He hasn't released a new album since 2004, doesn't currently have a hit single, and still George Michael is playing the Big Room. His 25Live Tour supports the double greatest-hits CD, Twentyfive, which came out in April. The British soul-pop artist has long been taken lightly by critics, but his career has endured. He has an agreeable set of pipes and some of his songs have real stickiness. Perhaps most important, this is his first North American tour in 17 years, so expect him to pull out all the stops spectacle-wise — not to mention that the set will be a full-on career retrospective. Michael has become increasingly likeable over the years, in large part due to his openness about being gay, He's even lampooned it: In an episode of HBO's Extras, he turned up in a public park, blithely looking for a quick hook-up. Funny stuff.
George Michael, 8 p.m. Sat., Aug. 2, St. Pete Times Forum, $56.75, $76.75, $96.75, $151.75, sptimesforum.com.
This article appears in Jul 30 – Aug 5, 2008.