{"id":863503,"date":"2026-09-28T12:14:09","date_gmt":"2026-09-28T12:14:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/863503\/"},"modified":"2026-09-28T12:14:09","modified_gmt":"2026-09-28T12:14:09","slug":"adam-lambert-in-george-michael-tribute-at-2026-mtv-vmas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/863503\/","title":{"rendered":"Adam Lambert in George Michael Tribute at 2026 MTV VMAs"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tWhen Sombr<\/a>, Raye<\/a> and Teddy Swims<\/a> were announced as paying tribute to George Michael<\/a> timed to nearly 40 years since the release of his Faith album and ahead of a live Faith tour album and feature-length film being released later this year, it seemed like the VMAs<\/a> segment honoring Michael, who died in 2016, would mostly consist of songs from Faith.<\/p>\n

\n\tBut the musicians and surprise performer Adam Lambert<\/a>, who hadn\u2019t been announced as part of the performance before he walked out onstage Sunday night, went beyond the 1987 album, performing Michael\u2019s Wham! hit \u201cCareless Whisper\u201d and even iconic later single \u201cFreedom \u201990,\u201d also known for its supermodel-filled music<\/a> video.<\/p>\n

\n\tSombr took the stage, after an intro from Orville Peck, wearing Michael\u2019s actual customized leather jacket from the Faith era, which Michael wore on the Faith tour and in a Diet Coke commercial, and performing \u201cFaith\u201d as he walked past video screens of Michael in that video. He later segued into another Faith hit, \u201cFather Figure.\u201d<\/p>\n

https:\/\/twitter.com\/MTV<\/a>\/status\/2104396153890754869<\/p>\n

\n\tThe performance moved over to Raye, who delivered a soulful rendition of Michael\u2019s Aretha Franklin duet \u201cI Knew You Were Waiting,\u201d which wasn\u2019t on Faith, complete with golden lighting, smoke and sepia-toned images of Michael.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe camera then shifted to a saxophone player, performing the opening of \u201cCareless Whisper,\u201d which Teddy Swims performed from a platform surrounded by searchlights.<\/p>\n

\n\tThen Lambert strutted out from backstage to perform \u201cFreedom,\u201d for a triumphant finish.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/twitter.com\/vmas<\/a>\/status\/2104394642183905776<\/p>\n

\n\tThe tribute comes less than a decade after Michael died of heart failure at the age of 53 over the Christmas holiday in 2016<\/a>. And the performance honoring the late singer, songwriter and record producer comes nearly 40 years after the 1987 release of his hit album Faith, the tour for which is being celebrated through a live album out Nov. 6 and feature-length film in U.S. theaters Dec. 11. In addition to the title track, Faith spawned such hit singles as \u201cI Want Your Sex,\u201d \u201cOne More Try\u201d and \u201cFather Figure,\u201d which was reimagined by fellow 2026 VMAs<\/a> honoree Taylor Swift on her latest album The Life of a Showgirl, the Encore edition of which was released Friday with four additional tracks, including single \u201cPatient Zero,\u201d the video for which Swift released during the show<\/a>. Swift received the inaugural MTV VMA Artist Director Honor<\/a> at the awards<\/a> ceremony.<\/p>\n

\n\tMichael won four VMAs over the course of his career and received the Video Vanguard Award in 1989.<\/p>\n

\n\tRaye, who performed a solo rendition of her hit \u201cWHERE IS MY HUSBAND!,\u201d was nominated for two VMAs this year. Sombr is up for three awards. Swims was last on the VMA stage in 2024, when he was a four-time nominee and is set to release his next album, Ugly on Jan. 22, 2027.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe 2026 VMAs, hosted by Snoop Dogg from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, aired live coast-to-coast on CBS and MTV and streamed on Paramount+ Premium in the U.S. In addition to the Michael tribute, the ceremony featured a tribute to Dolly Parton, led by Kacey Musgraves. Nirvana was recognized with the Video Vanguard Award.<\/p>\n