Boy George, Squeeze team for gleefully nostalgic tour. 'There's a lot of joy in this room'
VIENNA, Va. – As nostalgia tours go, the pairing of Boy George and Squeeze is a peppy combination.
The reams of hits the flashy-fun Boy George crafted with Culture Club are not only staples on ‘80s-centric playlists, but enduring – and endearing – singalongs that spotlight a brand of pop and soul that should be appreciated more often.
The New Wave-leaning pop of Squeeze – celebrating 50 years with founding members Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford fronting a fashionable crackerjack band – absolutely thrives in a live setting, allowing their lush stylings room to flourish.
Since August, the two acts have shared a bill – amusingly dubbed the Squeeze Me Boy George USA Tour - that will scale the East Coast through Sept. 22.
On Sept. 10 at Wolf Trap amphitheater in northern Virginia, fans filled with affection for both acts (though Squeeze might have scored more tipsy dancing devotees) relished a romp through the late-‘70s and ‘80s with three collective hours of taut throwbacks and a few surprises.
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Boy George sparkles with sass
A few months removed from a stint on Broadway in “Moulin Rouge,” the always bold Boy George seemed to savor his time onstage. He mixed new tracks (the pulsing “Mind Your Own Existence”) with Culture Club classics (a surprisingly early appearance of “Karma Chameleon,” the irresistible bounce of “It’s a Miracle”) and wry commentary (“I’m looking forward to the (presidential) debate. No opinion. I just want drama!”), usually with some level of a wicked grin.
In his now-trademark rounded top hat with pink stars plopped above green-shaded, glitter-spackled eyes, Boy George snapped his fingers and slapped his thigh as he sparred with his band members during a sprightly mashup of “Church of the Poison Mind” and Wham!’s “I’m Your Man.”
There might be a little bit of dust on his upper range, but the smooth overtones that are a Boy George signature are well preserved, evidenced on the melancholy shades of “The Crying Game” and the poignant “Suddenly I’m Wiser.”
At 63, Boy George has also grown contemplative. He noted that as he’s aged, his thinking has shifted: He no longer has opinions about things he can’t control.
That led to “Mrs. Blame,” a boisterous hoedown by way of Ireland that is easily one of his most intriguing newer works.
A cover of Prince’s “Purple Rain” concluded Boy George’s hourlong set, a choice well-suited to a voice that remains a distinctive, malleable instrument.
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Squeeze exhibits New Wave exuberance
From the first notes of the opening “Take Me I’m Yours,” Squeeze confirmed that this is a band whose catalog is best appreciated live.
Seven musicians joined Tilbrook, 67, and Difford, 69 – most clad in purple or peach blazers or vests, looking both stylish and era-appropriate – as they rolled through a 75-minute joyride of classics and newly reworked material.
Tilbrook, one of the most underrated guitarists of his time, dug into fierce solos on “Hourglass” and “Up the Junction,” while Difford – Tilbrook’s partner in executing a cool professorial vibe – anchored robust harmonies.
In addition to benchmark songs such as the glide-and-stomp “Pulling Mussels (From the Shell),” performed with neon green and red hues brightening the stage, and “Goodbye Girl,” which somehow makes accordion, mandolin and cowbell mesh successfully, Squeeze shared some new-old material with the crowd.
“One Beautiful Summer,” a song born out of rerecording a “lost” Squeeze album from 50 years ago, was particularly affecting with its multilayered harmonies provided by eight of the nine musicians onstage.
“You Get the Feeling” and “Trixie’s Hell on Earth” also held the crowd’s attention, the former mellifluous and the latter punctuated by jaunty keyboards.
While Tilbrook’s identifiable tenor is mostly intact, the feverish work of the band sometimes overpowered his vocals. But the unvarnished rendition of Squeeze’s biggest U.S. hit, the clever “Tempted,” allowed his voice to gleam.
With the stage outlined in hot pink, Tilbrook strummed the song’s melody on his electric guitar, maintaining a minimalist vibe as the crowd happily sang along until the band kicked in for the final coda.
“There’s a lot of joy in this room,” Difford noted earlier in the set, a statement that could not be doubted.