Let's talk about racism

Everyone who has met me knows that I'm a black woman - the colour of your skin is not something you can hide, change or do away with for a day or two. Some of you may also  know that I was born in Nigeria and adopted into a white family. But very few people know about my life-long experiences with racism. 

The reason for this is simple, I've not had much luck talking about the bad things that happened to me as a black person in a white world. For the most part people just don't want to know, my stories about racism make people uncomfortable. And apparently we can't have that! 

So for years I was mostly silent about the traumatic things that happened to me when I was a just a kid. I was silent about being bullied for being black, how class mates called me the N-word when they were arguing with me. I was silent about hearing racial slurs shouted at me when cycling to and from school and the absolute terror this  instilled in me. I never talked about my dread of the long weeks leading up to our national holiday of St. Niklas and his servant Black Pete (Zwarte Piet), I hated being called Black Pete, by little kids who didn't know any better and older children who definitely did. I was silent about being stared at and talked about in loud whispers behind my back by children and adults alike. I was silent about the pain of being different and being made to feel different.  

And I was certainly silent about all the subtle (and not-so-subtle) racist digs I experience as an adult. People who for the most part have trouble believing systemic racism exist simply can't fathom that sometimes it's the littlest things that can hurt us the most.

Too often I was told "Surely you're exaggerating a bit,  it can't have been that bad", or "I'm sure your own negative attitude has something to do with it". Or "Well, I have a friend who's black and he's never had any problems so it's probable just you".  Having your experiences denied is extremely damaging.

So I stopped talking about racism. Until now. It's time for all of us to talk about it. And maybe this time some people will listen.
So even though I'm terrified I'm joining the global Black Lives Matter movement from behind my keyboard. They say: write about what you know. Well, I know racism.

This is my story and this is my truth. I certainly don't speak for all black women. It's just what happened to me, what formed me, what hurt me. This is about my life. To be continued. 

Christmas 2017 - one year on

A tribute to George Michael in Paradiso (Amsterdam), January 2017

It's a cliche for a reason, because I really do remember the moment I heard about George Michael's death like it was yesterday.  It was in the early hours of Boxing Day 2016 that I got the dreadful news. We were staying at a hotel, my wife had taken our little  dog for a quick midnight walkies and upon return looked at her phone. George was all over the news of course. She woke me and said "Honey, George is dead" and promptly burst into tears. My own tears would only really start flowing a few days later, when the news finally sank in. That first night I just sighed deeply, sent a sad Whatsapp message to my friend and fellow George Michael fan Anne of GMNL and went on Facebook to share the news. My first posts didn't make any sense whatsoever as I was still in shock.

A visit to Highgate - paying my respects

It's easy to separate us mourning fans from the gawkers and other onlookers at the sea of flowers at George Michael's house in Highgate, London. We all have the same slightly dazed look on our face, trying to make sense of the incomprehensible. Some, like me, have tears in their eyes.

When I get there Wednesday morning, a week and a half after the devastating news of George's death, there are quite a few people around. They are all walking around quietly, looking at everything that's been left as a sign of love for George. Almost everybody has their camera of phone out to make a little video or take some pictures. But not in the tabloid way, in a respectful way. I talked a little while with fellow fan Yota, she is a Greek fan, living in South London. She felt it was 'important to be here'.

The dear friend I never met - tribute to George Michael

George Michael is gone, taken from all of us far too soon. He died on December 25, 2016, Christmas Day. Even now I can scarcely take it in, it seems unbelievable.
I never met George. For me he was the dear friend I somehow never got to meet. I could turn to him for a joyous celebration when I was happy and ask to be comforted by him when life was unbearably sad. I felt I knew him through his music, as much as he allowed us to know him that is. My dear friend is gone forever but he left his music behind. It will have to be enough.

Forever in our hearts

We fans are all grieving, each in our own way. In these days of social media it's easy to see how many lives George touched, how many people loved his music, loved him. The group of people who mourn him, from celebrities to  just regular people like me, is surprisingly diverse. So many in the music world professed their admiration, respect or even love for him.

For so long George Michael sought to be taken serious as a solo artist, to be thought of as a talented musician rather than that pretty boy from Wham! Looking at twitter, Facebook and the media the day after his passing it's obvious he had earned the respect he so craved - in spades. What makes me cry for George is the thought that he will never see this outpouring of love. Because I don't think George ever knew how much his peers, his fellow musicians respected him and even looked up to him.

Today, time and again my thoughts turn to George Michael's father. A little over 4 years ago I watched George Michael walk on stage at the Viennese Stadthalle to resume his Symphonica Tour after a long hiatus due to illness- and my heart rejoiced.  As luck would have it, his father was sitting 2 rows behind me. Of course I didn't want to bother him too much but during the break I walked up to him and quickly told him how grateful and happy we all were that George was doing better. I'll never forget the look on mister Panayiotou's face when he told me what it had been like for him to get his son back from the dead. My heart aches for him at the thought that after all this he still will have to bury his only son - it's too cruel for words.

Some time later I discussed with Shirl (@mollie5555), a fellow George Michael fan from Dublin, how nice it was to see Mister Panayiotou in the audience. She had also had a quick chat with George's father and one of the things she told him was that she was so grateful to George for bringing so many people together. Today our talk popped into my head and she's absolutely right. It's one of the surprising ways George Michael has enriched my life.

Without George I'd never have met so many lovely people. Some fans were kind enough to sell me their superfluous concert tickets at face value prices, so I had great seats for sold-out shows. Some fans I met at the venues where the 25Live and Symphonica tours played, there was a small group of people I saw at nearly every show I ever went to. The George Michael fan world was at times a very small world. I remember collecting our tickets at the box office at Madison Square Garden in New York City and promptly bumping in to two of George's biggest fans from England! Some fans I met at fan get-togethers where we laughed, swapped stories and played a lot of GM music.
And some fans whom I  consider to be among my best friends I only met online. Like the lovely but formidable Anne, the woman behind GeorgeMichaelNL. And the incomparable Meme (@memelamour, who I finally met last year, yay!) What bound all of us together was our shared love for George Michael and his music. And for that I am grateful to George.


Soundtrack

The phrase 'soundtrack of my life' is overused at this point, but for George it definitely does apply. George's music was with me for years and years. As a teenager having a bit of a crush on the blond guy in Wham, and secretly dancing to 'Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go' as it was not cool at all at our school to be a Wham! fan. As a twenty-something sobbing my heart out to endless repeats of  'One More Try', and 'A Different Corner' when I got my heart broken for the first time.
Eleven years ago, on the morning of our wedding listening with my wife to 'Amazing', his joyous love song for then-partner Kenny Goss. It was a fitting way to start our day of love and celebration together.
When I went through a long period of grief, mourning the mother that I never knew, I sought refuge in George's music. His voice was the only one that could comfort the inconsolable child within me.
Only last week I changed my alarm ringtone to 'Spinning The Wheel' and was gobsmacked anew by the sheer brilliance of the song. It's such a great track and live it was even better - mesmerising even. And while it hurts too much to listen to his music now, I'm sure in time it will help me get over the pain of losing him.


Pain

Like all of us, George had his flaws. It was no secret that hugely talented as he was, he was also burdened with what the Guardian lovingly called "a somewhat inept approach to being alive". Most of the fans felt quite protective about George and I was no exception. At times, as Simon Hattenstone of the Guardian so aptly put it, I felt "more parental by the second". I pray infrequently but whenever I did I always included a quick prayer for George, asking that he please be healthy, happy and safe.

Sadly quite often George tried to shield his fragile soul from the pain and grief of life in ways that were clearly not good for him. His family must have been so worried for him and his self-medication probably caused them a great deal of pain and anguish. I'm convinced though that in the end the person he hurt the most was himself. By all accounts George was at heart a very kind and loving man, truly one of the good guys. The fact that through it all his true friends stood by him and never, ever blabbed to the tabloids says it all. He was clearly a man worth knowing and loving.

Still, being a a George Michael fan wasn't always easy. It meant being there with him through all the highs and the lows, the good times and the bad times. And some of the bad times were very bad indeed.
George and cars, it was forever a dangerous combo.  I can still feel the utter shock of walking into the breakfast room of our English hotel and seeing the blaring headlines that George had been in a near-fatal crash. It had left his big, sturdy car a write-off and the scary photos of what was left of his Jeep stayed with me for days. Amazingly, he walked away from the wreckage without any serious injuries.  A few years later he was not so lucky with that horrid incident where he somehow ended up lying in the middle of a motorway. And of course there was the embarrassing mishap that resulted in millions upon millions of free publicity for Snappy Snaps - and a short stint in jail for George.

But all of that paled in comparison with the weeks of desperate worry at the end of 2011, when George was fighting for his life in Vienna after he fell ill during his successful Symphonica Tour. Like most fans I wept tears of relief when he finally flew back to London after a month of hospitalisation in Vienna. And I cried right along with him as I watched his tearful impromptu press conference the day he got back home, his face gaunt, a frail man looking like a shadow of the star who'd played to sold-out arenas only a few weeks before. Oh George.


Joy and laughter

Of course there were many high points as well, many moments that made me so proud and happy to be a George Michael fan.

That beautiful smile

He was an absolute joy to listen to in interviews. Part of it was his honesty (he must have been a dream come true for any good good interviewer), part of it was his innate charm and sense of humour. George could be very funny, his hour long special with Michael Parkinson is a great example. And he was never afraid to send himself up,  appearing in hilarious sketches with Catherine Tate (I still listen to their version of Fairytale Of New York), Little Britain and Ricky Gervais to name a few.

Nobody, and I mean nobody, could rock a suit like George! The black and silver Armani suits he wore for most of the 25Live shows were an inspired choice. As was the wonderfully naughty cop uniform he used for Outside, both the video and the version for 25Live.

George was such a handsome man. Over the years we saw quite a few image changes - one even more appealing (that's a polite word for hot) than the other. With the notable exception of his short Mafia Don phase in 2009 of course.

That beautiful, infectious grin. Whenever George was having fun, onstage or in some other situation, his smile would light up any room or auditorium. No matter how sad you were feeling, if you saw George laugh, you automatically smiled too, you couldn't help it.


Live in London (and a lot of other places)

I've been very lucky to see George Michael in concert a lot during the 25Live and Symphonica tours. It cost quite a bit of money and time but it was totally worth it.  Along the way I accumulated a wealth of priceless memories. Far too many to mention here, but here are a couple that are on my mind today.

Lost in music, adored by his fans.
Earls Court, October 2012

Rotterdam, November 4, 2006
Back in 2006 it was a big gamble for George to tour again. The music scene was changing, and everybody needed to tour to make money and to support their careers. George didn't want the kind of lavish show (constant costume changes, lots of dancers etc.) designed to distract you from the fact the performer on stage couldn't actually sing that well. He wanted his voice to take centre stage. But would his voice hold up, and would the crowds still love him? Yes and yes - and it was touching to see how happy that made him, night after night.
Dutch crowds always were good to George, he loved us and we loved him right back. At the end of the last of 3 sold-out nights he told us he'd had a fantastic time and thanked us for 'singing all night  with him '. So humble and touching.

My Mother Had A Brother, August 1, 2007
One of the most beautiful songs George ever wrote. It was never a single so the casual George Michael fan might not even be aware of its existence. But it's such a wonderful, emotional song and I feel blessed that I heard George sing it live a few times. George didn't put it on the setlist all that often, because vocally he'd have to be on the top of his game to do it justice live.

Where I Hope You Are - Herning August 29, 2011
What can I say. This was the song that told the world how much he'd loved Kenny Goss and how much he was hurting from their break-up. And on that particular night he showed us as well, welling up a few times during the song, his voice breaking a bit. It was a special moment on an already very special night.

Verona, September 13, 2011
It was a very warm September afternoon in Verona, 5 years ago. I was sat on a bench on the square in front of the amazingly beautiful Arena di Verona (an historical, open-air venue), all excited for the concert to come that evening. And then I heard George's voice, he was soundchecking by singing 'Understand'! I remember it so vividly,  the feel of the warmth of the sun, the view of that wonderful historical Arena and George's voice drifting over to where I was sitting. It was a perfect moment.



Thank you, George

I feel  so privileged to have heard George's beautiful voice so many times. Live in concert that amazing voice of his was even better than on CD. So warm and full of emotion, always sounding as if he was singing just for you. The thought of his live voice being silent forever in this world makes me sad beyond tears.

I'm not yet able to say goodbye to George. Today 'goodbye' hurts too much. Today is a day for tears. Tears for George because I hoped for so much more for him; he deserved a longer and happier life. Today is also a day for remembrance. And for being grateful and saying a heartfelt 'thank you' to the man who had such a big impact on my life.

"I'm so sorry George that you had to leave here so early. I hope you are with Anselmo and your mum and most of all I hope you are at peace. Be well dear George and thank you for all that you've given me. I've loved you for a good part of your life and I will love you for the rest of mine."

A Happy Birthday wish for George Michael

This seems like only yesterday!

It seems like only yesterday we were all dancing along to Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go and admiring (or giggling at!) George Michael's princess Di look. But somehow when we weren't looking the years flew by, because today our favourite singing Greek turns 50.

Happy Birthday George, may all your dreams come true!

Symphonica - Gig report London EC (October 17)

Well, you've come a long way", said the man at the box office in Manchester after glancing at my address before he handed me my ticket. He touched a nerve and for one second I asked myself what I was doing so far away from home. And then I forgot all about it till I was walking with another fan, the wonderful Trish (@TrishJweb) back to the Earls Court subway on the evening of October 17, 2012. It was lovely to see her again after we had spent a very nice evening together at the last of the Royal Albert Hall shows; she was the fan who sold me her spare ticket so I could go to the sold-out show. We were discussing the show we'd just seen - that's always so nice about meeting up with other fans.

We got close to the entrance of the station, and  I got my Oyster card out of my pocket. Trish looked at me in wonder: "You've got an Oyster card!", she exclaimed. "Of course", I said and then it hit me, I live in the Netherlands and have a London Oyster card for travel on the London subway while Trish who lives an hour away from London doesn't have one!  Thing is, I've been in and out of London for Symphonica (and before that 25Live) so often that I finally realized getting an Oyster card was the smart thing to do.

It's all worth it to hear that voice and to see that smile!

Symphonica - Gig report London (October 14)

Companies like Seatwave get a bad rap, and part of their reputation is certainly deserved. Billed as a fan-to-fan ticket exchange site, what they actually are is the place where touts come in out of the cold and where some promoters sell a portion of their best seats in their desire to get a piece of the huge secondary ticket market.

But if you look closely there are also quite a few genuine fans with spare tickets to sell. If you can find them you might get yourself a great deal! Because what mostly gets forgotten when people have heated discussions about the secondary market is that it is indeed a market. This means that prices can soar to unbelievable heights if demand is high. Remember those shows Adele did last year at the Royal Albert Hall? Yeah, those tickets went for as high as 5 to 10 times face value.  But if demand is low(er) or the concert date is pretty close prices drop, sometimes way below face value. I got an excellent floor seat,  block A1 row 8 at the middle aisle, for £ 70! Even with the extortionate Seatwave fee that came out to £ 86 which is more than 10 pounds less than if I'd bought it on general sale. On Tuesday I once again turned to Seatwave because I wanted to see the incredibly talented Ed Sheeran on his sold out Hammersmith Apollo run. I got another nice seat for about 5 pounds more than I would have paid if I'd bought from the primary sources.

So my advice is this: use Seatwave and other sites just like it only when the concert date is pretty near, and go for the tickets you have to collect at a Seatwave office - or, in a pinch an e-ticket. That way you will avoid the heartache of people selling tickets they don't actually have (which is the main complaint about Seatwave) and you might get a great deal.

Counting down to the end of Symphonica, only more to go after this one.

One sentence review: Earls Court round 2: double the fun!

Symphonica - Gig report London EC (October 13)

Finally!

Well, now that's more like it! The last time I looked at Earls Court was late December 2011. All the lights were out and the place looked cold and empty, and even though it's just a building it somehow managed to look forlorn. George Michael at that time was still in the hospital in Vienna and I felt Earls Court was waiting for him to come back to set it alight again. So I rejoiced when I came out of the subway station this year and saw his name proudly up in lights again, the way it was supposed to. The wait was over!

Symphonica - Gig report Manchester (October 9)

The Amsterdam show was all kinds of wonderful, the Royal Albert Hall show was a magical night, and Cardiff was two days of glorious fun. But this, this was the show to be! It was just an amazing show from beginning to end. It took to 2 flights, 2 journeys by train in Holland and another 3 in England and 3 rides on Manchester's metro link to get me to the show and back home again, but it was so worth every second of travel and I would do it again in a heartbeat. It might just be that my excellent seat - front row right in front of George Michael - had something to do with that.

We knew even before George took to the stage that Manchester 2 would be fun, as he tweeted that he was looking forward to the show! And fun it definitely was! We got two new songs: a fabulous new arrangement of Star People and a cover of F.E.A.R., the Stone Roses song. It took the crowd a bit of time to get behind that last one, but when they did it was lots of fun! And we got to see backing vocalist Jay Henry in a star turn, singing a duet with George. As he tweeted later, it had been 'scary', but nervous or not Jay was very, very good! As was the whole Symphonica crew, it really was a magical night. Again!

George wouldn't be George without a bit of bling :)

One sentence review: Manchester the sequel - bigger and even better!

Symphonica - Gig report Cardiff (October 6)

Early on Saturday night (October 6) I was sitting near a window in the restaurant of my Cardiff hotel, having a quick bite to eat before heading out to the Motorpoint Arena to see George Michael in concert. Like everything else in the wonderful Maldron hotel it was excellent value for money. The curry was great, my pint (!) of coke was nice, but more importantly the view from the first floor was just fantastic. I could see all the way into the street where all the pubs and (night)clubs were and saw the young and not-so-young people of Cardiff getting ready for their Saturday night out.

Saturday Night in Cardiff: freezing in a little black dress!

Dozens of scantily clad girls clambered out of taxis and tottered by on impossibly high heels. The slinky black dress was a favourite but there were plenty more dress styles to be seen. What all women had in common is that they were dressed as if they were going to a party in the sweltering heat of a non-British summer. Which they were in a way, I'm sure sure those clubs can get pretty hot when they're full and the beat gets going. But when the girls are still outdoors they must be absolutely freezing with so little clothes on although you'd never guess it from their happy faces. I really enjoyed this glimpse into British (sub)culture and fully appreciated that Saturday night fun was something special here. So I wasn't all that surprised when George told us right at the start that we had been amazing the night before but that he expected even more from us tonight "because it's a Saturday!". Heh, you just can't help loving a man who comes out with naff stuff like that!

Symphonica - Gig Report Cardiff (October 5)

They sure love their signs and regulations down here in Cardiff! When I picked up my tickets at the box office, the little booth was literally plastered with signs. Quite a few of them told us not to join the queue unless you bought your ticket from the box office or ticketmaster. Very sensible, as there's nothing they can do if a seller on eBay turns out to be a crook. Some signs were advising us to watch out for pick pockets and others told us to bring the credit card we booked tickets with when collecting said tickets and so on.

And then there was the sign posted at the entrance of the auditorium: Amplified sound levels during the show may be harmful to your hearing. Very true! My ears were ringing after the concert. Man, was this crowd loud! Only 5.000 seats in the house, but the Cardiff crowd produced at least as much noise as a crowd three times its size! Making very sure that George Michael knew he was appreciated in their town.

Sitting down for Father Figure!

One sentence review: George has an amazing time in Cardiff!

Symphonica - Gig Report Royal Albert Hall (September 29)

Late last year around the time of the postponed Earls Court shows my wife and I spent a few pleasant days in London - our flight was non-refundable and spending time in London during Advent isn't exactly a chore. We booked tickets for Messiah, the Christmas Carol Singalong and Carols by Candlelight at the Royal Albert Hall, with the Christmas Carol Singalong the clear winner entertainment-wise. It was an absolute riot - the private boxes were decorated with tinsel and Christmas lights, the crowd and the big choir on stage were doing the wave and absolutely everyone in the audience from 0 to 99 was having a wonderful time! We had seats in the Choir section with a perfect view of the whole auditorium and I can honestly say it was the most fun I've ever had for £15!

I thought I couldn't love the Hall more than I did that day but Saturday night was just as good! George gave us a perfect show at a perfect venue and what more can you ask for as a fan?

Finally a nice photo of the backing vocalists

One sentence review: A perfect George in a perfect venue!

Symphonica - Gig report Manchester (September 21)

So, Manchester! November last year I asked on twitter which UK crowd would be the most fun for a George Michael fan. Sam (@sjrsam) assured me that the Manchester crowd was especially fond of George. So the search for a good ticket was on! A few days later a wonderful row 4 ticket came up and without thinking too much about it I snapped it up. I'm glad I did because the Manchester crowd was indeed great, George was still in a fun mood and I had a wonderful time.

Medley Fun

One sentence review: George loves Manchester and Manchester loves George!

Symphonica - Gig Review Birmingham (September 17)

So, the second night back in the UK George Michael was - to my mind at least - even better than the first. That is usally the case whenever he does performs two nights in a row in the same city, which is why I wanted tickets for Monday as well! His voice sounded a bit fuller. He was obviously still on a roll, treating us to some minor variations in the songs and dancing up a storm. Once more everyone on stage and all 16.000 of us watching the stage had a great time!

Loving all the blue!

George was wearing a new, blue suit. I gotta say, ever since my belated discovery that my beloved red curtain isn't red at all (it's black, and it's actually the expert lighting that gives it that shiny red look!), I'm a bit unsure about any colour to do with Symphonica. So it took a lot of looking at my pics and even a quick ask on twitter before I was convinced this really was a blue suit.

It's a bit of an unusual colour for George, but I really like it - actually I think the whole look he's chosen for himself for Symphonica is great. I can't stress enough how glad I am George is not going the plastic surgery route but seems finally ready to believe that - no matter his age - his sex appeal will shine through. And it really does you know, just hearing George drawl "Oh yes", as the audience shows it's appreciation at the first tones of Kissing A Fool can send shivers down your spine!

One sentence review: George feels the love for Birmingham!

Symphonica - Gig Report Birmingham (September 16)

Over the years I've had the privilege to see George Michael all over Europe, I've also seen a couple of shows in America and quite a few shows in London. But it occurred to me last year that I had never seen him perform outside London in any of the other UK cities. All of a sudden I became very curious what he'd be like on his first night back on a UK stage. And so I bought a couple of good last-minute tickets for Cardiff, and started looking forward to being in the crowd that would welcome George Michael home. And then of course the universe had other plans for George and those Cardiff shows never happened.

Finally - Symphonica is back in the UK

Imagine my dismay when a glance at the new tour schedule told me that Birmingham was now awarded the honour of the first UK Symphonica shows of 2012, Cardiff being relegated to a place somewhere near the end of the tour. What's a loyal fan to do? After mulling it over for months, my desire to be there on his first nights in the UK finally won out. And I'm so glad I decided to go for it after all; they were brilliant shows and I got to see a whole new side of George!

One sentence review: Birmingham makes a noise for George!

Symphonica - Gig Report Amsterdam (September 14)

By and large I try to avoid telling people outside of the GM-fandom (aka normal people) how many Symphonica shows I've been to. As soon as they hear I've seen the show more than once you can see the thought "This a very weird woman" forming in their minds. What comes out though is the polite version. "But why go again?, they say. "It's just the same show, isn't it"? Well no, not really. Not all Symphonica shows are created equal.
But how do you explain that - even though the setlist might be exactly the same-  some shows are a perfectly nice night out while other shows blow your mind and leave you exhilarated, and smiling at the world for days. I don't even try and opt for a rather lame: "Well, you  know, he changes things around quite a bit". Hey, they're not fans, how are they to know that George almost never changes things around!

This pic says it all - I'll be a GM-fa n forever!

Friday night was one of those incredible shows! Today, writing this review I'm still buzzing with the memory of having been at an amazing show. It was truly amazing and it was on a different level from the shows I've seen so far. I totally agree with @dutchieemy: we got our old George Michael back! Long may it last.

One sentence review: George and the Dutch crowd are  f**ng fantastic!

Symphonica - Dutch review Vienna (Sept. 4)

This is the Dutch review - the English review is over here.
Dit is overigens geen klassieke review, dat is niet nodig want de feiten zijn inmiddels al lang en breed bekend. Meer een terugblik op hoe ik die eerste Symphonica show van 2012 beleefd heb.

George is back!

Zo, de kop is er af. George Michael staat weer op het podium met zijn Symphonica show, krijgt fantastische reviews en alle fans zijn opgetogen en razend enthousiast. Daarnaast was ik persoonlijk - en misschien ben ik daar de enige in hoor - bijzonder opgelucht dat hij er inderdaad helemaal klaar voor was. Ik vond het eerlijk gezegd nog al een drieste move dat hij relatief snel na zijn herstel weer zo'n vermoeiende tour had gepland. Zeker toen bekend werd dat hij de uitgestelde Australische tour er ook nog achteraan zou plakken! Net als veel andere fans had ik - met de beelden uit december 2011 van een breekbare en sterk vermagerde George nog op mijn netvlies - verwacht dat hij een jaartje zou overslaan. Maar nee, hij wilde niet langer wachten, wilde ons misschien niet langer laten wachten. En dus was het 4 september weer tijd voor een grote GM-reünie.

Symphonica Gig Report - Paris (September 9)

So, another charity show at another famous Opera House. It's rather a big deal that George Michael bagged both the London and the Paris Opera House for his Symphonica Tour. Just like the London Royal Opera House the Palais Garnier is a stunning venue. Although the Royal Albert Hall will always remain my one true love, it was certainly memorable to walk around in such a old, venerable building, surrounded by so many smartly dressed people.

Isn't the lighting during Cowboys and Angels breathtaking?

I think George Michael must have secretly rejoiced in the fact that nowadays his talent, and his voice is so much appreciated that he's warmly welcomed in theatres as prestigious as these. He's certainly come a long way from being the boy with the blond highlights and the Choose Life t-shirt. And I'm glad for him because for a long time all he wanted was to be taken seriously as an artist. With the rave reviews still pouring in, no one will ever mistake George Michael for just another popstar again.

One sentence review: George Michael's star shines brightly at the Paris Opera

Symphonica - Gig Report Vienna (September 6)

George Michael seems well aware of the army of devoted fans who are going to as many shows as they can afford. He tweeted after the first Vienna show that he was sure some lovelies would come to the second show as well. Heh, he was certainly right about that!

And so it was that on Thursday I showed my ticket to the nice lady at the entrance of the Floor section of Stadhalle. "Straight ahead, and to the right", she tells me and adds in an earnest voice: "It's the first row". I nodded my thanks, trying and failing to keep a straight face. "Yes dear, I know it's the first row, I've been rejoicing in this ticket, this front row seat, for months now, thanks very much". It was a big expenditure and made a big dent in my dwindling GM-funds but I just couldn't help myself. Front row at the second of the come back shows was a fabulous if way too expensive gift to myself and I was determined to enjoy every second of the night. And I did!

Those beautiful red swirls of  the 25Live visuals for Father Figure are back!

One sentence review: George and the crowd build happy memories of Vienna.

Symphonica - Gig Report Vienna (September 4)

Close to 20.30 the moment we've all waited for is finally there; George Michael steps onto the stage of the Wiener Stadhalle to rapturous applause. Clad in yet another beautiful suit, dark purple with a white shirt this time, and looking the picture of good health.

Looking very sexy in his new suit!

He's just a tad late, nearly 10 months late to be precise. But dear God, this is one time we didn't mind waiting for George! For a few awful weeks last year it looked like we would have to say goodbye to our man forever. As George himself will tell us in song later that night it took a great deal of music, science and the fervent prayers of his loved ones, fans and everyone else who wished him well to bring him safely through. So this show is above all else a celebration of life. And today life is good for George, that much is clear right from the start.

One sentence review: George Michael is BACK!!!