George Michael anti-Bush stunt

A mature, modest and (nearly) scandal-free George Michael took the stage in his first solo concert in 15 years.

Singing his greatest hits to 18,000 fans packed into Barcelona's Palau Sant Jordi arena he also lampooned US president George Bush.

The pop star kicked off his "25 Live" European tour, which will touch down in 28 cities before December 15, with a concert that may well have been subtitled "the best of George Michael".

With no new album to promote, the concert indulged an audience of mostly long-time fans with favourites like Faith, Father Figure and Too Funky, while also including newer hits.

The only envelope-pushing moment of the show came at the end of the first set, when Michael sang his 2002 controversial anti-Bush song Shoot The Dog. During the song, an enormous balloon depicting a cartoonish George Bush rose out of centre stage, drawing whoops and yells from the crowd.

But the real surprise came when Michael leaned down to unzip the balloon's trousers, and out popped a British bulldog draped with the UK flag. The dog was stuck to the balloon's inflated crotch, wagging its tail.

In February 2005 Michael announced the end of his pop career to the international media, and the irony that less than two years later he was back on the stage, singing all his pop standards once again, was not lost on him.

The fans, however, are not holding any grudges for what Michael has dubbed his "being such a tease". They clapped, cheered, swayed and sang their way through two-and-a-half-hours of ballads, covers and dance tunes.

The early part of the show suffered from a few low moments when it seemed as though Michael's slow clapping and side-to-side sway-and-shuffle style of dancing were not going to be enough to keep the crowd engaged throughout the night, but after a few songs the singer seemed to warm up to his audience, dominating the stage and obviously happy to be performing again.

"It's coming back, its coming right back," he called out to the crowd just before launching into the unexpected second sing-through of Too Funky, a technical glitch Michael handled with ease.

His current tour is being held to mark the star's 25-year anniversary in the music industry.

He will perform the following dates in the UK:

Manchester MEN Arena (November 17/18/21)
Glasgow SECC (22)
London Earls Court (25/26/28/29)
Birmingham NEC (December 2/3/4)
London Wembley Arena (11/12/14/15)

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