Boy George and Culture Club Bring New Wave Back to Tampa

The Letting It Go Show 2023 Tour made a stop at the MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre in Tampa, Fl on July 15. The tour brought together three of the most prominent new-wave / synth-pop bands of the ’80s in Boy George and Culture Club, Howard Jones, and Berlin. This was the second date of the 25-city tour which opened in West Palm Beach, FL on July 13.

The night brought back the nostalgia of the new-wave era with a flashback to the ’80s for many in the crowd. Berlin was the first to take the stage. Although I was a fan of all three bands during my early years, Berlin was the band I was most excited to see which prompted my 450-mile drive to attend the show. It took 40 years to finally see one of the major crushes of my youth in lead singer Terri Nunn. She hit the stage donned in a stunning red dress leaving many besides myself crushing.

Nunn had one of the most mesmerizing voices of the ’80s. It’s now four decades later and she still possesses those same abilities. This was evident right from the start with the opening song “Masquerade”. When I’m photographing an artist I sometimes become so hyperfocused on capturing the moment that I become ambivalent to the music itself, but this was not the case with Berlin. I actually found myself getting lured into a trance by Nunn’s vocals making it actually difficult to concentrate.

Unfortunately being the opening act, the band was not allocated the stage time to thoroughly explore many of their best songs. Fans only got a glimpse of their career highlights with songs like “Metro”, “Take My Breath Away” and my personal favorite “No More Words”. One of the high points of the night was the band’s performance of The Cult hit “She Sells Sanctuary”. The excitement soared in the crowd when Nunn left the stage and mingled with the audience while singing the song. Watching later videos of the performance you could see eyes light up as she walked past and up to fans.

Normally a band would choose to close their set with their career-defining smash hit, but rather than closing with the Oscar-winning, chart-topping “Take My Breath Away”, Berlin opted to finish their night with “Sex (I’m a…)” from their Pleasure Victim album. Terri Nunn and John Crawford, who set aside his bass, traded vocals back and forth on the song. There was amazing chemistry and playfulness between the long-time band members. It was a fitting conclusion to a great set. One day I hope for a bigger taste of their music.

Next to hit the stage was Howard Jones. The Brit may be 68 years old but he showed there is still plenty of life left in him. He was the consummate showman who still knew how to play to the crowd. Similar to Berlin, Jones was only able to perform a small selection of songs from his 40 year career which produced 15 studio albums.

Jones opened with “Like to Get to Know You Well” from the The 12″ Album. Dressed in a white shirt and white pants with a colorful jacket he would have felt right at home in Vegas. His set included his classics “No One is To Blame”, “Everlasting Love”, and “New Song”. One member of Jones’s band for the tour is Nick Beggs, formally of the British new-wave band Kajagoogoo, who is playing bass and the unique Chapman Stick. So of course, Jones had to perform a cover of the Kajagoogoo classic “Too Shy”. He closed with fan favorites “What is Love” and “Things Can Only Get Better”.

Closing out the night was Boy George with original Culture Club members Mikey Craig and Roy Hay. Culture Club was one of the most successful and colorful ’80s new-wave bands with Boy George and his androgynous look. While his appearance has changed since his early days, he is still quite a colorful character. Gone is the clean face and long braided hair, replaced by mustache and goatee. Still present is his penchant for hats with him wearing an oversized yellow bowler hat on this night.

From the moment George walked on stage he wore a smile that he maintained for most of the night. You could tell that even after all these years he still enjoys performing before an audience. Another thing that has not changed is his smooth soulful vocals influenced by the likes of Bowie and Marc Bolan. The night was filled with songs from Culture Club’s early albums, Kissing to Be Clever and Colour By Numbers, including “It’s A Miracle”, “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me”, “I’ll Tumble 4 Ya”, as well as a medley of “Church of the Poison Mind” and Wham!’s “I’m Your Man”. Thrown in the mix of songs were covers of the Rolling Stones “Sympathy for the Devil” and “Get It On” by T. Rex.

Boy George and Culture Club closed out the night with a four-song encore ending in their Grammy-winning, chart-topper “Karma Chameleon”. It was the conclusion to a great night of ’80s new-wave music. While the crowd was filled with Baby Boomers and Gen X’ers, there was still a fair share of younger attendees proving that the genre is still alive.

The Letting It Go Show 2023 Tour continues through Aug 20 so there are still plenty of opportunities to catch Boy George and Culture Club, Howard Jones, and Berlin live. Tickets for the tour can be purchased here:

Upcoming The Letting It Go Show 2023 Tour Dates:
Tue Jul 25 – Mansfield, MA – Xfinity Center
Wed Jul 26 – Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center
Fri Jul 28 – Bristow, VA – Jiffy Lube Live
Sat Jul 29 – Darien Center, NY – Darien Lake Amphitheater
Sun Jul 30 – Philadelphia, PA – TD Pavilion at the Mann
Tue Aug 01 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage
Thu Aug 03 – Tinley Park, IL – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
Fri Aug 04 – Clarkston, MI – Pine Knob Music Theatre
Sat Aug 05 – Cincinnati, OH – Riverbend Music Center
Tue Aug 08 – Kansas City, MO – Starlight Theatre
Thu Aug 10 – Dallas, TX – Dos Equis Pavilion
Fri Aug 11 – The Woodlands, TX – Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Sat Aug 12 – Austin, TX – Germania Insurance Amphitheater
Mon Aug 14 – Rogers, AR – Walmart AMP
Fri Aug 18 – Phoenix, AZ – Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre
Sat Aug 19 – San Diego, CA – North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre
Sun Aug 20 – Concord, CA – Concord Pavilion