Boy George has a way of invoking heartfelt reactions in people, and these usually materialize in an earnest embrace of the Culture Club frontman and pop culture provacatuer.

At Wolf Trap National Park recently, the audience voiced their hearty approval of George with a singalong of his new song, “Suddenly, I’m Wiser,” a number that he recorded for the audiobook addition of his latest memoir, Karma. Awestruck by the widespread knowledge of the song’s words, George was almost speechless as the crowd sang along to the chorus. Clearly impressed, he found the words to express his gratitude.

And surely, Boy George is having a banner year! In January, Karma, his third autobiography, saw a USA release date (listen to be charmed by the audiobook and two new songs). In the spring, George hit Broadway for a role in Moulin Rouge! And now in the summer, he is co-headlining a North American tour, which included a date at Wolf Trap on Sept. 10, with mod power-poppers Squeeze.

Given that he’s on such a hot streak, it was not surprising to find George in very good spirits with a very strong voice recently at Wolf Trap, where he presented a set of 13 songs prior to an equally compelling performance by Squeeze.

At the Filene Center at Wolf Trap, George’s setlist included some of the best Culture Club hits with great and early performances of “Karma Chameleon” and “It’s a Miracle.” He mashed up “Church of the Poison Mind” with Wham’s “I’m Your Man,” as Culture Club did on their last tour. And he moved the audience with “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me.”

Watch the official music video for “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me” by Culture Club on YouTube:

George marked the midpoint of the show with his soaring and moving rendition of “The Crying Game,” made famous by the 1992 thriller of the same name. Soon after, he led the audience in that powerful shared moment for “Suddenly, I’m Wiser.”

Near the end of the show, George stepped away for a costume change, putting the spotlight on his protege Vangelis Polydorou, who gave a wonderful performance of his own song “Kylie T-Shirt.” It was really great to see Polydorou in the spotlight but also as an element of continuity between Culture Club band concerts and Boy George solo shows.

George returned for a big cover song jam to cap his set. He brought the house down with a stirring delivery of “Purple Rain” by Prince.

Following Boy George, Squeeze kept energy high with their fantastic ensemble’s musical prowess and their own spectacular charm.

Co-founders Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford shined as they sang and played guitar through a set of 18 very welcome tunes. They began strong out of the gate with “Take Me I’m Yours” to start the show. And they were soon into other favorites like “Up the Junction” and the always popular “Pulling Mussels (from the Shell).”

The 21st century Squeeze band benefits from two fixtures — keyboardist Stephen Large and drummer Simon Hanson — who bring a lot of complementary personality and skill to the ensemble from their specific stations.

Watch Squeeze perform “Pulling Mussels (from the Shell)” live at Liverpool Philharmonic in 2019 via YouTube:

At about the two-thirds mark, Squeeze performed “Trixie’s Hell on Earth,” a Tilbrook solo number, before launching into concert highlight “Goodbye Girl.” The band continued to be relentlessly excellent, particularly barreling down toward the end of the show with the nostalgic “Tempted,” the raucous “Cool for Cats,” and the sublime “Black Coffee in Bed.”

Squeeze set the bar high for excellent lyrical smarts combined with genuine and warm melodies. They remain a gentleman’s band, for sure, but a gentleman’s band with bite. We in DC are fortunate that Squeeze return frequently for shows in our area in the past decade for consistently splashy performances. And of course, Boy George truly seems to love coming to our metropolitan area as well.

Catch Boy George and Squeeze on tour near you!

Here are some photos of Boy George performing at Wolf Trap on Sept. 10, 2024. All pictures by Mickey McCarter.

And here are some photos of Squeeze performing at Wolf Trap on Sept. 10, 2024. All pictures by Mickey McCarter.