Toon's Tunes : Boy George, Culture Club, and they are back with a force! Thunder Valley!

Sunday, August 21, 2016

Boy George, Culture Club, and they are back with a force! Thunder Valley!

Boy George and Mikey Craig, Culture Club

Before this weekend, you may have heard me mention the lack of dancing at concerts in Northern California. I thought it was a USA vs. UK cultural-difference thing, but I'm hearing that it's a Northern-California-thing more than an American versus British thing... but that changed on Saturday night, at Thunder Valley Casino Resort's outdoors concert series, when Boy George and Culture Club took the stage. EVERYONE DANCED!!! At their seats, in the aisles, in the parking lot... dancing!!!

Boy George, Culture Club, at Thunder Valley, Lincoln, CA

There were more people dancing at a concert than I have seen in the entire sixteen years that I've lived in the USA, all concerts combined! Maybe it was the high number of Brits in the crowd... but much more likely, it was the wonderful, soulful and you-just-can't-resist-dancing show that these guys brought to the full-to-the-brim-with-fans audience.

Boy George and one of his many hats

The original Culture Club lineup of Boy George, Mikey Craig on bass, Roy Hay on guitar, and Jon Moss on drums, together with a beautiful trio of singers and a couple of additional musicians whose names I didn't catch. A show full of the Culture Club hits plus new songs such as Human Zoo, the show opened with Church of the Poisoned Mind, and closed with Karma Chameleon followed by a cover of T Rex's Get It On, and contained much more soul and gentle reggae than anyone only familiar with the old hits might have expected. A beautiful cover of The Crying Game, with a thousand cellphone flashlights, an orange harvest moon rising behind the stage, seen from the high bleachers, a poignant moment.

Several Boy George costume changes, several hats. There has to be a Boy George Hat.

I had forgotten how this band can make me dance, and laugh, and cry, all at the same time. Wonderful show!!!!

Mikey Craig, Culture Club

Boy George's characteristic naughtiness still shines through. His voice has matured. The band are cohesive, excellent, and the camaraderie, after all these years, is tangible.

This is the first big, worldwide tour by Culture Club in almost-forever. There are a few dates left: if you missed it here in Lincoln, near Sacramento, you missed a real treat. But wait... there's a new album expected early next year, and keep an eye on the tour page for new dates. Also, keep an eye on Boy George's page for other musical adventures... he's also a DJ, and has just co-written-produced new material with longtime friend, (Mister) Marilyn.