Duran Duran in 2005

Du-ran! Du-ran!

By Claudia Rebaza

(c)2005

Back in 2003 when the reunited Duran Duran played its first show in the States in Orange County, CA I was there to see it while visiting some old friends (and former fans). It should have been a really magical evening but fell far short for me. I thought the band was fine but the sound was awful, my friends and I ended up having separated seats and I couldn't see that well, being rather far back and the screens being mostly unused. I actually took notes for a review but my tape's quality was such crap I never bothered to write it up. I had been most excited about the 3 new songs they played, one of which I quite liked ("Still Breathing"), because over the years I've heard the standards so often that I had little interest in going to a show where's that's all they played.

Forward 2 years (almost exactly) and the band's still touring to its finally released album. I thought the album was probably one of the most consistent they put out but I didn't think it had any really standout tracks. On the other hand, I haven't listened to a whole album through for some time since I don't tend to buy whole albums anymore and the fact that I listened to all the tracks with interest and liked them more with each pass is probably saying a lot. Some of my favorites such as "Chains" and "Astronaut" are included in their current setlist.

While a consistent album may be preferable to an uneven one with a few great tracks, it's not a singular achievement. We quite liked the opening act, an L.A. band called Stimulator. (My SO's interest may have been helped by the lead singer's moves. They were basic, but highlighted the wardrobe-malfunction-warning level of her green dress). We went out to the lobby and bought a copy of their CD and he got them to sign it. I've listened to it twice, all the concert tracks are on it plus a few more. And I really like it.

Anyway, halfway through their act I thought they reminded me of what Blondie might be like if they were coming out today instead of the mid-70s. Which is a nice nod to history, really, since in some of Duran's earliest shows in the U.S. they opened for Blondie and gave them a hard act to follow. We've bought quite a few CDs by DD's opening acts such as Erasure, Terence Trent D'Arby and the Cranberries.

On the other hand, a long performing history counts for something sometimes. First, in the interest of full disclosure I have to say that our seating sucked. That the concert could still be enjoyable anyway probably says a lot. The venue was pretty interesting, the Murat Theatre in Indianapolis, which is apparently a Shriner's center. It had some tall turrets with stained glass windows and a unique layout within. The newspaper review said it seats about 2000 which is fairly intimate. I sorely wished we'd been in either the center or the balcony since our view was pretty restricted, all the more so because people stood during the whole show. We were beneath the royalty boxes which cut off our view of the stage screen, and far off to the left which meant it wasn't until halfway through the show we even realized there was a back-up singer on stage. However we weren't behind a column which some seats were. Seriously. What is the purpose of even having those seats there? At least 100 seats in the place had restricted views worse than ours. And if you are far off to the side and a tall person is standing in front of you the whole show? Well, paying the same ticket price as someone with a decent view becomes very irritating.

So right off the bat this is going to be a less than thorough concert review due to significant portions of not actually seeing the concert. And between the dark and the tight quarters I wasn't taking notes either so this is just what I can remember.

The band was in fine form, as was the crowd, with one caveat. Simon Le Bon was apparently coming down sick. I could tell by the second song that he was somewhat hoarse and this was later confirmed when he was observed coughing. At one point (during "The Reflex" I believe) he actually broke off to cough in mid-lyric but the crowd was singing along so loudly that he held the mic out to them and nodded encouragingly as he was covering his coughs with his other hand. John Taylor stepped in to do some audience pumping as well until Simon was able to continue. Nevertheless he put in a game and energetic performance that I thought was actually far better than the ones he had been doing a few years back prior to the band reunion. During those it was clear he was feeling his age because you could see him tiring and conserving energy to get through the shows. He has obviously learned to pace himself because he was if anything even more energetic in the last few songs than in the beginning. I was pretty impressed by his performance and despite the throat problems everything was mostly on key. I also wonder if the reason the venue was so awash in dry ice fog that you could see it was that they were trying to humidify the air for him.

That said, Le Bon's stage presence is an aquired taste and a little can go a long way. In the newspaper review which you can read here they suggest that a less corny performance style could gain the band a lot of converts. And I literally saw people rolling their eyes during the show at some of his hamminess. Unfortunately after 25 years he's not going to be changing his style, so it is what it is. He's always mixed a very sexual stage presence with outright dorkiness. It's a head-shaking combination but it may also explain why videos were so successful in promoting the band. Judicious editing can be crucial.

In another agreement with the Indy Star review I think that more than ever these days John Taylor holds the band together. I remember back in the 80s when I saw the "Three to Get Ready" 1987 documentary that it was startling to realize how crucial JT was in the band in the organizational sense and that Nick seemed more removed and into his own thing. In part, I think I was startled because Nick Rhodes has always been an excellent PR person for the band, always ready to stay on point and unruffled during interviews, having a very controlled, diplomatic personality. (He could sometimes be caught in outright cattiness but this stood out exactly because of its rarity, and was more common when he was younger and less experienced in being baited). On the other hand, Nick's interviews are often a bit of a snooze-fest because they're not terribly revealing. John on the other hand reminds me in many ways of James Marsters in that he can be shockingly candid in unexpected ways. And, of course, he worked his assets to the limit in trying to charm most every interviewer that spoke with him. I once found it interesting to guess in interviews whether the interviewer was male or female in the level of liking they'd end up expressing.

At any rate, Nick's press presence seemed to contrast with his behind the scenes involvement. John, on the other hand, seemed intense and serious about the band's professionalism and direction belying the low-key and offhanded interview style. Simon seemed to be mostly the same, except that in public the goofiness level seemed to skyrocket whereas behind-the-scenes he seemed both quieter and more of an adult. And these days, since his own solo period, John seems to be more willing and (perhaps) more insistent on stepping up his involvement on stage as well as behind it. He was always an important stage presence in terms of showing reaction to the audience, occasionally trying to charm them, and in interacting with others on stage, principally Simon. This was crucial to the band overall in terms of spreading the focus around and making the performances more involving. Now I notice he's more likely to interact with the audience directly, encouraging them to clap, speaking spontantenously (as opposed to the occasional assigned intros he had done in previous years), and, as always, keeping his lead singer on track.

My favorite moment of the show was after they had performed "Taste of Summer" and Simon began bringing the mic stand forward to introduce “Ordinary World.” He started, "I'd like to dedicate a song to the people who are struggling all over the world, who are struggling to live--"

"Twang-twang-twang-twang-twang" went John's bass insistently. Simon turned to look at his bassist who just smiled at him and shook his head slightly. Obviously perplexed, Simon went over to stand nearly nose-to-nose with JT, who said "Le Bon. Simon le Bon."

"Ah," said Simon, finally catching a clue. "Sorry, we haven't quite bonded yet have we?" John laughed, probably just as amused by Simon's quick wit as I was, and he went back over to the mic and took it back out of the way. As the band began the intro to "View to a Kill" he said, "Probably help to check the set list every once in a while."

My SO had another observation that made him glad he didn't have to teach Simon to dance. During "Girls on Film" Simon was trying to count 4 on his fingers to match something up with the bass line. John just smirked and shook his head bcause Simon's count was off. Simon tried a second time. "Where's the One?" Simon finally asked. This may explain John's intro line later in the song (keep reading).

And on another note, I found their interaction to have returned to full slash potential, complete with bottom smacks, teasing looks, and nose-to-nose singing. Which works better than Simon going over and kissing Nick every performance which was what he had to work with during the Pop Trash tour, but that's just my preference.

Speaking of Nick, Roger and Andy, Nick seems, well, exactly the same as always. Mr. Consistency. It rather reminds me of a Duran Duran Toon of the Day where the band was performing at an old folks' home in 2025 with Simon stumbling through the lyrics, everyone dried out or overweight and balding, and Nick looking exactly the same given that he had been replaced by an animatronic version some 10 years earlier.

I only saw Roger a few times during the show. I noticed him standing up and drumming during "Tiger Tiger" which was a really nice inclusion. Apart from being one of my favorite Duran tracks, its placement in the show made, I think, a great statement about what good musical writers the band has. They can do more than just pop songs, and they bring some of those abilities to the songs they ultimately create. During John's solo period, when he sometimes wrote lyrics more cringingly awful than anything JM's done yet (not that his are some sort of benchmark, but I think they had the same very personal tone), I was struck by what a good instinct he had for melody. Of course I may think so because it seems to so closely match my own tastes, but the great benefit of seeing the Duran members apart is realizing what they brought to the whole.

Andy is, well, puzzling. Throughout 2/3 of the show he hung about on his end of stage communing with his cigarettes and the speakers. And, in a cruelly amusing twist, trying to reach the microphone. It was set at about the same level as John's. He tried briefly to adjust it at the beginning but could ontly tilt it down and even so it was still above his head. On the few occasions he did sing near the end his head was pointed straight back to reach up to it. My neck hurt just watching this. I'm not sure how many cigarettes he went through, but I saw at least one put out on the stage floor. I'm sure it could be an entertaining concert party game.

Then during "Reach Up for the Sunrise" Andy suddenly came to life. There he was, bouncing up and down, head shaking madly, going over to play by the keyboards, occasionally with John, running about, then back to his mic. My SO said he looked for all the world like Animal from the Muppet Show. Which he did, really, especially with the mane of not particularly styled hair and dark glasses which obscure half his face. Maybe he just hasn't learned to pace himself as smoothly as Simon. Maybe the tranquilizers suddenly wore off. I leave an explanation to those more clued in.

A few details then. The band opened as it has been, all walking out to the front of the stage lit by strobe lights (and at least some flashing cameras) and posing pop-godlike for a few moments before taking up their positions. Simon was in black with a white jacket, Andy was in all black, Nick and John in black suits and white shirts, (John with leather pants), and Roger in a shirt like Simon's but with black track pants. They began with "Friends of Mine" which I thought was a great choice. A real "back to the beginning" opener, and putting a less-known song (to new folks) across while their appearance alone is generating excitement. However they seemed to have cut the bridge out of the song. I also liked Simon twisting the line "You're growing old" to "You look so OLD!" as if reading the minds of his audience. In truth I doubt many were thinking that. Especially if you're ten rows back the band is looking very good indeed, Andy aside. And in an undiplomatic observation, the band's replacement guitarist, Warren Cuccurullo (who was in the band longer than Andy) did everything he could including buffing himself up to obsessive proportions and posing for a nude layout to get some attention in the band. Apparently this is not an audience that cares much about guitarists, I'm just saying. Andy has perhaps wisely decided to do his own thing and his fans are going to be there for him regardless.

Simon opened "Hungry Like the Wolf" with the traditional "Is anybody hungry?" This was followed by "Planet Earth" and then "Astronaut" which Le Bon introduced by saying "It's about turning this (points to head) into this (points at sky)." I'm not sure what that's supposed to mean. Communing with the universe? Spacing out? Trying to locate Andy? Understanding what goes on in Le Bon's head? I was also rather puzzled as to what was going on in Le Bon’s pants (no, not that way). Several times during the show he was between the drum kit and keyboards adjusting something. The first time I wondered if it was his fly except that, um, everyone would have noticed that. I’m guessing he may have simply been trying to keep his shirt tucked into somewhat low rise jeans.

Then le Bon said something about the old gods "making way for the new gods. And the new gods are money, power, success, fame. It's just like a -- it's just like a 'New Religion'." I think around this time I spotted the bass player from Stimulator (quite an attention whore himself) up by the wall watching Duran Duran play for a few songs.

This was followed by "Come Undone" and then "Chains" before they launched into "The Reflex" which got the biggest response of the night. However the crowd was not only on its feet the whole show but also enthusiastic about all the songs so that was saying something. Le Bon noticed this too, prefacing the song by noting how no one was sitting down, and saying they'd keep that up "Let's keep this nice and simple, shall we?"

The "Tiger Tiger" break was fortuitous since it gave Simon a chance to nurse his voice after the coughing fit. He returned in a costume change of dark suit with a red shirt and chauffeur's cap for "The Chauffeur." He promptly changed again, saying "I'm going to take my jacket off. This next song is about the wonderful heat wave you're having here ... 'Taste of Summer'." After "View to a Kill" Simon returned to introducing "Ordinary World", bringing the mic stand back down front but apparently deciding he was just going to dedicate the song to Darcy (who may have been someone in the front rows) as it was her birthday. His voice made it through the song's ending, just barely, as he skewed off-key. He then said "I think you all know this one, so sing along." Then he called for everyone to pull out lighters and cell phones and switch them on to make the stars come out. As I looked at the mix of lighters, cells and glow sticks during "Save a Prayer" I thought what an interesting representation it was of the band's different eras.

"Sunrise" was next and got enthusiastic clapping and waving from the crowd. From here to the end the crowd seemed to mirror Andy Taylor's sudden resuscitation as the energy level was high(er). This was followed by "Notorious" which had my favorite musical moment when they segued into "Take You Higher" and then back again. And infuriatingly my tape cut off halfway through the song so I missed the whole thing. Next was "Nice", "Careless Memories" and then "Wild Boys." The last two songs had the highest level of band interaction, with Andy Taylor and saxophonist Andy Hamilton swinging their instruments back and forth in time with each other, and then Andy, Simon and John congregating at stage center. At the end the band came to the edge of the stage, waving and clapping and shaking a few hands before going off.

After a short break the band returned and Simon began lengthy efforts to get audience call-backs. I'm suspecting at least part of the crowd wasn't from Indianapolis as the "Indy" calls weren't all that enthusiastic. Then he asked the audience "Are you ready -- to take a photograph?" as the band launched into "Girls on Film." This was an extended song as it was interrupted with call-backs and then a lengthy band introduction beginning with Anna the back-up singer “From the far north of England where they only get 36 hours of sunlight a year.” Then for Andy Hamilton, “He travels the world with his big, shiny, instrument. Every one who sees it wants to blow it, but no one can blow it like he does.” Roger was introduced, then Nick with a long story.

“Here’s something you don’t know about Duran Duran. Some years ago, a strange light was spotted in the constellation of Orion. Over the next few months this grew larger and larger until it was visible to the naked eye. As it hurtled towards Earth the planet was frightened that it would tear us apart. But it didn’t do that. It hurtled towards Earth with a mighty splash, dropped in an ocean and opened like a flower. And there for the public stewards(?) was the man who flew to Earth, keyboard player Nick Rhodes!”

A brief intro for Andy followed. “For this next man, two words, electric guitar! Andy Taylor.” They played a brief bit of “All Right Now.”

“I’ll tell you something else about Duran Duran you did not know. We’ve traveled the world spreading the wonders of the English language. And we always start with the same phrase, when we teach people how to speak. It goes like this. ‘Play the fucking bass, John.’.” He then got the audience to do repeated call backs for this as John obliged.

Finally for Le Bon’s own introduction, he pulled two model-like women up on stage to introduce him. “I’m going fishing, I think I’m catching two little fishes here. Hello, wot’s your name?” They were, judging from their accents, from Latin America so they may have had trouble understanding as well as hearing Simon. He had to ask them to do so three times. He chose well in at least one respect. There was no wild grabbing of band members as they headed off backstage and the song concluded with a detour into “Groove is in the Heart”. This took so long that the women were back in the front rows by the time it did so.

The band closed with "Rio." At the end Roger tossed his drumstick high and then failed to catch it, then nearly tripped when leaving his drum kit and had to adjust something (shoelace?) He handed out his remaining drumstick, then went back to the kit and fished out two more and handed those out as well. He shook a few hands, as did a few other band members. Then with much waving and pointing to the crowd they wandered offstage and the lights came up. I think out of all the band members I probably enjoyed seeing Roger the most since he was always seen the least. He seemed in quite good spirits, laughing at his flops with the drum stick and tripping, and acknowledging the crowd quite cheerfully. Which I think bodes well, because ever since the 80s he’s seemed a good bellwether for the state of the band. Apparently the band is feeling good and pleasantly surprised with its progress. As John left the stage he said, “That went better than expected. You guys are fun, thank you!”

For other stories, visit http://www.geocities.com/mrebaza/duranfic.html

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