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<\/a><\/p>\nBoy George performs at Menora Mivtachim Arena on November 04, 2026 in Tel Aviv, Israel. (Shlomi Pinto\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
At 65, the Culture Club frontman is no longer the chart-topping phenomenon of the 1980s. Although plenty of those who filled Menora Mivtachim Arena were old enough to remember his heyday firsthand, his appeal went well beyond nostalgia.<\/p>\n
At a time when international stars have largely stayed away from Israel, George has become one of the country\u2019s most outspoken supporters, enduring considerable backlash from within the music industry for his refusal to remain silent over the Oct. 7 Hamas attack.<\/p>\n
\u201cSilence is not a f\u2014ing option,\u201d he said to thunderous applause.<\/p>\n
Saturday\u2019s concert, the second of two nearly sold-out performances following Wednesday\u2019s show at the same venue, was dedicated to survivors of the Nova music festival massacre and bereaved families, with 1,500 tickets donated to members of the community. Israeli DJ and producer Ofer Nissim joined George onstage in the second half, bringing a dance-club element to an evening that mixed Culture Club classics, covers and newer material.<\/p>\n
His habit of mocking himself and mimicking others repeatedly drove the crowd to laughter, turning interruptions that might have derailed a slicker performance into part of the entertainment.<\/p>\n
The banter ranged from wisecracks about technical glitches to personal reflections on the hostility he has encountered over his support for Israel. When a guitar failed to produce any sound, he appeared mildly irritated, telling the crew, \u201cYou have to plug things in, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a weird moment,\u201d he added, before smiling and continuing, \u201cbut this whole night has been a weird moment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Introducing his cover of Bob Dylan\u2019s \u201cIt Ain\u2019t Me, Babe,\u201d he explained that he had attempted it on Wednesday but forgotten the lyrics. \u201cLuckily, this time I have autocue,\u201d he said, breaking into his trademark laugh. <\/p>\n
As for his detractors around the world, he made clear that he had little interest in winning them over.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m 65. It\u2019s too late to hate me, I don\u2019t give a s\u2013t,\u201d he told the audience.<\/p>\n
The one person\u2019s opinion that mattered to him, he said, was his late mother\u2019s. Recalling an Irishman who had suggested that his Irish mother would be ashamed of his support for Israel, given Ireland\u2019s strong sympathy for the Palestinian cause, George was defiant.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can tell you categorically my mother will be more proud of me than she\u2019s ever been,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
In another characteristically unpredictable diversion, George dedicated his solo release \u201cClouds\u201d to Philip Sallon, a longtime Jewish friend and influential figure in London\u2019s club scene who helped introduce him to Jewish traditions when he was young.<\/p>\n
The two have since fallen out. \u201cHe hates my guts right now,\u201d George said, asking anyone who knew Sallon to tell him that he had sung the song for him in Israel as an act of forgiveness, \u201cas a mitzvah.\u201d<\/p>\n
But the evening\u2019s most emotional moments belonged to \u201cWe Will Dance Again,\u201d the song George released in July about the Nova attack. Its lyrics explicitly reference the atrocities committed on Oct. 7, criticize fellow musicians for their silence and challenge accusations of genocide against Israel.<\/p>\n
George\u2019s eight-day visit included a meeting with President Isaac Herzog and a trip to the Nova massacre site near Kibbutz Re\u2019im, where Hamas terrorists murdered more than 360 festivalgoers on Oct. 7, 2023.<\/p>\n
Having visited Israel many times before, he told the audience that this trip had affected him differently. He also appeared uneasy about the gratitude being lavished on him.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s awkward for me as an outsider to be in the midst of this amazing recovery and sadness,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Survivors of the Nova massacre and relatives of those murdered joined George onstage carrying Israeli flags for \u201cWe Will Dance Again.\u201d<\/p>\n
George, having changed into a colorful, geometric-print suit and rhinestone-studded black hat, performed the reggae-inflected song about one of the most traumatic events in Israeli history while embracing the survivors and bereaved relatives beside him.<\/p>\n
At one point, he seemed close to tears. \u201cI\u2019m going to cry,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
But even the solemnity didn\u2019t last long. When George invited one of the bereaved women to address the crowd, she demurred because she didn\u2019t speak English. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve never met a Jewish person who doesn\u2019t have anything to say,\u201d he joked, drawing laughter and applause from the crowd. <\/p>\n
In the audience, people swayed to lyrics that included an explicit reference to girls raped against trees. Kay, a singer from Tel Aviv, remained seated, tears in her eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t dance to that,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Yet she was deeply moved by George and the atmosphere surrounding the performance, and was untroubled by its hiccups.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt doesn\u2019t have to be perfect. It just has to be human, and that\u2019s what connects us,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Tammy, a 60-year-old dance instructor who regularly plays Culture Club songs in her classes, hadn\u2019t initially intended to attend. But after seeing footage of George\u2019s Wednesday performance, she changed her mind.<\/p>\n
\u201cI saw the clips on social media and was jealous of people who went,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Lavie, a 24-year-old Israeli-born performer who divides his time between New York and Los Angeles, had never heard of Boy George before the singer began making headlines in Israel. He started studying his music ahead of the concert, hoping to learn from the veteran entertainer\u2019s stagecraft.<\/p>\n
\u201cI learned a lot,\u201d he said toward the end of the performance. \u201cWhat impressed me most was how he handled all the glitches with grace and humor.\u201d<\/p>\n
Not everyone was quite so impressed.<\/p>\n
Daniel, a Jaffa resident originally from Los Angeles, was scathing about the musical performance and even more critical of the audience\u2019s reaction. <\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone was off-key, and it was just awful,\u201d he said. \u201cBut what bothered me most was the crowd\u2019s desperate need for approval.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need a national therapy session to counter our neediness,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
George saved \u201cKarma Chameleon,\u201d the 1983 hit that made him a household name around the world, for the finale. By then, the show had stretched to roughly two and a half hours, but thousands of people were still on their feet.<\/p>\n
George contrasted the atmosphere in Israel with London, which he described as \u201cfull of anxiety and tension.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cIt feels so relaxed here,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t want to go home.\u201d<\/p>\n