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Boy George to defy music industry boycott and perform in Israel for the first time in nearly a decade

From the Newshound archive · first published 22 September 2026 · last updated 23 September 2026.

Boy George will play Tel Aviv's Menora Arena on November 4, his first Israeli concert in nearly a decade, declaring: "I stand with the Jewish people.
Boy George will play Tel Aviv's Menora Arena on November 4, his first Israeli concert in nearly a decade, declaring: "I stand with the Jewish people.

Boy George has announced he will play a one-off show at Tel Aviv's Menora Arena on November 4, defying an ongoing industry boycott of Israel. The Culture Club frontman declared: "I stand with the Jewish people — at a time when so many have felt frightened, isolated or abandoned, I will not be silent." The concert comes months after his pro-Israel single 'We Will Dance Again', inspired by the Nova festival massacre, sparked a fierce backlash that cost him gigs and allies.

Boy George split from his BGP label manager Tony Pontius after Pontius refused to release 'We Will Dance Again', telling him: "We are done."

He also threatened to fire any bandmate who refuses to perform the song live, and withdrew from a planned West End run of 'Jesus Christ Superstar' amid the fallout.

Tickets for the 360-degree format show go on sale Wednesday at noon on Ticketmaster, priced between 280 and 799 shekels.

MoreThe Jewish ChronicleBoy George to perform in Israel for first time in nearly a decadeJewish NewsBoy George: ‘I’m coming to Israel’ despite song backlashFar Out MagazineBoy George to defy Israel boycott and perform in Tel Aviv - Far Out MagazineThe Jerusalem PostBritish singer Boy George planning first Israeli performance in nearly 10 years - The Jerusalem Postisraelhayom.comBoy George set to perform in Israel despite industry boycotts - israelhayom.comJFeedBoy George Israel Concert Set for November After Nova Tribute - JFeed
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