Culture Club's first Tokyo appearance in more than a decade on Tuesday seemed immaculately planned and slightly surreal. It was almost as if the popular English band had never left the live scene at all, only briefly disappearing before reappearing with upgrades.

Drummer Jon Moss mounted the stage at Zepp Tokyo first, sitting in a plexiglass cage that encased his drum kit and launching into the trademark beat of "Church of the Poison Mind" to thunderous applause.

As the intoxicating beat drove on, other band members filed on stage one by one: three brass players, three black female backing vocalists, a percussionist, a keyboardist and, finally, guitarist Roy Hay and bassist Mikey Craig.

Adorned in a baggy black and white suit, Boy George arrived just in time to deliver the song’s opening line.

Kicking things off with an alternative melody, some in the audience were probably wondering if he could no longer hit the high notes of his youth. By the first line of the second song, however, it was obvious that this wasn't the case.

Throughout the show, he displayed vocal prowess that arguably surpassed his original recordings. Banter in between songs was kept tastefully short. George chided the audience for not having improved their English-language abilities much (since the last time he was here) before concluding that they didn't need English to communicate, eliciting cheers from some young women near the stage.

George commanded most of the audience's attention. He appears to have lost a significant amount of weight since Culture Club's heyday and still possesses a youthful visage on stage, something he attributes to his newfound vegan diet.

As Culture Club tore through its set list, it became obvious that the 13-piece band's newer arrangements are the aural highlight of its current tour, sounding amazingly fresh by keeping things clear and simple.

The crowning glory of Culture Club's performance, however, was its delivery of several cover songs, from the inclusion of hits from George's solo career ("The Crying Game" and "Everything I Own") to acknowledgements of its influences (T. Rex's "Get it On" and a tear-jerking rendition of David Bowie's "Starman").

By the time George introduced each musician as the concert drew to a close, the audience didn't appear to have considered it to be much of a comeback. Instead, it was more like a group of old friends rescinding on a bad decision to split up in the first place.

"We love you," said Craig as the band left the stage. "We'll be back."

If we're lucky, the former stars of the '80s will be.