Icon of the 1980s rock music decade Boy George doesn’t believe in the distance between yesterday and today.

“I don’t really think there’s any lasting power between what’s old and what’s new because everything exists in what is the moment of now,” Boy George said, speaking by telephone earlier this week promoting his 2026 U.S. and Canada tour.

“But something that has been new for me is using a touring bus from city to city for this new 2026 tour. We started Feb. 18 in Tampa, Florida.”

On Saturday, Boy George and his Culture Club band roll into Gary to play one 7 p.m. concert at Hard Rock Northern Indiana as part of the 20-city tour. It’s Boy George’s first visit to the gaming and entertainment venue in Gary, as it prepares to celebrate its fifth anniversary in May since the brand destination launched in May 2021.

When guests arrive through the main valet drop-off entrance to Hard Rock Northern Indiana, one of the first inside memorabilia display cases has a 1984 stage costume from Boy George sandwiched between wardrobe mannequins highlighting stage attire from Paula Abdul and Kelly Rowland, with Carole King’s framed gold record mounted behind.

“My concerts have a large screen with some clips, and yes, I do a couple costume changes, but audiences shouldn’t expect anything like what Cher does in her concerts,” he said, amused by the verbiage included on the panel displayed with his costume at the Hard Rock.

A sparkling beaded and sequin concert costume of pop star Boy George, center, is displayed among the memorabilia cases at the entrance lobby of Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana. (Philip Potempa/for Post-Tribune)

The signage reads: “Rising to fame as the lead singer of Culture Club, Boy George combined exaggerated makeup and costumes to create a flamboyant image that became his trademark look.”

“Forget all of that,” Boy George said.

“I’m just me. And that me is someone who has always been different. At first, I was afraid of what it meant to be different and I felt uncomfortable, which people would mistaken for me being unfriendly. Today, I’m very comfortable and not afraid to make eye contact with my audiences.”

He will perform classic hits like “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me,” “Karma Chameleon,” “Church Of The Poison Mind,” “Victims,” “It’s A Miracle” and “The War Song,” joined by original band members Roy Hay on guitar/keyboard and Mikey Craig on bass.

Boy George said one of his early career highlights was meeting his idol Sammy Davis Jr. during the 1985 taping of the television special “Motown Returns to the Apollo.”

“I just remember seeing Sammy backstage and hearing him call my name, this incredible showman,” Boy George said.

“And there were so many others I was so excited to meet, like James Brown, Gladys Knight, Luther Vandross and Smokey Robinson.”

Boy George, who turns 65 this June, said he doesn’t mind knowing that others see him as “a different beast.”

“I speak my mind, and yes, that has gotten me in trouble, yet I’m not afraid to be me,” he said.

“Coming to Gary means being in the hometown of Michael Jackson and the Jackson Family, which makes this concert date even more interesting to me. I love my audiences and everyone has their own opinion. I mean, can you believe this? I share the same birthday as Donald Trump.”

He said he has also built a diversified career through the decades since he first launched his band career with Culture Club in 1982.

After two decades of band touring, he began transitioning to the role of club DJ and, in August 2004, appeared in the transformed space of Marshall Fields’ seventh-floor dining restaurant, the Walnut Room, as host DJ for the annual Glamorama charity event.

In 2023, the boy born as George O’Dowd in Kent, England, who grew up reading “Peter Pan,” found himself cast as Captain Hook for a run in London’s West End.

“I loved doing ‘Peter Pan,’ but it’s not easy doing stage drama, so I learned quite a bit,” he said.

“It prepared me for my time in 2024 and again last year in New York playing the club impresario for 10 weeks in the musical ‘Moulin Rouge!’ which I loved.”

Boy George and his Culture Club band play one concert March 7 at Hard Rock Northern Indiana in Gary as part of a 20-city, North American tour. (Photo courtesy of Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana)

Boy George also dispels any lore and gossip that he is a rock rival of Stuart Leslie Goddard of London, who broke pop culture barriers in 1980 as music alter ego Adam Ant of Adam and the Ants.

“Adam is a legend and he is the real deal,” Boy George said.

“I was a fan of his before I even began, when he started performing as Adam and the Ants back in 1977. And now, we’ve even performed together on the same stage. He’s joked about me having stolen his glam look. I know a couple of our band members auditioned for Adam’s band first.”

As for turning down work opportunities, Boy George said he “gets asked to do everything, including shows like ‘Dancing with the Stars.’ “

“Are you kidding me, even thinking about doing ballroom dancing?” he said.

“I can’t dance like that. Leave me out.”

Boy George ends this month doing a residency at The Venetian Casino and Hotel Resort in Las Vegas, March 18 -28.

Tickets for Boy George and Culture Club’s concert at 7 p.m. Saturday, March 7, start at $84.35, all reserved seating and only for ages 21 and older. Tickets are available at the casino box office, 5400 West 29th Ave. in Gary, call 219-228-2383 or visit www.hardrockcasinonorthernindiana.com.

Philip Potempa is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/03/04/boy-george-arrives-saturday-in-gary/