Review: Boy George reimagines Culture Club at Mystic Lake Casino

Culture Club's Boy George looked fabulous Thursday night at Mystic Lake Casino Showroom. Oh, he always looks fabulous.

Pink leather jacket painted with different large faces on the front and back as well as other designs decorating the sleeves, with fringe dangling from one lapel. His shirt and fedora matched — black with white "anarchy" symbols, but his white sneakers did not match. And, of course, he wore lots of makeup.

On Twitter and in conversation, George, 61, can be deliciously saucier than Famous Dave's Rich & Sassy BBQ condiment. But at the three-quarters-full Mystic Lake Showroom, the 1980s British rock star-turned-new-millennium-reality-star was on his best behavior. He gave a little commentary about his music being happy sad songs, and how Joni Mitchell sang, "There's comfort in melancholy." He talked about not meeting Prince when Culture Club debuted at First Avenue in the 1983, but they connected years later and Prince was "amazing."

The only memorable spontaneous moment was when a fan in the front row handed George a few Culture Club vinyl albums to autograph. The singer "confiscated" (his word) them and promised that he'd sign them if the fan danced for the rest of the concert. (George accommodated the request after just one song.)

Musically, the highlight of the 90-minute, encore-less show was the reimagined "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me," slowed to an enrapturing jazz ballad with George's most emotional, deeply soulful vocal. Bread's "Everything I Own" was leavened with reggae flavor, "Church of the Poison Mind" became a stomping rocker paired with "I'm Your Man," and the juxtaposition of "Time" with the disco-y "Miss Me Blind" is where the band truly found its groove.

One low note was Culture Club's bloodless rendition of the Rolling Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil," which lacked tension and menace.

Throughout the evening, the low-energy lead singer never really engaged with any of the other 10 musicians and singers onstage, including original Culture Club guitarist Roy Hay and bassist Mikey Craig (who reunited with George in 2011).

Though somewhat perfunctory, George's likable performance was certainly more satisfying than his grumpy effort in 2018 at the Minnesota State Fair, but on that program, '80s MTV-loving fans were rewarded with spirited appearances by the B-52's and Tom Bailey of the Thompson Twins. On Thursday, it was just an efficient Boy George.