Did you know that George Michael hasn’t toured the United States in 17 years? Me neither! But he’s going to head out on a jaunt this summer that includes two dates at Madison Square Garden and runs from June to early August. Unfortunately, the possibility of him running through all of Faith is out, as he’s not performing “I Want Your Sex” (or, for that matter, “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go”) because he feels he’s “too old” to pull it off. Hey, I’ll trade that for a rip through “One More Try,” which was always underheralded to me. Full list of dates after the jump. [USA Today / Photo: AP]
June 17: San Diego/San Diego Sports Arena
June 19: San Jose, Calif./HP Pavilion
June 21: Las Vegas/MGM Grand
June 22: Phoenix/US Airways Center
June 25: Los Angeles/Great Western Forum
July 2: Seattle/Key Arena
July 4: Vancouver/General Motors Place
July 7: St. Paul/Xcel Energy Center
July 9: Chicago/United Center
July 13: Dallas/American Airlines Center
July 14: Houston/Toyota Center
July 17: Toronto/Air Canada Centre
July 18: Montreal/Bell Centre
July 21 and 23: New York/Madison Square Garden
July 26: Philadelphia/Wachovia Center
July 27: Boston/TD Banknorth Garden
July 29: Washington, D.C./Verizon Center
July 31: Atlanta/Philips Arena
Aug. 2: Tampa/St. Pete Times Forum
Aug. 3: Sunrise, Fla./Bank Atlantic Center
Man. I am so there. I can do the rap from “Hard Day” from memory. I’ve even listened to “Wham Rap ‘86″ more than once! I own Make It Big! in three formats and five copies all together.
I love George Michael.
I’ve been told Make It Big makes for really good coasters.
Is there any truth in this?
I’ve already notified my mother-in-law.
Hey, I’ll trade that for a rip through “One More Try,” which was always underheralded to me.
Word.
Let me know if you plan to hit one of the MSG dates. I’m so there.
“One More Try” underheralded? Maybe on modern-day oldies radio, but it was huge back in the day. It also arguably - there’s data to back this up - completed GM’s crossover to black radio. Faith only topped the R&B Albums chart after “One More Try” went to No. 1 on the pop and R&B charts.
(Wikipedia also notes, interestingly, that “One More Try” was “the last number-one single on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart by a white male artist until Robin Thicke’s ‘Lost Without U’ (2007).” I’d never noticed that before — so many white gals topped that chart in the ’90s that I didn’t realize it had been so long for white men.)
“OMT” is a bit too slow, tempo-wise, for A/C radio now (and at about six minutes long, it’s ratings death for programmers), but man, back in the day that song got played like mad. Not that I’d mind hearing it again, mind you.
If he throws in “Kissing A Fool”, I might be a taker.
@FionaScrapple: Now you’re talking.
Unless or until George Michael gets a restraining order against me, I am so there.
And now I must turn up Faith so the kiddies in the office can hear some real music.
Hadn’t he made a big fuss about “retiring” from all this because a star couldn’t make an honest living in the business any more?
Damn those are some big venues for a guy like him.
So in order to get the chance to buy tickets three days early, you have to buy his new greatest hits album on iTunes. Sadly, since I’ll be seeing the show at MSG, this will probably be necessary.
And if he doesn’t do Father Figure, I’m might ask for my money back. Don’t say I didn’t warn you, George.