Boy George, the Culture Club frontman from Britain who first won Israeli hearts four decades ago wearing shirts with his band's name in Hebrew, played a sold-out show at the Menora Mivtachim arena in Tel Aviv on Wednesday night, and the crowd was on its feet, The Jerusalem Post reports. Agence France-Presse reports the 65-year-old singer walked out in a sequined jacket, greeted the crowd with "Shalom!" and was met with cheers and a scattering of Israeli flags. Israeli singer Ivri Lider joined him for "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me," to thunderous applause.
On his outspoken support for Israel and Jews, which the Post says has cost him professionally and personally in recent years, he joked: "I didn’t choose to be Spartacus." The Post quotes him adding: "There was just a position, and I needed to fill it." With tensions with Iran running high, the Post reports he said, "I’m not a scaredy-cat." AFP reports he told the stadium to "show the world that hate is far less fun than love."
The Post reports he mixed Culture Club hits such as "Karma Chameleon," "Time" and "Miracle" with classics including Prince's "Purple Rain," Bob Dylan's "It Ain't Me, Babe" and the Rolling Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil." He also sang "We Will Dance Again," a song dedicated to the memory of the 364 Nova festivalgoers murdered by Hamas on October 7, 2023, to their families and to the survivors. The title phrase has become a motto of Nova survivors trying to heal. The Post reports the crowd cheered loudly and danced when he sang, "If you’re confused/I stand with the Jews," and AFP reports the biggest applause of the night came during that song.
Almost no international musicians have performed in Israel since Bruno Mars's show just before the Hamas attack in 2023, the Post notes, until Boy George. The paper adds that Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood will soon perform with Dudu Tassa at the International Oud Festival. AFP quotes a fan named Nachum, who has followed the singer for more than 40 years: "Culturally speaking, he is the most amazing thing that has ever happened to us." Another fan, Merav, told AFP, "He's really brave, really brave to stand out for us."
The singer spoke about being bullied as a gay man and growing up in a London neighborhood where the racist National Front tried to recruit him, the Post reports. He said those experiences made him curious about the people those racists hated, among them Jews, a group to whom he has always felt kinship. He also lifted a glass of red wine on stage and said, "Cheers, Tel Aviv," and praised the dance moves of an 11-year-old girl named Tal in the audience.
A second Tel Aviv concert was set for Saturday, November 7, dedicated to the Nova community and featuring DJ Ofer Nissim, the Post reports. Agence France-Presse reports that 1,500 tickets to that show were donated to survivors and bereaved families, a step the Post says came through a collaboration with the Museum of Tolerance Jerusalem. After three years of war and division, the Post writes, the music and the feel-good spirit were especially soothing for this crowd.
