 |
| photo by Armando Brown |
"It's a miracle we're all here," admitted Boy George, early in
Culture Club's spirited Greek Theatre show on Thursday. Indeed, the
singer's career became a cautionary tale about what the self-indulgent
Eighties wrought.
Emerging during the early
part of that decade, the London band's unique blend of pop, soul and
reggae, plus an androgynous, unpredictable front man resulted in a half
dozen top 10 singles, platinum albums and a Grammy Award over a short
time. The quartet broke up amid George's drugs and legal problems, then
resurfaced in the late '90s with an underrated studio CD and tour before
going their separate ways again in 2003.
Now
the guys are back, healthy and highly visible, thanks to appearances on
"Today," "Conan," "American Idol" and elsewhere. George was honored with
the U.K.'s prestigious Ivor Novello Award. Last month, he joined Mark
Ronson onstage at England's Glastonbury Festival to a rousing response
and will be the subject of a new reality series.
The
Greek gig, part of Culture Club's first American tour in 15 years,
proved they're not all about nostalgia. Six new tracks were nestled into
the 20-song, 105-minute set. All should appear on forthcoming reunion
album "Tribes," scheduled for release next year (pre-order at
www.pledgemusic.com).
Although George made the
media and concert rounds with his 2013 solo album, some fans in LA
still might have been surprised at his now-huskier baritone voice. It
took a few songs to get warmed up, but the female backing vocal trio
rounded everything off nicely. The four original band members were
bolstered by seven other musicians (including a horn section) onstage to
provide a robust sound.
"I've dressed down,"
joked George, while sporting a large twisty black hat and tasteful
attire. Fans provided plenty of vibrancy. Before showtime, one guy
outside the venue's gates sat on a horse in a "Cow Boy George" jacket
and Western chaps. Others paid homage with gladiator outfits, colorful
hair extensions, Devo energy domes, BOY hats, etc.
 |
| photo by Armando Brown |
Some
amusing '80s Culture Club clips served as an introduction before Jon
Moss started the exuberant, Motown-styled "Church of the Poisoned Mind"
and guitarist Roy Hay got everyone clapping along. The brass really
shined here and during the Latin-tinged "I'll Tumble 4 Ya," with the
band's old music videos projected on a screen.
"Let
Somebody Love You," the initial new song, proved promising with its
loping reggae rhythm and George toasting about being "a poet in New York
City." A similar relaxed groove enveloped the cover of Bread's
"Everything I Own" (although George's solo version topped the UK charts
in '87, several fans seemed pleasantly surprised). The practicing
Buddhist singer prefaced that song with his own proverb: "The road to
excess leads to the palace of wisdom. If you take a wrong turn, it can
get messy. I'm here to preach that."
The
musicians really got a chance to stretch out during funky new one "Like I
Used To." Culture Club's last U.S. hit from '86, "Move Away," was
sublime as ever, but received blank stares in my section. A supremely
soulful "Black Money" benefitted from George's burnished, world weary
tone and vocal sparring with longtime tour foil Zee Asha.
Requesting
quiet on the tender ballad "Victims," George just sang alongside Hay on
piano until the others joined in for the dramatic crescendo. (On a
personal note, the song was just as stunning as the first time I saw
them do it live 30 years ago at the Pacific Amphitheatre - my third
concert ever). The luxurious hit "Time (Clock of the Heart)" was another
set highlight.
"I never really left the
'70s," said George, before sumptuous new tune "Different Man," musically
and lyrically inspired by Sly Stone. As an old "Soul Train" clip
projected, he really got down vocally with the ladies. All fans were up
and dancing a storm during a feisty "Miss Me Blind," elevated by Hay's
guitar solo. George added a new toast and patois vocal to the laid back
reggae of "I Just Wanna Be Loved" (a U.K. top 5 hit from '98).
George's
own successful title track to "The Crying Game" went down a storm; the
band nailed its dark elegance. The same response expectedly greeted "Do
You Really Want to Hurt Me?" New folk stomper "The Truth is a Runaway
Train," inspired by Johnny Cash, was definitely a winner.
Come
encore time, George changed into a glittery gold chandelier hat for a
fun "Karma Chameleon," which was a big crowd singalong (the harmonica
was too low in the mix though). Then a mass exodus ensued. Those fans
missed the soaring latest single "More Than Silence," resplendent with
George's smoldering vocal and an obviosly happy Hay's rocking guitar
work and glorious take on David Bowie's "Starman."
The band was joined on it by surprise special guest Jack Black, who performed The Doors' "Hello, I Love You" with George and Robby Krieger on the Conan show earlier this month.
"We'll be back," George said. Let's hope so.
A different version of my review originally appeared at ocregister.com
No comments:
Post a Comment