Boy George doesn’t demand that you dance at a Culture Club concert, but it’s hard not to.
“It’s okay if you sit, but... only you can set yourself free,” he told the crowd at the New York State Fair’s Chevy Park on Tuesday night, just before playing a reggae-flavored cover of Bread’s “Everything I Own” (featuring the line “set me free, set me free”). A few people stayed in their seats, but most got lost in the music.
It was a smaller, slightly less enthusiastic crowd than the one that came out to see Culture Club at Chevy Court in 2016. The reunited British pop band’s return was dampened by rain, which delayed their performance start by about 30 minutes and forced the NYS Fair to shut down the midway rides around 5 p.m. — but Boy George won’t let a cloud rain on his parade.
“Bless you” for sticking out the rain, the singer told the audience. “You know, the rain... is a miracle.”
If you haven’t figured it out yet, a lot of the songs were introduced with references to the lyrics or titles like “It’s a Miracle.” Before “Hold Back,” Boy George spoke about love and relationships: “When it comes to feelings, never hold back anything.” It’d be corny if he wasn’t so irresistibly charming.
Boy George, wearing a monochromatic suit and hat accented by fabulous eye makeup, was constantly strutting, winking, and having a good time on stage, backed by original Culture Club members Mikey Craig on bass and guitarist-keyboardist Roy Hay. The band also featured two drummers, a synth player, a saxophonist and three backup singers.
“We are Culture Club,” Boy George said. “I guess what we do is sing sad songs that put you in a good mood.”
Few jobs have a more accurate description. The wet crowd certainly was in a good mood for Culture Club favorites like “I’ll Tumble 4 Ya,” “Church of Poison Mind” and “Time (Clock of the Heart),” and the band impressively made The Rolling Stones’ “Sympathy for the Devil” sound like their own as Boy George flirted with the crowd: “Please allow me to... say hi to you.”
The set list also featured some songs they didn’t perform in 2016, like the new “The Next Thing Will Be Amazing” (which opened the show) and “Planetary Karma,” plus the recent Boy George solo single “Eyeliner Voodoo.” They also played a slower, more emotional version of “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me” with a killer sax solo; it would’ve made a great song for holding up cell phone lights in the crowd but everyone kept expecting the beat to drop and the tempo to pick up.
Boy George, the 61-year-old frontman born George O’Dowd, joked about oversharing, getting older, and lessons learned. He famously struggled with drug addiction for years and was arrested for heroin possession the same year the group split in 1986.
“I’m not the person I was in 1982. Thank God!” he exclaimed.
The night ended with Culture Club’s biggest hit, “Karma Chameleon,” and a fun cover of T. Rex’s “Bang a Gong (Get It On).” Again, they somehow made another band’s song their own, transforming the ‘70s boogie rock classic into an ‘80s dance party.
The 90-minute show went by too fast, so here’s hoping we don’t have to wait another six years for Culture Club to return to the New York State Fair.
Boy George & Culture Club set list
Aug. 30 at New York State Fair, Syracuse, N.Y.
The Next Thing Will Be Amazing
It’s a Miracle
I’ll Tumble 4 Ya
Hold Back
Everything I Own (Bread cover)
Eyeliner Voodoo
Do You Really Want to Hurt Me
Planetary Karma
Church of the Poison Mind / I’m Your Man
Time (Clock of the Heart)
Miss Me Blind
Sympathy for the Devil (The Rolling Stones cover)
Karma Chameleon
Bang a Gong (Get It On) (T.Rex cover)
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