Boy George and Culture Club, Howard Jones and Berlin Have An Incredible Opening Night
Despite a bumpy, rain and Lighting filled start to the evening, Boy George and Culture Club sent everyone home late, singing, and happy.
Summer is always a wild ride in Florida and July 13th in West Palm Beach, Florida is no exception. The weather was exceptional all day until about an hour before show time. The the lightning brought everything to a grinding halt. Each nearby strike setting the start time further back and prompting organizers to ask all lawn spectators to seek shelter into the overhead covering of the amphitheater. At one point the rain was blowing in under the roof, but everyone stuck it out. Any spectators not already in the venue were directed to return to their cars and not allowed entry, prompting rumors the show may cancel. Not only did the doors reopen, but all the artists played their full sets.
Once the sound crew was able to fire up the amps, they assembled a very fitting playlist of songs with “rain” in the lyrics and titles including, “”It’s Raining Men” by The Weather Girls, “Blame It On The Rain” by Millie Vanilli and the ultimate sing along of “Purple Rain” by Prince, which was so loud I overheard someone comment “I can’t even hear Prince singing”.
Berlin finally took the stage about an hour later than scheduled, but it didn’t seem to effect the mood. Terri Nunn (1978, 1981-Present), was on point from beginning to end. She looked great, and sounded better. Including an acapella opening to “Take My Breath Away”. That in and of itself is a gutsy move, but she can back it up. Band originator (1977- Present), John Crawford, seemed to be having a fantastic time and the audience reacted to it in kind. David Diamond, who has been with Berlin since 1982, since he was only 17 years old, is also on the tour. Rounding out the lineup are David Schultz, Carlton Bost, and Ric “Rocco” Roccapriore.
Howard Jones , followed with yet another more that expected set. He still has all the flash, and enthusiasm as before. The crowd seemed genuinely happy to be reunited with this song writing dynamo. Opening with “Like To Get to Know You Well” seemed more than the perfect selection. The cover of “Too Shy” by Kajagoogoo was delightful, if only because, for some reason that song had been stuck in my head for days. With Nick Beggs ( formerly of Kajagoogoo) on bass, how could they not play that song as a spotlight on his talent? Ending with his enduring hit, “Things Can Only Get Better”, was almost prophetic given what came next.
It’s very difficult to know exactly what to expect when going to see a huge producing artist from years ago. I wasn’t sure how thigs were going to go, but also there is the knowing that Boy George and Culture Club, have always been a very big group of personalities. For better or worse, they’ve never done anything small scale, nor did they did this night. Rumor has it, they had been in the area for about a week rehearsing and getting ready for this opener. The performance certainly seemed like it. A reunion, of sorts , with three of the original members including Roy Hay and Mikey Craig and larger than life Boy George himself, how could it go differently? Opening with a cover of “Sympathy For The Devil”, an interesting , if not somewhat thought provoking, choice, the ride was a fun one.
Boy George commanded the crowd and every single musician on that stage owned their talents. There is no doubt the key to this show was the willingness of everyone to share the spotlight at one point or another and they all deserved it. Boy George was just charming. He wasn’t shy at all about having a little fun at his own expense while discussing his past activity on social media. Saying he had “quit Tweeting because it’s just a bunch of bloody noise. I leave the noise to my outfits.” He commented on the rain, telling a story of waiting out the rain and someone asking about how the weather compared to the UK. “We have a sort of non-committal rain. Here in Florida, it’s pretty committed. When it rains it really rains.” He was just funny.
He looked incredible, everyone did. There were audible gasps from the crowd when he reminded them he was 62 years old. He definitely doesn’t look it. He didn’t sound it like a moment had passed since the hits he performed were first released.
What struck me the most, was how much he and everyone else seemed to genuinely enjoy, practically savor those moments. He had a twinkle in his eye that I’ve not seen from him in quite some time. It wasn’t just a show it was an interactive memory for everyone. This tour is not to be missed.
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