While summer package shows featuring three or more acts have mostly been the M.O. for Classic Rockers, the march of times means those neon ‘80s kids are now slipping in. So far, 2023 has bundled Rick Springfield/The Hooters/Paul Young/Tommy Tutone on the “I Want My ‘80s” tour. And the “Lost ‘80s Live” with A Flock of Seagulls/Wang Chung/General Public/Naked Eyes and more will arrive at Cypress’ the Frio Grill on August 18. But song-for-song, the former teens of the MTV Generation could not do better than “The Letting it Go Show” which brought together Culture Club, Berlin, and Howard Jones. As Berlin’s lead singer Terri Nunn explained during the evening, the tour’s theme was all about “letting go of all of the shit” in life today—whether it be in the news or in your house—for a few hours of partying and memories. Conveniently, “Let it Go” was also a Culture Club tune played during their set (and not the Frozen song).
Jones and his band opened the show in the still-blazing sun promptly at 7 p.m. An amiable bloke in a multi-colored shirt, he included most of his best-known hits in a 10-song set that included “Everlasting Love,” “What Is Love?” and “Things Can Only Get Better.” The latter two were the set’s highlights, performed with extra panache And for “Things” he turned the song’s ending into an EDM experience. As a nod to bassist and Nick Beggs, who used to be in Kajagoogoo, Jones included a cover of their biggest hit “Too Shy.” Sporting a leather kilt and occasionally trading his bass for a Chapman Stick, Beggs’ long blonde hair flowed with his frenetic head nodding. Jones’ voice seemed untouched by the decades. And while he had his trusty keytar with him, he didn’t really unleash on the synths except for “What is Love?”
There were a couple of stumbles. His choice to reframe/strip down “No One is to Blame” as mostly voice-and-piano was a disservice to the song and its message, and he turned over a bit too much of singing to the crowd on “Everlasting Love” (leaving out completely the middle rap that begins with “This is love worth waiting for…”).As he noted, 2023 marks 40 years since the release of his debut single, “New Song.” It was another of the set’s highlights and drove home the point that every new song eventually ages. But with that age comes memory, appreciation, and joy. And Howard Jones exuded all three of those.
SETLIST
Pearl in the Shell
Like to Get to Know You Well
Everlasting Love
New Song
Too Shy
No One Is to Blame
The One to Love You
Celebrate it Together
What Is Love?
Things Can Only Get Better
In the middle slot was Berlin which—surprisingly—has actually been in existence since 1977. The current sextet includes half of the classic lineup with co-founders Terri Nunn (vocals), John Crawford (bass), and David Diamond (guitar/keyboards). Scheduled to open, Berlin took the middle slot instead, likely because of a much more raucous set that also included classic ‘80s videos sometimes running concurrently as the tune was being performed on stage. It served as both a flashback reminder to the audience, but also took attention away from the stage. Their set was the show’s highlight. In full sex goddess mode, Nunn showed a real connectivity to the audience and seemed to genuinely enjoy performing as they rolled out “Masquerade,” audience singalong “No More Words,” the cool aloofness of “The Metro,” and of course, Top Gun power ballad “Take My Breath Away.”
But a pair of newer tunes stood right alongside in terms of impact. Nunn announced the title track to 2013’s lusty, dance club banger Animal record as “what I’d like my boyfriend to do to me” while the S&M themed music video played on the screens. What followed couldn’t have been more different as 2019’s “Transcendence” was lovely mediation on life and loss, inspired by the death of Nunn’s mother. Home video of her was showed on the jumbotrons, and it was a lovely tribute and certainly relatable to the vast majority of the audience. Berlin then made a cover of the Cult’s “She Sells Sanctuary” wholly their own as Nunn strode into the Pavilion crowd’s seats via an aisle to the delight of fans. Set closer “Sex (I’m a…)” now—as in the ‘80s—was a sensuous duet with Crawford and closed their set on a thrilling note. In the end, Berlin’s set certainly made me want to delve deeper into the band’s catalog outside of the hits.
SETLIST
Masquerade
No More Words
The Metro
Animal
Transcendence
Take My Breath Away
Dancing in Berlin
She Sells Sanctuary
Sex (I’m a…)
Screams of delight greeted the appearance of the former George Alan O’Dowd as he appeared at the top of a riser above the 10-member ensemble that now is billed as Boy George & Culture Club, with original members Roy Hay (guitar) and Mikey Craig (bass) prominently upfront. Despite the heat, Boy George sported plenty of facial makeup, a big, boxy multicolored jacket with squiggly designs, and a tall hat. “Heat is the enemy of fashion,” he quipped later in the set. “But I couldn’t turn up in jeans and a T-shirt!” No, that would not be Boy George or Culture Club, who blended pop, soul, reggae, and dance music in their string of ‘80s hits. Of those most familiar, highlights included “It’s a Miracle,” “Church of the Poisoned Mind” (which segued into a bit of Wham’s “I’m Your Man” as a tribute to George Michael”), “Miss Me Blind” (which vaulted into EDM toward the end) and an upbeat, joyous “Karma Chameleon.”
Like Berlin, some of the Club’s newer material shone alongside the hits. Last year’s highly danceable “The Next Thing Will Be Amazing” opened the show with a shot of fun and energy. New single “Melodrama” delivered on its title, a duet with George and backup singer Vangelis Polydorou, a finalist on the UK version of “The Voice” who was actually on judge George’s team. Polydorou was equally shiny, glammed up, and decked out as the frontman. However, there were some lulls. “That’s The Way” (I’m Only Trying to Help You)” and “Clouds” didn’t connect. And George’s solo record reggae version of Bread’s “Everything I Own” dragged. But two other unlikely covers—The Rolling Stones “Sympathy for the Devil” and T. Rex’s “Bang a Gong (Get it On)” drew wildly appreciative audience response, especially with the latter’s extended instrumentals that brought the whole show to a close.
Throughout the night, Boy George was funny, sly, catty, and fabulous, and seemed to enjoy his time onstage. He also clearly received some extra love and shouts from his LGBTQ fan, and that was definitely reciprocal. “There was a time when I was the only freak on the block,” he said. And indeed, it’s easy to forget how jarring, unique, and even controversial Boy George’s entire look and attitude was when Culture Club debuted in 1982. That a Boy George debut today would barely raise an eyebrow slightly over 40 years later certainly shows great progress in social acceptance on a whole host of levels.
Much has been made of Gen Xer being somewhat of a “lost” generation as Baby Boomer precursors priors and Millennials and Gen Z successors in suck up the oxygen in many areas of the national conversation. But in terms of the music—which was surprisingly pretty wide in terms of genres—the generation raised on MTV sure had a lot of fun. And still do, as “The Letting It Go Show” proved. Even if the hair is grayer, the waistlines thicker, and the bedtimes earlier. Totally.
SET LIST
The Next Thing Will Be Amazing
It’s a Miracle
I’ll Tumble 4 Ya
Melodrama
Everything I Own
Let It Go
Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?
Angel of Mercy
That’s the Way (I’m Only Trying to Help You)
Clouds
Church of the Poison Mind/I’m Your Man
Time (Clock of the Heart)
Miss Me Blind
Encore
Sympathy for the Devil
Karma Chameleon
Bang a Gong (Get it On)
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