Boy George to play two Tel Aviv shows after penning pro-Israel anthem

Since the release of his song, which goes against the anti-Israel zeitgeist, Boy George said friends have stopped calling, concerts and collaborations have been canceled, and even an invitation to a friend’s memorial service was withdrawn.

By JNS

Boy George, the ’80s pop icon, who came out as an outspoken supporter of Israel after the release of his new single, “We Will Dance Again,” a sort of pop song “J’Accuse” about the upswell of anti-Israel animus following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led massacre, will make two concert appearances in Tel Aviv next month.

The venue, Menora Mivtachim Arena, which accommodates up to 11,000 for concerts, is almost sold out for the first concert on Nov. 4.

Last week, Boy George announced that he’s adding a second concert on Nov. 7.

Boy George is best known for his 1983 hit “Karma Chameleon,” which he performed with his band, Culture Club.

In terms of social activism, he is more identified with the LGBT+ community.

He received a lifetime achievement award at the British LGBT Awards in May, two months before he released his pro-Israel song, which surprised many with its unsparing lyrics, which take aim at Israel’s accusers.

“You never mention October 7
Young girls raped against trees
Murdered brutally
For the crime of dancing
You condemn the Jews, with selective memory
Musicians holding flags, mouthing like sheep
Propaganda fuelled by the Internet feels so weak.”

The chorus comes from a call of defiance from Supernova music festival goers, which is also the title of the song:

“But trust me, we will dancе again
We will dance again
We will dancе again
And there will be no war
But if you’re ever confused
I stand with the Jews
I don’t feel brave, I just need to behave like a human.”

Boy George, whose real name is George O’Dowd and who was raised in a working-class Irish Catholic family, told Israel’s Channel 12 on Oct. 10 that he had many Jewish friends growing up in London and identified strongly with the Jewish community.

“I’ve been to a lot of Shabbat dinners and I’ve done every possible Jewish holiday for 40 years. I’ve fasted. I’ve done everything,” he told the outlet.

He revealed that his signature hats were inspired by Chassidic Jews he saw as a boy. “I used to see the Chassidic Jews and I thought they looked stunning, their clothes and their hats.

“I just know Jews and I know they’re good people. I know they want to live. Jewish life is a celebration of life. Everything in Jewish culture is about enjoying life,” he said.

Since the release of his song, which goes against the anti-Israel zeitgeist, Boy George said friends have stopped calling, concerts and collaborations have been canceled, and even an invitation to a friend’s memorial service was withdrawn.

He split with his label manager, who refused to release the single.

The online music store Bandcamp removed his profile when he uploaded his song (though that may have been due to his use of AI, something he is open about).

He was also pulled from a London production of “Jesus Christ Superstar” after releasing the song.

Boy George was inspired to write the song after meeting May Hayat, 33, a survivor of the Supernova festival.

Though surrounded by terrorists armed with knives, she was spared when they noticed a scar on her arm from a burn she suffered as a child.

“According to their beliefs, a scar like this means a strong woman. If something happened to her because of them, the 72 virgins they are promised will not come looking for them in heaven,” she told the Daily Mail in May while visiting London as part of an exhibition about the Oct. 7, 2023, atrocities.

Boy George told Channel 12: “I told her, ‘I’m going to write a song. I don’t know if I’m capable, Hayat. How do you write a song about it? … How do you translate it into something that’s powerful? … And it just happened. I sat in my apartment on Friday night, wrote the lyrics, and then played it from the beginning and had tears in my eyes. I felt it was very powerful.”

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