Pop star and outdoor cruising fan George Michael is returning to America this summer for his first U.S. tour in 17 years, kicking off his 25 Live tour in San Diego on June 17 before heading to 19 other cities.

Michael, 44, calls the return to the U.S. a "rounding off" of his career's first phase. "I don't want to do anything on this scale again," he says. "No more stadiums. I'd like to be the Tony Bennett for my generation."

It's not a farewell tour for the Grammy winner who shot to stardom in the '80s with the band Wham! and crashed when he was arrested for lewd conduct in a Beverly Hills public bathroom in 1998, USAToday reports.

"It's the end of a certain era, and I'm not sure how much I really want to be a part of what's next. So, it's a kind of a way of saying thank you to everybody before I move on," he says.

Hoping to release more music in the future, Michael suspects he will offer it up to fans gratis to allow for artistic freedom. "There are other ways I can express the things I want to. And pop music stopped being a place to express much lyrically awhile back."

Tickets for Michael's tour will go on sale Tuesday exclusively via an iTunes package. Tour tickets will be available elsewhere beginning the weekend of April 5.

Last update: 03-24-2008 13:50