Mumbai: It’s been 38 years since singer George Michael went on his first solo tour, Faith. Now, footage from two of his 1988 concerts in Paris is being shown in cinemas for the first time. George Michael: The Faith Tour was released in UK cinemas on Friday along with an album of 18 previously unreleased live recordings.
The concerts took place at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy in May 1988. The footage was never released in full and has now been restored for the film.
Michael was 24 when he performed in Paris. He had started his career with Wham!, the pop duo he formed with Andrew Ridgeley. After the group split in 1986, Michael released his first solo album, Faith, the following year. It had hits such as “Faith”, “Father Figure”, “One More Try” and “I Want Your Sex”.
The album was a huge success. In 1988, Michael went on his first solo tour, performing more than 100 shows across 16 countries. Paula Abdul, who was working as a choreographer before becoming a pop star herself, helped with the choreography for the tour.
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From ‘Careless Whisper’ to ‘Father Figure’
The new film includes two of those concerts in Paris. Before the performances begin, there’s a short documentary called Finding Faith, directed by Mary McCartney. She has used an old interview with Michael that hadn’t been heard publicly before, along with photographs and footage from the making of his “Faith” music video. The documentary looks at how Michael went from being part of Wham! to starting his solo career.
The trailer came out in September and showed Michael singing songs, including “Careless Whisper” and “Father Figure” during the Paris concerts.
Sony Music and George Michael Entertainment have also released an album with 18 live recordings from the Faith tour. The songs aren’t new, but these particular performances have never been released before.
The film has received positive reviews so far. Rolling Stone UK praised Michael’s singing, dancing and stamina, particularly how he managed to maintain his vocals throughout the performance. The Times called the film deeply moving and said Michael’s voice sounded even better live than on his records, although some of the staging and filming felt dated.
The film will release in cinemas in the US and Canada on 11 December. An India release date has not been announced.
(Edited by Saptak Datta)