Concert review: Squeeze, Culture Club in Costa Mesa, Calif.

Squeeze, the London pop/rock band which put out its self-titled debut album co-produced by the Velvet Underground's John Cale in 1978, notched multiple top 40 UK singles over the next two decades. Stateside, the band had a half dozen modern rock radio hits and a top 15 charter on the Billboard Hot 100 with Hourglass. 

On Wednesday night at the Pacific Amphitheater in Costa Mesa, Squeeze delivered a sharp and crowd-pleasing 70-minute, 16-song set that comprised all its best-known songs (in fact, everything off the 1982 compilation Singles-45's and Under was played).

Singer/songwriters Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford were in fine form throughout. The six other musicians in the band elevated the sound and harmonies to soaring heights.

Standouts included a fine new countrified acoustic arrangement of "Goodbye Girl," sweetened by mandolin, accordion and pedal steel; an enthusiastic "Pulling Mussels (From the Shell), where the audience sang along loudly; a stripped-down take on "Temped" and extended closer "Black Coffee in Bed." Squeeze also unveiled a few promising new songs off two forthcoming albums it is working on and planning to release in '25 (the idyllic "You Get the Feeling" was the strongest).

Boy George and his seven-piece backing band, including two backing singers and saxophonist performed a freewheeling and eclectic 80-minute, 16-song set that included four Culture Club classics (notably a dramatically revamped "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" that worked well and totally joyous Motown stomp "Church of the Poison Mind" seguing into Wham's "I'm Your Man" and back again). 

This rare solo tour (George is still doing shows with Culture Club) gave him the chance to spotlight songs that he's released sporadically on streaming services the last few years, a few choice cover songs (Prince, Gary Numan's Tubeway Army, Bronski Beat) and other tunes from his catalog. 

The British singer was in a good mood, frequently making jokes, mentioning his astrological sign, early influences and making note of the audience's occasional staid reactions. At one point, he said, "You might want to stand for this one" (attendees probably thought George would do more Culture Club songs, but they can go see that group in the UK/Europe later this year or wait for a U.S. return instead). 

George steered clear from most of his UK solo hits except for the 1992 take on the Dave Berry-popularized "The Crying Game," which also reached #15 in America. In OC, it was as luxurious-sounding as ever. 

Other highlights included the sumptuous title track to 1995's Cheapness and Beauty and the moving 2022 ballad tribute to Liberace, "How to Be a Chandelier." 

Boy George fans attending tonight in LA, Friday in Rancho Mirage and especially Saturday in Las Vegas (minus Squeeze) can look forward to slightly different setlists as the artist has been changing it up a bit.

For full tour routing, see: squeezeofficial.com, boygeorgeandcultureclub.net