The Wham! Reunion That Didn’t Happen
December 19, 2006
The Sun newspaper is reporting that Andrew Ridgeley had been scheduled to appear at the final 25 Live show last Sunday night. However, as you know, Andrew didn’t take part in the show. I have no idea if this report is true. I have heard a couple of different, conflicting stories about the whole Wham! reunion thing.
However, I suspect we will see George and Andrew together again on stage at some point during 2007.
December 19, 2006 at 6:49 pm
I had heard several months ago that George “mis spoke” about this reunion and that Andrew really was not interested in appearing so I wasn’t surprised that Andrew did not show.
December 19, 2006 at 6:57 pm
Sorry, one more….I also met one of George’s band members in London on Dec 11th and he said that the wham! reunion was definetely off the table, was not happening.
December 19, 2006 at 7:07 pm
I heard several things like this.
I also heard: “Andrew was potentially up for it, but George wasn’t sure it would work. So George kept putting of the decision.”
December 20, 2006 at 3:32 pm
To be honest – I couldn’t have cared less if Andrew had turned up on stage or not. No offense to Andrew, obviously, but I was there to see/hear George, and I don’t see what Andrew could have added to the show. Yes, the “Awwwwwwwww – Wham! reunited!” – effect, but apart from that?
Nah. George: keep on going solo!
December 20, 2006 at 3:39 pm
I think it might have been (and still would be) nice for Andrew to have “felt the genuine love” from George’s audience. So many of the people at those shows were “old” Wham! fans.
It’s not so much about Wham! re-uniting, as much as it is a chance for everyone to see Andrew again after twenty years, for Andrew to see that people still hold him in affection.
No-one who saw George and Andrew together on screen in George’s documentary could argue that those two are still a pretty great double-act!
It could be nothing but a positive, in my book…
December 20, 2006 at 3:59 pm
There is still a good friendship there, I agree. They seemed genuinely on the same wave length, sure.
But… what could have Andrew done onstage? I think it’s very wise of Andrew to stay away. People can be so cruel … And that was George’s audience, not Andrew’s – in my opinion…
December 20, 2006 at 4:22 pm
You ask a good question about what Andrew could have done onstage.
I think George and Andrew could have played it either of two ways. Either, George just brings Andrew on to say, “Hi – nice to see you!”, or they rehearse a performance of a song – so that it looks like a real Wham! performance…. perhaps even going so far as to do a new song like Amazing (which is Wham!-like) together.
And yes, people can be cruel… But do you think George’s audience would have been unwelcoming to Andrew? I can’t see it myself.
However, to prepare for that unlikely event, George could have introduced Andrew early on in the show – maybe around song three or four. Then, if the audience had, for some unknown reason, boo-ed Andrew, George could have just said, “Well fuck you all then, you miserable losers. Good night!” and cancelled the rest of the show!
There would be need for either of them to even contemplate tolerating rudeness…
December 20, 2006 at 4:34 pm
Lol @ what George could have said!
Well… I think that no-one would have boo-ed Andrew. Of course not. I agree that the audience still has great affection for Andrew (I know I have). Andrew would have had a very warm reception, BUT… in my humble opinion, if they had attempted to re-act the Wham! thing, it would have looked farily odd and pathetic. Come onstage and greet the audience: sure. “Play” a song or two: no thanks.
But that’s just my take on it…
December 20, 2006 at 4:39 pm
I know what you mean. Clearly, there’s no point in doing an “odd and pathetic” performance
The question is whether it could be done in way that’s cool. That would be for George and Andrew to figure out…