George Michael delights dedicated fans at US Airways Arena

Pop superstar George Michael has sold upwards of 80 million albums worldwide since the '80s, but the British singer's reputation has taken a beating of late after a couple of busts involving his use of marijuana and a paparazzi photo of a buzzed Michael snoozing behind the wheel of his sports car at a stoplight in 2006.

None of that mattered to the 8000 or so fans that came to see Michael perform on the American leg of his "25 Live" tour at the US Airways Arena on Sunday.

View concert slideshow

Michael dedicated the Phoenix show to the fans who have stuck by him for 25 years, telling the crowd "Phoenix – what a great (expletive) name for a town! I'm making sure you don't go home without a (expletive) great time!" And like the mythical bird the town was named for, Michael proceeded to restore his image from a bad boy with a penchant for pot to the entertainer he always has been: one of the very best in the business.

Taking the skateboard ramp styled stage (blinking continuously with disco lights and video imagery) in a crisp suit jacket, shades, pressed slacks and his trademark facial stubble, Michael opened with "Waiting" before launching into the hypnotic dance grooves of "Fastlove" and "I'm Your Man" before delivering his sultry No. 1 soul ballad "Father Figure" and "Hard Day," both from his 21 million selling 1987 debut solo album "Faith."

Michael, who looked fit and was in fine voice on Sunday night, was equally adept at singing such upbeat dance numbers as "Amazing" (which the singer dedicated to his longtime partner Kenny Goss), "An Easier Affair" (before which Michael said "Some of you will know this track, some of you won't – that's no excuse, I want you on your feet!," and the crowd happily obliged) and the neo-rockabilly rave up "Faith" as he was crooning such ballads as the exquisite "Kissing a Fool," "A Different Corner" and a superb, jazzy take on The Police's "Roxanne."

After singing the infectious "Flawless (Go to the City)," Michael ducked backstage just as the sound of helicopter blades and the bright visage of searchlights strafed the stage. When the singer popped back onstage he was dressed in a police uniform (a wink to his 1998 bust for engaging in lewd conduct in a Beverly Hills park with an undercover police officer) to sing "Outside," then he bid the crowd goodnight.

Michael played "Careless Whispers" (from his popular mid-'80s duo Wham!) and "Freedom '90" for encores, and it was clear that when the singer left the stage, had he wanted to play for another two hours, nobody would have left the arena.

While the attendance for Michael's show may have been surprisingly small for an arena the size of the US Airways Center, those in the crowd witnessed what just might well have been the best concert tour to pass through the Valley thus far in 2008.