02 December, 2008

George Michael rocks AbuDhabi



The George Michael concert last night at the Shaikh Zayed Stadium was ''amazing".
Alicia keys kicked off the concert, and not being a huge fan, it got monotonous and irritating. And she came back and sang again and again.
Finally when George Michael came on stage, the crowd just went wild. The energy was palpable, and he put on an awesome show. His voice was in full form, and he moved like the old days.
It was endearing also to see that Andrew Ridgely was in one of the videos that played as he sang a track from his Wham days.
For me the culmination was of my all time favourite track which ended the concert, FREEDOM 90.
The venue was huge, and the event well organised. 30 minutes to leave venue, get out of parking and get on the main road, is fantastic.

33 comments:

Anonymous said...

im soooo bummed
wht all did he perform?
fastlove?father figure?freedom?monkey?i want ur sex?praying for time?diff corner?
tell me i need to knw
i was dying to go

The Negro Diaries
http://popartjunkie.wordpress.com

nzm said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
nzm said...

Fabuloso!

Jones. Bridget Jones. said...

Magnifique! Trop Beau! Magique! This Bridget is still under the spell!

Agreed Kaya, by the time Keys reached her tenth song, I started losing hope of seeing a full George concert, and by the time she was on the FIFTEENTH, I was nearing a heart attack aaaaarrrrgh! When she was finally ready to go, I was ready to kick her ha!

But then (close to three hours later!) HE came! OH-LA-LA! That voice, that so special George-hip-swaying that used to make me swoon! Oh yes! All the old moves were back! Enjoyed seeing Andy on video too :) Anyone knows what's become of him these days?

Shorty, it started off with Fast Love, followed by I'm your man. Some others were: Everything she wants, Kissing a fool, Father Figure, Faith. And it was a moving moment when we all sang Careless Whisper with him!

(Sad that he didn't sing Last Christmas, Wake me up before you go go, I don't want your freedom and Different Corner)

Thank you for a memorable moment George, you made a little girl's dream come true last night! Mwah!

BTW, Nzn/ Kaya, good to see we share music taste as well as an interest in story-telling on Unusual Stalkers ha! ;) Keep it up there gals! :)

* said...

@ shorty
Ooh he was just gorgeous.
He sang Fast Love, Father Figure, Careless whisper, Amazing, Praying for time,Star People,ooh whats that one.. somebody tell me why I work so hard for you, and heaps more.
I didnt want to gush too much on the blog, but I am absolutely on cloud 9 and star struck.
You know those days when he was with Wham and then that BSA jacket burning video, and the amazing Faith video... Oh god! I must stop. I am beginning to sound weird now.

* said...

@ nzm
Ýeh maan! im trying to come down. been to more concerts than I can remember, but George, Wallah! He is BUSS George!!

* said...

LOL @ Bridget.
I am telling you I wish they had put all the teeny boppers and karaoke bar crawlers in a cage, and send they home at bedtime for them and KEYS.
I plain forgot my husband was there with me, the way I was hanging on to that rail. God! It was like being 16 again, taking O'levels, watching Wham on TOTP and going mad.
OOh I can still feel shivers with that first jitterbug!!
I was actually in nirvana with the Freedom number. I could have done without the Nina Simone sog, or even Roxanne. (no one does that better than Sting!)and listened to A different corner instead.
Since the day i heard he was coming to town to sing, my kids have been tortured with nothing but eardrum blasting George.
I love that song of his Waiting for the day and even Heal the Pain.
Sigh......(turns into a little puddle.... someone get the mop and sop me up!!!)

* said...

Oh yes! I am so silly , I deleted 3 videos from my phn accidentally!
Punish me pls.
But thankfully I have the ones on the main camera, but you tube is being nasty today.
@ Bridget
Yup girl that plot is sure thickening to a right old gumbo.

Anonymous said...

How oh how people like this crap kind of noise (its not music) I'll never know. Too bad terrorists didnt show up.

ColOman said...

I would love to come, but its not on a weekend.......

Anonymous said...

Hey hey hey! Don't you go around bad-mouthing my baby Alicia! Not only is she absolutely hot, but her voice is heavenly!

Not a fan of George Michael (all I know about him is that he gets caught doing stupid things.. and doesn't appear to learn from mistakes)..

I'm not sure why the organizers had them both together. They are both on completely different energy levels. George is all up and jumpy, while Alicia is quieter and ... dare I say, refined? It's kind of a wine vs. beer situation. Nothing wrong with either.. just different ;)

hut said...

SO he must have been released on bail then after caught for 'cruising & cottaging' around Hampstead Heath.

It must be a girl thing.

Jones. Bridget Jones. said...

@ Kaya, "ooh whats that one.. somebody tell me why I work so hard for you," - Everything She Wants.

Bridget can so relate to your star struck nirvana state! She too forgot who she was with, forgot the crowd, forgot everything.. well, almost.. Careless Whisper did bring someone to mind.. but for the most part, there was only George.. and Bridget ha! ;) Still on cloud 9! :))

Started earlier than 16 here Kaya, the love story began at 12/13! Do upload the videos on U-tube!

@ Dubai Jazz (So you did put up The Stalker plot eh!:) ), Bridget was blissfully unaware George was a queer then! These things were not spoken about openly two decades back you know!

@ Anonymous, if we all liked the same kind of noise, all did the same kind of thing, all wished for terrorists to struck... If we were all the same, wouldn't life be boring? Ha! Celebrate our differences! :)

Songwriter F Space said...

I had a blast but Keys almost put me to sleep. NOT my kind of music... except the single No One. Grew up listening to George and loved every minute of it.

* said...

@ Bridget
you have summed it up so beautifully that I cannot even be bothered to reply to destructive sad elements commenting.

@dj
Yes, he is. But like Bridget says back then we didn't know about it, and like we accepted so many other people for their partner preferences, its his music and obviously not him that we are enchanted with.
Everyone doesn't want to sleep with a rock star.

Scarlett O'Hara said...

Oh dear, George rocked on Monday night, he plain rocked I tell ya!

I'd 'have' him any night over the likes of... who? Justin Timberlake? or other such erm.. 'artists'. Certainly over Miss Keys and her deafening brand of noise!

Oh dear, so many emotions!

Anonymous said...

Mr / Ms Dubai Jazz - much as I am loth to bring down the nature of the love fest, but you do have a point. George does indeed bat for the opposition in salubrious public places too, he has a history of enjoying non-medicinal drugs. To wit he is not right for this fair land....unllike that nice Kylie who of course is well-known for attracting a large audience from among the Friends of Dorothy.

Am I missing a new spirit of tolerance here?

Anonymous said...

@ Anonymous, if we all liked the same kind of noise, all did the same kind of thing, all wished for terrorists to struck... If we were all the same, wouldn't life be boring? Ha! Celebrate our differences! :)

No, it wouldnt be boring, it would be perfect! We wouldnt have wars, people like you, oh, and crappy music.

Struck? Please tell me Engrish isnt your 1st language.

Jones. Bridget Jones. said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Scarlett O'Hara said...

@ Dubai Entrepreneur, oh dear! You must be kidding me, that chick Keys 'quieter'? LOL, she's anything but! Were you even at the concert my friend? Seriously?

You are right on one count, George and Keys are two entirely different styles, they should never have been together. But that's how far we agree! I dare say you got mixed up in your adjectives from there!

Keys was the one jumping around, legs kicking the air, arms raised above her head, twirling her hair in some wildcat number! AND failing to get called back on stage - did anyone notice her band had to harangue the audience to call her back? Oh dear, the utter embarrassment!

Oh, and not to mention the in-your-face-giant-videos of her PLUS all the lengthy scccccrrrrreamingg!

Did George do any of that? No. He sat down and talked to the audience and everyone was captured - note that he didn't have to shout to enthrall. Did he run around on stage like a scalded cat? No, he walked. Did he throw himself in our face on giant videos? No. Barely a few shots here and there on a couple of smaller, discretely positioned screens. THAT's refinement my friend.

Like it or not, for all his personal melodrama, George is a professional on stage, and he exuded class and elegance on Monday.

Please don't compare a legend with someone people will probably only dimly remember 25 YEARS from here...

He is champagne, she is.. I dunno, rum I think!

B.D. said...

Keys & Michael--it was kind of like oil & water. I'm sure Keys' fans would have liked her performance. The vocals were full, she was in good form, very energetic, her show was punctual (only about 15 minutes late in starting) and it ran a respectable 1 1/2 hour. All well and good. But NOT a Keys fan myself, for me the worse thing is that she seems to do most of her songs with a talking lead-in... Like "Remember when you were young, and the dee dee dee, dum dum dum"--all in a soulful Beyonce type voice. The problem with all that is that it all seemed from rote and there was no connection with the audience. She could well have been reciting in front of a video camera.

That all changed when Michael came on stage. Very professional, a consummate performer, incredible voice--he had style, he was poetic, he made you dance as though he were Michael Jackson--it was all there. AND he seemed to connect to the audience in a genuine way.

Why the two were put together I don't know. The 8:45 to 1:15 am show was too long. Michael's appearance involved two long delays. I had imagined that they would be doing a duet together. It would have been nice to see Keys juxtaposed with someone who could be her mentor.

Finally, the GM video effects were right on--very artistic, very complementary to his performance. There were images of Elizabeth Taylor, John Lennon, Marylin Monroe top-tier supermodels--it (the video program, i.e. background effects) was full of nostalgia and high style, and again it matched perfectly with the man's own performance and the songs' lyrics. I can still see those images flashing in my mind. Excellent show, George!

Anonymous said...

Wow, he was so good and you love him so much you can't be bothered to spell his name properly. "Micheal" indeed.

* said...

@ scarlett & bd
STAND UP AND CLAPS for their wonderful words!

@ Mr.Ms anonymous 2300
Mr/Ms Dubai Jazz?
Get your facts straight.

Anonymous said...

Scarlett O'Hara,

Hahahahah.. I'm glad I don't feel strongly about both. No, I have not been to the concert. Abu Dhabi will have to do a lot more to make me drive all the way there from Dubai. Neither George nor Alicia are high up in my grand scheme of things to make me do the drive.

I've never seen Alicia live, but I do love her music. Having said that, I don't have a single song of hers right now.. so it's not like I'm a big fan.. but she is HOT! and that's all I gotta say :)

I have no doubt George is a professional on stage. He's been doing this for quite some time now and there's very little learning for him to do (unlike with Alicia).

Either way, it doesn't matter. I'm glad people had a good time!

Jones. Bridget Jones. said...

@ Kaya, thanks, we try! ;) Not sure what's wrong with U-tube, did you manage it finally? Unable to check your blog girl, it's restricted access. Lemme know when you upload, thanks!

@ Anon 23.02, 3 Dec, you are so cute! :) Keep on keeping on Cutie, you're not getting a rise out of this Bridget... Do you know that song where George goes, '.. and I know all the games you play because I play them too'?

Yes mon ami/e, English is only my forth langage, no doubt u wil agree, it give moi lisense to kill ze langage some more ha!

"crappy music" ... hmmm you mean 'crappy NOISE' don't you...

@ Scarlett, now who's the wildcat?! ;)

@ BD, bravo! Very well put, Bridget couldn't have said it better herself. Don't recall much of the dee-dee-dum-dum-ing, but I admit I was barely listening, or maybe that's when I dozed off in my seat ha! ;)

@ Abu Dhabi Girl, eh? Bridget is curious now!

Jones. Bridget Jones. said...

@ D.Jazz, seeeeee, you finally make Bridget laugh! ;)

The Stalker awaits my friend!! Tobasco will get me shot ha! ;)

* said...

@ Bridget
Nooope, no luck with you tube. Could it be my laptop? (maybe its jealous!!)
Yes, my blog has gone private a month ago. To come and play you have to email me, so I can invite you.

Anonymous said...

my sister went in this event and they told me it's great..:)

Eccentric M said...

No pics of Alicia Keys? :(

* said...

@ G to tha T
Nah! Just a couple for my 13 yr old .
It was all about George night.
Mommy's night out.
:D

Unknown said...

Thank you all for sharing your experiences. I had a great time reading your comemnts...it made me smile and go back ....I've seen George Michael live several times, but not enough...how much is enought? lol There's simply no one that comes even close to George Michael, he's a phenomenal singer nd so damn charming :) I wish I could have been there in Abu Dhabi, I got tickets and all...but the flights from Barcelona were just too expensive. I'm saving for a next time.

* said...

Uff I just saw someone dissed me for not spelling MICHAEL properly.
I know its terrible. My 13 yr old corrected me, but I have a mindblock with the word so I shall practice the spelling.
Michael
Michael
Micheal
Honestly! Some people. Like I could love him any less.

Jayne said...

Abu Dhabi Girl said: there were many idiots who happen to live in this country who walked out at midnight, they could not tolerate the thought of UAE National Day Celebration..I was shocked to hear the comments they made.


Well darlin' I'm one of the ones who walked out just before midnight, for the simple reason that yet again, there was sod all announcement(s) as to what was going to happen. Georgie walked off stage with a quick "thank you" after a number & after almost 10mins of listening to hotel lobby music, I got tired of waiting. If an announcement had been made, telling folks/fans that there was going to be a short break for whatever reason, I would've stayed, but yet again, it was the Mushroom Mentality.

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