revival queen Dita Von Teese, and graphics matching every thump that you would've killed to have for Windows Media Player.

The stage was always moving, and with the exception of a few slow songs, so was the audience.

Nearly all the songs performed can be found on his most recent Greatest Hits package, Twenty Five, which was released in the States earlier this year.

"Careless Whisper" and Wham's "Everything She Wants" were among the biggest crowd pleasers but he also focused on less-recognizable club hits in the U.S. like "Outside" and "Flawless (Go To The City)", a Billboard Hot Dance Club #1 which he introduced as "the gayest song" he's ever recorded.

He apologized for having a cold and, except for copping out on some of the bigger notes on songs like "Father Figure" early in the show, his vocals sounded clear and became stronger as the show progressed.

But most of all for George Michael fans, he was on a stage in U.S. territory. The fact that he performed his songs with a vitality 10 years his younger and with one of the most visually stunning stage set-ups in recent memory was just an added bonus.

A lot has changed on the touring scene in 17 years, but George Michael's 25Live show was that of a seasoned pro who never left.