George Michael does a $3 million concert

MOSCOW, Jan. 3 (UPI) -- A Russian billionaire paid British pop star George Michael $3.3 million for a special New Year's Eve performance at a party outside Moscow.

Mining tycoon Vladimir Potanin, thought to be the ninth richest person in Russia, flew the 43-year-old musician to Moscow in a private jet and paid him the hefty fee for a 75 minute performance at his estate, hellomagazine.com reported Wednesday.

Michael's pay for the 13-song set is thought to be the largest sum ever paid to an entertainer for a single performance. He went on stage at 3:30 a.m. local time and performed until 4:45 a.m., at which time he boarded a second private flight back to Britain.

Potanin had invited about 300 guests to his New Year's bash.