Posted by Amanda Packey did another amazing job covering these performances for Long Island Sounds! You can catch more of her work from these shows at Packey Photography or on Instagram and Facebook!!
This past Sunday, I had the time of my life reliving some of my very favorite 80s musical memories by going to see Boy George & Culture Club, along with Howard Jones, perform at Northwell Health at Jones Beach Amphitheater. The vibe of the night was energy and unity, as it tends to be when you and roughly 10 or 15 thousand of your fellow attendees enthusiastically sing Karma Chameleon at the top of your lungs.
For me, the night started off with a slight rough patch. It turns out the road construction gods decided to merge one of the major highways en route to the venue down to one lane to the surprise of everyone, including Google Maps, which knew nothing about it and said the route was clear. This added an unexpected hour to my travel time which meant, to my complete heartbreak, I arrived at the venue just in time to hear Berlin sing Take My Breath Away while I was making my way through the parking lot. As crushed as I am that I did not get to see them perform, I can confirm that they did sound wonderfully angelic during my run to the venue gates. I do hope I get to see them perform in the future, and also hope that the construction gods will be merciful on my future travels (though I will be leaving an additional hour early next time so I don’t tempt fate).
But once I was past my rough patch, it was time for Howard Jones and company to work their magic. Their set included three of my favorite songs: Everlasting Love, No One Is To Blame, and Things Can Only Get Better. Everlasting Love has served as my ear worm since the concert, and I am not complaining. Howard Jones came out in a vividly colored jacket with HoJo written on the back in crystals, and had a blue streak through his hair. The whole stage presence was a combination of black with bright colors in the form of tube lights and the band members’ accessories, such as Dan Clarke’s bold orange glasses and neon yellow drumsticks. The colors brought a playful atmosphere to the already fun music, which meant if you weren’t in the mood to sing and dance, you were definitely in the wrong place.
And then, the moment I had been waiting for since I was a kid, Boy George walked out on stage. He paused for a moment at the top of a set of stairs, dressed in bold pink polka dots and a matching pink star hat, proving he is still the style icon we all know him to be. Making his way down the stairs, he started the evening’s Culture Club set with Next Thing Will Be Amazing, and following with the top hits of It’s a Miracle and I’ll Tumble 4 Ya. For fans of The Voice, you will be happy to know that one of Boy George’s mentees, Vangelis Polydorou, was still working alongside George as one of the evening’s backup singers. For the rest of the night, the crowd was on its feet, singing along to lyrics we’ve all known by heart for 40 years. Once we all finished our version of Miss Me Blind, Culture Club left the stage, only to reappear after Boy George’s wardrobe change for their encore. Now clad in yellow polka dots and a matching yellow hat, the band performed their cover of Sympathy for the Devil, followed by Karma Chameleon, and ending with a hugely energetic cover of Get It On.
In the end, this show was worth every moment of construction frustration I had to endure beforehand. I hope they all come back, because this is definitely a tour I would love to see again. And next time, I will get photos of Berlin!
Long Island Sounds 