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Thousands
of fans looked on in Barcelona on Saturday as singer George
Michael began his first tour for 15 years.
Dressed in
black and sporting his trademark sunglasses and goatee, the
43-year-old performed a selection of hits that included Faith,
Careless Whisper and the Wham! hit I'm Your Man.
At one point
in the concert, the British star unveiled a 50ft inflatable
puppet of President George Bush - the target of his
controversial 2002 single Shoot the Dog.
Michael is
due to perform in the UK in November and December. Here is what
the UK press made of his comeback appearance.
THE
GUARDIAN - ESTHER ADDLEY
When you have sold 85 million albums around the world, you can
afford to do things your way.
The thing
about taking a 15-year career break, however, is that no one
quite knows what to expect when you return.
Would
Michael play it kitsch, perhaps rattling through some of his
cheesier early hits with Wham!? Or would he aim for the "housewives'
favourite" market inhabited by some of his contemporaries?
The answer
was somewhere between the two, the 43-year-old singing for more
than two hours without a single faltering note. 
THE
INDEPENDENT - PIERRE PERRONE
Michael turns this 18,000-capacity arena into a giant disco when
he's not delivering some killer ballads in his rich, emotive
voice.
When the
curtain drops to reveal the singer emerging from a giant
cascading video screen, the audience gasps in wonder.
The fun
quota literally hits the roof when a giant caricature of George
Bush inflates from the middle of the screen during Shoot the
Dog.
The second
half doesn't quite reach the same heady heights, but it's
obvious that Michael has reconnected with his audience.
THE
TIMES - DAVID SINCLAIR
While absence makes the heart goes fonder, it does little to
hone an artist's performing skills.
And while
Michael was clearly relishing the occasion, it took a while for
him to find his voice and for the production to find its feet.
The
besetting problem, particularly during the first half of the
show, was an excess of slow, maudlin ballads which cumulatively
drained the show of its energy.
The pop
landscape has changed in his absence, and at times he looked a
bit creaky.
THE SUN
- VICTORIA NEWTON
Michael proved he is simply one of the best vocalists this
country has ever produced with a stunning performance of hits
from his giant back catalogue.
He arrived
at the Palau Sant Jordi to the kind of reception reserved for
megastars, and he didn't let anyone down.
Classics
including Freedom, Faith and encore Careless Whisper sounded as
fresh as they did first time round.
Flawless
sounded amazing, and his ballads were played to silence from a
crowd eating from the palm of his hand.
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