Fantastic Expectations, Amazing Revelations

Sadly, Christmas Day is also a reminder that it's another year - currently the ninth - since George Michael passed. 

I won't pretend that I was a huge fan of his music, either as Wham! or solo, but his presence as a singer, songwriter and phenomenal talent cannot be denied.

There's been a lot of TV time dedicated to George's life and music in the past couple of days. I haven't watched any of it, though a pop up in my suggested viewing on You Tube caught my eye.

On Tuesday 9th October 2012, George performed at Manchester Arena and, a third of the way through his set, dedicated a song to an audience member. The fact that the audience member was Ian Brown and the song was one of his own, 2001 epic F.E.A.R. must have been one of those WTF?! moments

George introduces F.E.A.R. as "a song we have never played before…we shall never play again, I should imagine" which is brutally honest though ultimately proved to be true.

"You'll please have to excuse me," explains George. "We've only rehearsed this a couple of times, so it might be a bit...crap", which of course proves to be wholly untrue. 

It's truly magnificent.

And here's the original version.

For each a road

For everyman a religion

Find everybody and rule

For everything and rumble

Forget everything and remember

For everything a reason

Forgive everybody and remember

For each a road

For everyman a religion

Face everybody and rule

For everything and rumble

Forget everything and remember

For everything a reason

You got the fear

You got the fear

You got the fear

You got the fear

F.E.A.R. (you got the fear)

F.E.A.R. (you got the fear)

F.E.A.R. (you got the fear)

F.E.A.R. 

Final eternity arouses reactions

Freeing excellence affects reality

Fallen empires are ruling

Find earth and reef

Fantastic expectations, amazing revelations

Final execution and resurrection

Free expression as revolution

Finding everything and realising

You got the fear

You got the fear

You got the fear

You got the fear

You got the fear

F.E.A.R. (you got the fear)

F.E.A.R. (you got the fear)

F.E.A.R. (you got the fear)

F.E.A.R. (you got the fear)

F.E.A.R. (you got the fear)

F.E.A.R. (you got the fear)

You got the fear

You got the fear

You got the fear

You got the fear

You got the fear