How Duran Duran's Simon Le Bon nearly sabotaged Wham!'s final ever concert

31 May 2024, 14:05

They were at the peak of their powers.

Wham! were dominating charts both in the UK and the US, achieving inordinate levels of success with singles such as 'Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go' and 'I'm Your Man'.

Yet, in 1986, school friends and best pals George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley decided to call it a day and go their separate ways.

It got to the point in their musical journey together where they'd achieved all they wanted to achieve.

Also, George was a once-in-a-generation talent who wanted to pursue a more mature, meaningful path in music, so they needed to leave Wham! behind.

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Despite breaking the hearts of millions of fans worldwide, George and Andrew decided to say farewell to them in style.

Arranging an epic concert at Wembley Stadium on 28th June 2024, the pair got to say goodbye on their own terms.

However, towards the end of the concert, an impromptu appearance from Duran Duran singer Simon Le Bon threatened to ruin their final hurrah.

Performing to a whopping 72,000 distraught fans on a sweltering summer day, Wham! pulled out all the stops.

Decked out in entirely black - with George wearing a studded leather jacket - the pop duo indicated in their outfits they were ready to become more adult.

Nevertheless, they stormed through their set of shimmering bubblegum hits such as 'Club Tropicana', 'Bad Boys' and weirdly 'Last Christmas' even though the concert took place in June.

George also got an opportunity to showcase his growth as a songwriter, performing gorgeous renditions of 'A Different Corner' and their number one smash 'Careless Whisper'.

Elton John even made an appearance, as they duetted on 'Candle In The Wind', once again making an appearance for the finale.

Though, he wasn't alone - Simon Le Bon was waiting in the wings to jump on stage with Wham!, and George was livid.

Duran Duran blew up in the charts across the world at the same time as Wham!, so there was definitely a friendly rivalry between the two bands.

But Le Bon gatecrashing George and Andrew's farewell was a step too far, according to George who recalled what happened on the night.

Of course, he remembered the great energy and overwhelming positivity from the night, given the love they were receiving from thousands upon thousands of fans.

Yet George also remembered how annoyed he was at Le Bon's insistence to join them on stage when that was the last thing he wanted.

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"[My security guard] said to me, 'Simon Le Bon would like to come on'. I said, 'Excuse me, this is the last Wham show ever'," George recalled.

Though he was joking, there was an element of sincerity in George's comeback on the night, who remembered replying: "Tell him to f**k off!"

"One of the reasons I've always sat on the film from that is that during the last song, which is 'I'm Your Man' - the very last Wham performance ever - Simon Le Bon is onstage, and he doesn’t know the words.

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"I'm literally running away from him", he revealed, which is fairly evident when you watch back bootleg footage of their encore.

Footage from their finale was later released as part of their 2023 Netflix documentary, Wham!, though George wasn't here to rewatch it.

Thankfully, Simon Le Bon didn't completely sabotage George and Andrew's goodbye, at least not in their fans' hearts and minds.