George Michael: Built to Last
This past Tuesday, July 29, Hearsay enjoyed spending its time savoring a rare treat — a crowd peppered with gays at Verizon Center. And all there to see another rare treat — George ”Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” Michael, on his first U.S. tour in 17 years, and reportedly his last ever.
Michael asked,””Where are my gay boys?” before launching into his early hit”A Different Corner,” and later introduced”Flawless (Go To The City)” as”maybe the gayest record I ever made.” Gayer than ”Outside?” Hearsay’s chum Kevin”Here I Am” Gray asked, referring to the very next song in his set list. Hmmm. During the two-plus-hours of the show, Michael also put in a plug for gay marriage and dedicated”Amazing” to his partner. But despite a strong gay vibe, the crowd was probably only a quarter queer. Hi, Jeremy ”Fastlove” Rausch and Rob ”Too Funky” Wahlfeld! Nice to see you too, Colin”I Knew You Were Waiting” Stewart and Tom ”Gotta Have Faith” Walker. And isn’t that Metro Weekly’s own art director Todd “It’s the Beer, Stupid” Franson and his dancing pet bear Collin “Oscopy” Ingraham. There were far more families — even straight men and children! — than Hearsay expected to see. The D.C. crowd included the”auntie” who used to babysit Michael when she lived in London, and up flashed on the huge L.E.D. screen behind him an old black-and-white photo of her with him as a toddler.
But it was the ladies who generally screamed loudest and danced hardest. He may not be the straight man of their adolescent dreams, but they still want his sex… appeal. At the least, his charisma and unalloyed enthusiasm were contagious. He said this American leg of his 25 Live Tour — and DC marked stop No. 100 in its multi-year, global itinerary — has been the highlight of the former Wham!-er”s career. Michael repeatedly held the microphone out to let the crowd sing his lyrics — and this was a singing crowd to put most to shame. It”s as if they’d been waiting 17 years to sing,”But when you shake your ass, they notice fast, and some mistakes were built to last”….
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