George Michael partying too hard in Sydney to go-go

George Michael has shown some true old-style charm on his visit to Sydney and will extend his stay in our fair city because he's having such a good time - especially at the Mardi Gras, where he hung out with regular punters instead of VIPs.

Michael put on one of the best shows ever seen in Sydney on Friday night before 40,000 fans, and later told his crew that it was one of the most enjoyable performances on the international tour and that he got a huge buzz from the crowd in his first visit since 1988.

The singer was not going to miss Saturday night's parade, and was invited to a VIP Foxtel party at Taylor Square but never made it - instead drinking and chatting with locals in various bars. He popped into Oxford St's Coco Cubano with a group of friends and ordered mojitos.
"People went up and said hello and he told them he was on the way to a VIP party upstairs," reported bar owner Tony Melhem.

But he didn't go, later making it to the Oxford hotel.

"He was having a drink and I said hello and we chatted for a while and he told me he was loving Sydney and will extend his stay. He was Mr Down-To-Earth," a partygoer told us.
A tour party source said Michael would fly to Melbourne for his show on Wednesday, then come back to Sydney to stay and has not confirmed a departure date.
"He loves being low-key and relaxed and has been so nice since he's been here, so it's no surprise he chose to blend in at Mardi Gras," the source said.

That left Molly Meldrum and Charlotte Dawson as the biggest names at Foxtel's party.
"I've been to Rio and this is up there," Molly said of the parade. "It's astonishing."