George Michael: I will be the one who loves you, 'til the end of time

Okay, so yes, I did go to the Alicia Keys/George Michael concert last night. No trying to hide it. The big 'do at Zayed Sports City that was supposed to mark Michael's last concert (of course it's not going to be) and usher in UAE National Day (more on that later). We arrived late, my trio and I, and the nice fellow at the ticket gate upgraded us from crappy, cheap with-the-masses ones to "Diamond" VIPs that cost Dh995 (that's almost $340 Cdn y'all). So yes, I did feel special and not at all self-conscious kicking off my shoes and dancing to music more than 20 years old.

Here are a few things I learned:

1) Apparently I know each and every word to Careless Whisper.
2) I am not the only one in Abu Dhabi to possess this knowledge.
3) Contrary to popular belief, people do steal things, such as cameras, in Abu Dhabi; hence the lack of photographs accompanying these words.
4) Big concert organisers in the UAE are still sorting out the drinks-to-expat ratio. Did they learn nothing from the Paul Weller/Desert Rhythm Festival debacle? May I suggest, next time, they err on the side of "quite a lot".
5) I would not have expected a fight to break out between two George Michael fans at a concert in Abu Dhabi, for a variety of reasons. Nor would I expect a female expat to purchase a flat of (very limited) beer and then sell cans of it for three times the price, or that I would be so thirsty for any sort of liquid that I would consider paying such an outrageous price, but as I need to keep reminding myself, anything can happen at any time.