Sombr opens VMAs George Michael tribute in singer's own Faith jacket
Sombr opened the George Michael tribute at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards in one of Michael's own jackets.
The show, the MTV Video Music Awards, took place on Sept. 27, 2026, at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles. Sombr started the tribute with performances of "Faith" and "Father Figure," two songs from Michael's solo catalogue. It was an immediate signal of what the segment would be. A tribute built around the original material, and the original clothing.
The jacket did a lot of the talking. It is a black Harley-Davidson motorcycle jacket, customised with chain-link detailing and pins from Michael's Faith era. Michael wore that same jacket on his 1988-1989 Faith tour and in his 1989 Diet Coke commercial directed by Stephen Frears, according to Billboard. That history matters for anyone watching at home. It is not a copy made for the night. It is the garment Michael wore on stage and on screen during one of the most visible stretches of his solo career.
Sombr wore the jacket with no shirt and matching leather pants. The styling stayed close to how Michael had worn it. Simple. Direct. Built to keep the focus on the jacket itself.
He did not carry the tribute alone. The segment also featured RAYE, Teddy Swims, Adam Lambert, MNEK, MEEK and Saint Harison. Lambert's appearance was a surprise on the night, Page Six reported. The line-up mixed current chart singers with voices closely associated with theatrical pop performance, which gave the tribute several different tones in one sequence.
Michael, the former Wham! frontman, died in Christmas 2016. Almost a decade on, his solo work remains the core of how awards shows remember him. Sunday's segment kept that focus, opening with "Faith" and "Father Figure" before bringing the other performers into the set.
What makes this stand out is the use of the original jacket. Awards-show tributes often recreate a famous outfit from photographs and video. Here the production dressed its opening singer in the actual piece from Michael's own wardrobe. For fans, this means the moment worked on two levels at once. There was the singing, and there was the sight of a well-known piece of stage clothing back under stage lights.
The tribute took place on Sunday, Sept. 27, during the main VMAs ceremony, as confirmed by People and Rolling Stone. The show was held at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles. The jacket, the setlist and the group line-up were the three details that defined the night's remembrance of Michael.
