At one point during his concert in New York City’s Central Park this past Tuesday, the British singer Boy George told the audience: “Some of you are like, ‘What is this gig?’ I feel exactly the same way. I feel like I spent the last 30 years calling from the ‘80s, and I’ve done so much.”
He has a point there. As the popular lead singer of Culture Club, Boy George is synonymous with the 1980s: the decade of Reagan and Thatcher, Princess Diana, MTV and big sweaters. Between 1982 and 1984, George and Culture Club scored massive hits on both sides of the Atlantic such as “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me,” “Time,” “It’s Miracle,” “Church of the Poison Mind” and, of course, the smash number one “Karma Chameleon.” But George has also maintained a solo career after Culture Club first broke up in 1987 (the band is active today after periodic reunions over the years), having recorded nine solo albums under his name and scored two Top 40 hits, “Live My Life” and “The Crying Game.”
With a talented cast of supporting players behind him, George kicked off the set with the jazz-fusion zen rocker “Mine Your Own Existence,” which, because of its intensity and rawness, sounded worlds away from Culture Club’s hybrid of tropical reggae-funk-pop. Other highlights from the show included the reflective “King of Everything,” the Bowie-like “Watching the Lotus Bleed,” the quasi-funk rock of “Grossly Overrated,” and a cover of the classic Gary Numan/Tubeway Army song “Are ‘Friends’ Electric.” There were also poignant moments during the evening, too, such as the sublime “Faster” and “Kylie T-Shirt,” the latter a ballad featuring a lead vocal by backing singer Vangelis Polydorou.
Aside from “Do You Really Want Hurt Me,” another Culture Club hit was retweaked for the show —the Motown-ish “Church of the Poison Mind,” which incorporated Wham!’s “I’m Your Man.” For that medley, Natalie Palmer, another backing vocalist, delivered a booming performance that recalled Helen Terry, whose voice was featured on the original studio version of “Poison Mind” from 41 years ago.
George also tackled something similar with his song “Bigger Than War” as it was used as part of a medley with the Rolling Stones’ “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” and Lou Reed’s “Walk on the Wild Side.” Following a performance of “Karma Chameleon,” George and the band closed the show with Prince’s immortal “Purple Rain,” a nice tribute from one music icon to another.
During the apex of Culture Club’s popularity in the 1980s, George was the ultimate press darling –there wasn’t a moment when the singer didn’t appear on a magazine cover or TV talk show, especially in America. That’s how ubiquitous he was back then, decades before social media. But what was overlooked during that hype was George’s strong singing, which hearkened back to the reggae and American R&B singers that were influential to him. That hadn’t diminished during the Central Park show along with his trademark charisma and wit that made him so endearing to mainstream America more than 40 years ago.
For the last 10 years, Culture Club has been a consistent touring band and will most likely continue playing the hits and more onstage. But for this particular tour with Squeeze, Boy George the solo artist displayed an adventurous eclecticism and demonstrated how much his singing and songwriting have evolved over the decades.
Mind Your Own Existence
Are ‘Friends’ Electric?
Grossly Overrated
King of Everything
Watching the Lotus Bleed
Church of the Poison Mind / I’m Your Man
Faster
Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?
Kylie T-Shirt
The Crying Game
Cheapness and Beauty
Bigger Than War / You Can’t Always Get What You Want / Walk on the Wild Side
Karma Chameleon
Purple Rain
Original Article: Forbes