Culture Club “Live at Wembley”

Back in the early eighties, a little band named Culture Club took the  music world by storm with their unique blend of pop, reggae, and soul.
Their 1982 debut album “Kissing To be Clever” was a huge success and the  band quickly rose to stardom led by their charismatic frontman Boy
George.  Culture Club has since gone on to  become an 80’s pop icon  selling over 50 million records worldwide and selling out arenas all
over the world.

In 2016, band members Boy George, Jon Moss, Roy Hay, and Mikey Craig  reunited for a 60 city world tour culminating in one final show in their  hometown of London at the historic Wembley Arena.  The special evening’s  performance was recorded and is being released by Cleopatra Records as  state of the art DVD, Blu-Ray, CD, and vinyl packages entitled “Live at  Wembley.”

I have never seen Culture Club live and would consider myself a casual  fan at best so I was totally  unprepared for what I was about to see.
The musical performances in the film were absolutely amazing  and some  of the best I have ever seen.   The musicianship was top notch with
exquisite arrangements and a backing band that included a terrific horn  section and soulful backup singers.  Boy George both looked and sounded  amazing.  His history with addiction is no secret and I was glad to see  him doing well and thoroughly enjoying his time on stage.   He is an  absolute master showman and worked the audience like a pro as he  introduced each song and interacted with the fans.  All the Culture Club  hits were performed, some with unique jam sessions during or after  including a poignant performance of “Do You Really Want To Hurt Me” and  a rousing version of “I’ll Tumble 4 Ya.”  Some of the songs that were  unfamiliar to me proved to be the most powerful as Boy dedicated the  song “Different Man” and his long term sobriety to his close friend Fat  Tony and the song “Victims” to his friend Alice urging those in  attendance to think about someone they loved during the song.   Individual band members were introduced and given their moment in the spotlight during the roof raising show closer, an extended jam version  of T Rex’s classic “Bang A Gong (Get It On.)”  As a bonus, the film also contains behind the scenes footage and exclusive interviews with members  of the band.

I’ve always felt  that a band is best judged in a live setting and “Live  At Wembley” is proof positive that Culture Club is one of a kind.