George Michael Recalls Tour Terrors
George Michael refused to tour for 17 years because he was terrified of his huge solo success.
George Michael was terrified of touring because of his success.
The 48-year-old singer refused to go on the road for 17 years because he was so "freaked out" by the worldwide sales of his 1987 debut solo album 'Faith' and admitted he had no idea how to deal with the level of fame he achieved.
He said: "I was so scared of touring because of my experience with 'Faith' and the sheer size of it all. I was half the age I am now and 'Faith' had been number one in America two Christmases in a row - that's kind of unheard of - and it was frightening.
"It seems strange that I turned my back on it, but that year more Americans bought my album than Michael Jackson's 'Bad' and that, for a 24 year old who was single, closeted and very lonely, freaked me out."
George is currently on tour with a 41-piece orchestra and admits the scale of the shows made him nervous for the first time in many years.
He told Britain's Hello! magazine: "I've always believed I'd do some kind of orchestral tour because it's such an obvious challenge. But it's the first time I've been nervous doing live shows, which is odd as I wasn't nervous about the first Wham! shows."
