BY VIRGINIA STILL

vstill@oakdaleleader.com

The lights, sights, and sounds of the Life Tour with Boy George and the Culture Club, the B-52s, and Thompson Twins’ Tom Bailey, entertained concertgoers at the final concert of the summer series at Ironstone Amphitheatre this past Sunday night. As the weather begins to shift from hot summer nights to the crispness of fall the Sept. 16 evening concert in Murphys had guests not only carrying chairs and blankets but sweaters as well.

The concert began at 6:30 p.m. with the sun going down and still-warm late summer temperatures as Bailey hit the stage with his all-female band. They got the crowd going with their ‘80s hits and had the crowd singing along.

The B-52s brought the party to the stage and had the fans cheering them on. There were great hairdos, costumes, and theatrics. Fans were on their feet dancing and cheering as they sang some of the fan favorites like “Love Shack.”

Boy George and Culture Club hit the stage with their classic hits like “Do you really want to hurt me,” and wrapping it up with “Karma Chameleon.” There were fans of all ages that were on their feet singing and dancing. Before the final song Boy George had all the fans turning on the flashlights on their phones that lit up the night in Murphys. He engaged and connected with the crowd, which gave the group enough applause to bring them out for an encore.

The crowd of approximately 5,000 filled the amphitheater for the final concert of the summer at Ironstone Amphitheatre. The Ironstone summer concert series will return next year in June with acts that are sure to excite music lovers.