Time.
That’s what it took for Boy George to finally play the crowd he’s been waiting for since he and his iconic band Culture Club hit the airwaves and television sets in the 1980s.
During a sold-out concert under the stars Thursday at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, the flamboyant frontman took to the stage like a giddy teen, transporting fans back to an era of big hair, acid washed jeans and shoulder pads.
“What a beautiful turnout. We’ve been out of the limelight for a while so it’s quite nice to breeze into town and have such a lovely, uh, pretty nice reception,” Boy George coyly said, chuckling during a round of loud cheers. “I was just thinking that the world we live in now is so much different to the world when we started 30 years ago.”
Boy George was, of course, referring to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in June that allows same sex marriage nationwide and even alluded to the strides the transgender community has made thanks to Caitlyn Jenner, the famed U.S. Olympian formerly known as Bruce Jenner who transitioned into a woman earlier this year.
“It’s beautiful. I mean, I know there are things to fix but let’s celebrate the wonderful things that are happening,” Boy George proclaimed.
That celebration also included Culture Club’s long-awaited comeback.
After years of drug abuse, a band breakup in 1986 and some failed reunions, the boys proved they’re back as men for their forthcoming album “Tribes,” the band’s first since 1999’s “Don’t Mind If I Do.” The show helped kick off Culture Club’s first tour with all four of its original members — singer Boy George, guitarist and keyboard player Roy Hay, bass player Mikey Craig and drummer Jon Moss — in more than a decade.
“It’s kind of a miracle that we’re here,” Boy George admitted before jumping into 1983’s “It’s A Miracle,” just one of several hits of the night’s show that also included “Time (Clock of the Heart),” “Do You Really Want To Hurt Me?” and “Karma Chameleon.”
VIDEO: Sing-along to “Karma Chameleon”
VIDEO: “Do You Really Want To Hurt Me?”
New tracks from “Tribes” were also performed, showing a more reggae and funky side of Culture Club, which even included an odd homage to Johnny Cash where fans got a tinge of “I Walk The Line” in the band’s new song “Runaway Train.”
“Tonight it’s something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue,” Boy George told fans during the set.
Which is why it was no surprise that, to end the show, he borrowed “Starman” by David Bowie — performed with Jack Black on stage.
Thursday night’s show is just the second U.S. concert for Culture Club after having to postpone its tour last year due to a news Boy George had developed a throat polyp.
But time heals and Boy George sounded sultry and just as fun as his fans remembered him decades ago.
“His voice still sounds great and I think the music, even though it’s older, still holds up because it has that R&B and reggae flair,” said Liane Robertson of Costa Mesa, who recalled watching Culture Club back in the late ’80s at Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre.
Culture Club returns to the Greek Theatre tonight for another show before heading north to Berkeley’s Greek Theatre.
The band’s North American tour runs through August, ending at Hard Rock Live in Orlando on Aug. 16.
