George Michael: Live In London

Reason #56549868 that my parents questioned my sexuality as a child: I loved George Michael. Like, really loved him.

I loved Michael Jackson and Prince a whole hell of a lot, too, but there was something about George Michael (and particularly his album "Faith," released when I was four and appreciated sometime later) that I found particularly intoxicating. Maybe it was his leather jacket. Maybe it was his perpetual 5 o'clock shadow, no matter what time it was. Maybe it was the connection I made between George Michael and his previous band, Wham, which my mother constantly blasted in the family Suburban. But whatever the reason, I really loved him.

I even remember buying a videotape (remember those?) collection of the "Faith" music videos. That was probably the biggest red flag that my parents ever got. They could understand why I would listen to him (he was and is a nefariously catchy and clever songwriter and performer) but why would I want to watch him?

The question arises anew as I am here to review 'George Michael: Live in London,' a long-ass (2 hours and 13 minutes) show, the last in his farewell concert series from 2006. I guess I should say "farewell," since how many performers go on tour one more time, only to notice how many millions of dollars they have raked in and think, well, maybe I'll go out oooooone more time?

The show itself is a pretty exhaustive collection of his past hits (stuff from Wham as well as his solo material) as well as newer songs like the underrated "Amazing." The stage is huge, with a long, cascading video screen that starts at the top of the arena and kind of slides down the stage like a tongue, with George Michael himself standing front and center (and the 16 members of his backing band relegated to the sidelines and rafters for much of the show). A brightly illuminated array of disco-y visuals pop up on the screen, as well as visual callbacks to his long and occasionally colorful career.

While Michael's voice isn't as strong as it used to be and his face is now so weirdly square that it looks like a child built him out of Legos, he is still an undeniably engaging performer and sometimes when he really hits "it" (like in a bubbly rendition of Wham favorite "I'm Your Man," now with new homosexual subtext), he reaches a buoyant level of pure joy that few big concerts could hope to conjure. Michael struts around the stage, making love to the crowd (not literally!) and struts like the best of them. He's also wonderfully self-aware at times, acknowledging that the show is "the gayest concert ever made" and wrangling, during "Shoot the Dog," a giant, inflated Union Jack-draped dog that is, er, orally pleasuring an equally massive blow-up George W. Bush. Ah, political commentary at its wittiest.

Your enjoyment of this disc will probably have to do with your knowledge of Michael's extensive discography and whether or not you're enraptured by the visuals and the pop star's larger-than-life swagger. Personally, I found the concert to be genuinely engaging, even for such an epic length. But then again, as a little kid, I had a VHS copy of the "Faith" music videos. Go ahead, keep questioning.

The Blu-ray: Vital Disc Stats

This 50GB disc is encoded for playback in Region "A" and "B." It is a single disc set (wouldn't an audio disc of the concert been nice? I think so too!) The disc does not automatically play and I would like to commend the sleek, simple menu design.