Music, from cover bands to Boy George

Some fun stories for the Star Ledger, including a look at Boy George and Culture Club’s new tour and the hot business of tribute bands.

The tribute bands story can be found here.

And here’s an excerpt from the Boy George article:

When Boy George and Culture Club take the stage at the Mayo Performing Arts Center July 31, fans can expect to hear ’80s favorites like “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?” and “Time (Clock of the Heart).”

But while the songs are the same, the singer bringing them to life — and the messages behind them — are very different

“Songs change weirdly. You might write a song at 20 and perform it at 50, and it’s about something else,” said Boy George, during an interview with NJ Advance Media. “Like ‘Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?’ I don’t feel like a victim now, I don’t feel full of woe. I feel joyful and cynical and optimistic, so when I perform that song now, it’s very different. It’s still very recognizable — the song’s in my DNA — but it’s very different.”