Hedge your bushes and buy some weed, ’cause George Michael‘s coming State side! The 44-year old singer announced that he’ll perform 25 shows starting this June, but don’t expect a repeat performance:
Michael, 44, calls it a “rounding off” of his career’s first phase. “I don’t want to do anything on this scale again,” he says. “No more stadiums. I’d like to be the Tony Bennett for my generation.”
Disturbed by the increasing trend of downloadable music rendering CDs obsolete and talent shows such as American Idol taking the passion out of pop music, Michael says, “it’s the end of a certain era, and I’m not sure how much I really want to be a part of what’s next. So, it’s a kind of a way of saying thank you to everybody before I move on.”
Michael insists he’ll keep making music, although plans to eschew the pop sensibility that has marked his career: “There are other ways I can express the things I want to. And pop music stopped being a place to express much lyrically awhile back.”
Michael also says that he won’t be playing his more youthful hits, like “I Want Your Sex.” He’s looking for a more mature, longer lasting sound, a la “Careless Whisper”, which we’ve reposted after the jump, because it’s great.
Michael’s new direction, he says, will hopefully align him with another musical great: Tony Bennett. Dream big!
https://youtu.be/bQtlrBziyzI
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oakling
Boy, is he dating himself. I love how Older Generation of Queer it is to compare yourself to Tony Bennett 🙂
hisurfer
So, if he doesn’t like stadiums (and I agree – I hate seeing bands in stadiums & refuse to go) why doesn’t he do smaller clubs and lounges this round? Why wait? I would totally pay to see George Michael in a smaller space. I would rather stay home and watch tv than see him in an arena.
SeaFlood
I dunno why I am so annoyed with this statement here. Maybe it’s because he’s still pretty young and have more to offer. Maybe it’s because he’s such a b**tard about it. Tony Bennet???? Michael is far more talented than him, sorry… and he barely had a come-back anyway…
… which makes me realize they have more in common…
But I wish he would do his older skanky songs and give them a revisioning….
Augustt
George Has an Incredably rich voice which is evadent on the duet he did with Elton John