IT was a fitting tribute to a musical legend.
Celebrating the songs of George Michael, George brought together some of the best in the business to honour a true great in front of a packed crowd at Mayflower Theatre.
Rob Lamberti, widely considered to be the best George Michael tribute around and even mentioned and watched by the man himself before his untimely death, put on a wonderful show playing homage to his hero.
His superb voice was lifted to another level by the wonderful musicianship of the renowned National Philharmonic Concert Orchestra.
Also on stage were session musician Carlos Hercules who was George Michael's drummer from 2006 for six years, and David Baptiste, the saxophonist who toured with George and Wham in the mid-1980s.
Careless Whisper, with its incredible saxophone solo, was a real highlight.
Other stand out moments included the marvellous duets I Knew You Were Waiting for Me and Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me, originally performed with Aretha Franklin and Elton John, but with backing singers acting as suitably able substitutes.
From Wham hits including Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go, The Edge of Heaven and Club Tropicana to solo chart toppers like Faith, Father Figure and Fastlove, it was hit after hit with Lamberti at times rearranging the songs slightly to make them his own.
READ: Wet Wet Wet's Marti Pellow to lead star-studded panto cast in Southampton this Christmas >>>
My companion, a George Michael super fan, and I, another long time fan of the star, had seen Rob Lamberti at The Concorde Club where he is a regular performer and wondered how his show would transfer to the much larger stage. It may have been his first tour of such large arenas, but he looked like he belonged there and had the audience lapping up every note and every word.
The two and a half hours went by in a flash and before long the company were performing a spectacular finale including a stunning version of Somebody to Love, with Lamberti clad in the famous orange blazer synonymous with the song being performed at Wembley in 1992, which had the entire audience from the stalls to the balcony up on their feet dancing.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel