Madonna was late, late for a very important date but Prince was early, Gillian Welch right on the money and Crowded House was full - a big year in gigs.

It was a culture shock to rival the best of them. The bouffant, coiffured hair, exuberant dancing and extravagant image of Britain's leading pop band, and the Communist Party's dour insistence on uniformity.

In a skit uncovered from 2011, you can see the exact moment James Corden's Carpool Karaoke segment was born - with none other than George Michael.

• COMMENT

My understanding of his struggles with his Greek family, and that of his career are issues I can relate to. He taught me that no one can ever take your music and voice away from you.

Madonna, Elton John and Paul McCartney paid tribute on Monday to British pop idol George Michael, who has died age 53 after a career of soulful ballads and dance songs that provided a soundtrack to much of the 1980s and 1990s.

• COMMENT

A teen pop star who became a worldwide figure of substance, and substances, he earned the right to sit alongside his heroes Elton John and Freddie Mercury.

A trip to Sydney in 2010 transformed the London-born singer's life.

Pop singer George Michael has died, aged 53.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg took a swipe at Nickelback in a video that has been viewed 23 million times.

IT WAS worth the wait. That seemed the audible verdict of the sold-out crowd of 47,000 that filled Etihad Stadium last night for the return of pop superstar George Michael

This review was published in The Sydney Morning Herald on March 1, 2010.

Queen guitarist Brian May has led tributes to fellow rock star Rick Parfitt, who has died at the age of 68.

He's performed at Carols By Candlelight at the Myer Music Bowl for more than half his life - and he loves it.

Woodford is going "cashless" in 2016.

Celine Dion is apparently the latest superstar to decline an offer to perform at President-elect Donald Trump's January inauguration.

A contagion of bad sound blighted a year of stunning achievements

There is a tension for any artistic organisation between selling tickets and seeding ideas, and it was refreshing this year to see an emphasis on the new, alongside the tried and true, even among the more established companies.

TMZ reports the planned European leg of Kanye West's tour has been put on ice after he was hospitalised for exhaustion last month.

Ok 2016, that's enough.

The latest news from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Pearl Jam and Tupac Shakur are in. Janet Jackson is still out. And Nile Rodgers of Chic is in – sort of.

The Sydney duo prefer to hide away in isolated pockets of the world with nothing but feral beasts and rising damp to inspire their acid-dance recordings.

The ongoing saga of Brisbane Baroque has entered a new chapter with the man at the centre of the company speaking for the first time.

Dance festival implements what it believes is an Australian-first policy following four reported assaults at this year's festival in January.

Haley Fohr has been using her unusual voice to good effect since she was small.