Boy George’s Vegas visit hits visa snag

By Joe Brown

Tuesday, June 24, 2008 | 11:31 a.m.

Do they really want to hurt him?

Boy George, the cross-dressing class clown of 80's pop music, was expected to perform July 17 at the House of Blues, but the British icon has been denied a visa by U.S. officials. Vegas is the second scheduled stop on his 26-city North American tour. George's official website says the U.S. dates are canceled; the singer's management told Pollstar.com today that the tour is still on.

In a message to fans on his website, George said: "I am getting my life together and was really looking forward to performing in concert for all my loyal fans. I love America and I am really sad that it appears that I am not allowed to visit a place I have called home at various times in my life. But what has happened to me has nothing to do with the American people -- they are kind people with big hearts."

"This is not in respect of anything he has done in the past but because he is facing a trial in November in London for something that happened in April of last year," the singer's management said in a press statement. In a U.K. criminal trial set for November, George (whose real name is George O'Dowd) faces charges of false imprisonment and battery -- he has been accused of chaining a Norwegian male model to a wall. (Don't you hate when that happens?)

"George's lawyers in London have absolutely forbidden us to speak about the facts of that case and all I can say is that George is astounded at the decision and is having lawyers here in the States look at it in the hope that someone will change their mind," the stateement continued. "George has not been convicted of anything in London and there is a presumption in the western world of innocence until proven guilty. The proceedings that George faces in London are of course important and serious, but George has been given unconditional bail by the police and courts in London, thereby permitting him to travel anywhere in the world.

"George really would love to come to America and repay his American fans' loyalty and that is why we are asking the U.S. authorities to reconsider their decision."

Boy George was also slated to perform a free show August 17 for the staff of the City of New York Department of Sanitation, in appreciation for their treatment of him when he completed his community service in the city. In August 2007, George spent five days cleaning the streets of Manhattan to fulfill a community service sentence after pleading guilty to falsely reporting a burglary at his New York home. George's management said the denial of his U.S. visa had nothing to do with that case.

Ticketholders can keep tabs on developments at BoyGeorgeLive.com., and fans can express themselves via e-mail at the State Department's Visa Services' Public Inquiries Branch [email protected].