George Michael set for LG Arena dates in UK tour

George Michael declared it was "great to be alive" as he made a triumphant return to the stage for the start of a European tour that will include two dates in Birmingham later this month.

The 49-year-old, who performed at the London 2012 Olympics closing ceremony, resumed his previously postponed Symphonica tour in Vienna, where he spent weeks in hospital battling pneumonia last November.

Thousands of fans packed the Stadthalle Wien last night as the singer took to the stage in a purple suit and his trademark sunglasses. The show, for which Michael has donated 1,000 tickets to the medical staff as a thank you gift for saving his life, was the first of a number of rescheduled dates around Europe, including Birmingham's LG Arena on September 16 and 17.

Michael paid a heartfelt tribute to the Austrian medical staff who brought him back from the brink of death.

"This is one of the greatest honours of my life, to sing to the men and women who saved my life," he said, before performing a rendition of Nina Simone's Feeling Good – a request from one of the doctors.