We're All Hallucinating Elvis: Duran Duran's Let It Flow Tour

We're All Hallucinating Elvis: Duran Duran's Let It Flow Tour, 1999

By Claudia Rebaza

(c)1999

On their preceding album, Medazzaland, Duran Duran wrote, for the first time, directly about their fans and their fame in "Be My Icon" and "Undergoing Treatment". Although their lives had always appeared in their lyrics, these two humorous songs (the humor rather bitter in 'Icon') were rather more about the business of being who they were. The band had often declared they didn't want to be a message or issue band, but were rather a band that sang and focused on 'good times'. Of course, this is easy enough when you're having a good time, but times have been better for this band. It seems in the alarmingly apt "Hallucinating Elvis" and the lovely "Pop Trash Movie" (both a rejected and the current title of their forthcoming album) that the band's message has become "This is what the 'good times' have come to."

The Let it Flow tour raised some controversy in the rather odd choice of dates, say three in Mississippi but just one in L.A. and rather few on the East Coast. There was also, as yet, no new album to support although yet another compilation of greatest hits (appropriately named Greatest) had been released to mixed results internationally the year before. Nevertheless, fans turned out and in some cases sold out the venues (many of them at casinos).

It was at the Grand Casino in Biloxi, MS that two dates took place on August 20 and 21. The band was even later than usual, although at least in this venue it was announced that the delay was due to traffic problems. Thanks to road work on one of the peninsula's few bridges, a great many people traipsed in late (or not at all) to what was supposedly a sell-out show.

There were certainly other new things about the venue, among them tableside seating with serving staff milling about, and an absence of labelling in the seating itself. As each person came in they had to be led to a table and then told exactly which seat was which. There was a rather thick mist hanging in the theater, which some might be forgiven for mistaking as coastal humidity come indoors. Most tables also had a small lamp/light, which some enterprising fans endeavored to wave like lighters during "Ordinary World." The gesture summed up the casino theater well.

What was less cheesy but particularly annoying was the casino's decision to reserve middle and front sections for VIPs. Who exactly the VIPs were was not clear, but doubtless casino guests and high rollers were included. This cut out several hundred seats for fans who waited in line for tickets as they went on sale. While it's usually standard to reserve a certain number of seats at most shows, the number was rather high given the small capacity at this location and by the night of the 21st, fans in back rows were being tacitly encouraged to come front to cheer on the band within their view.

Fans in the back and in the balcony area did, however, have the advantage of screens to each side of the stage which provided close-ups and rather good coverage of the ongoing show. In fact, especially on the 20th, the video made it look rather more exciting than it was.

A sci-fi'ish intro track with a high voice singing "In heaven, everything is fine" heralded the possible arrival of something besides upcoming act announcements on the side screens. Eventually, the stage (which was black except for a back screen) darkened and then lit up to reveal the band as the camera whirrs to "Girls on Film" opened the set.

The first thing that was jarring (besides the venue) was the band's rather drab presentation. Although the band had toured with a very simple set in its second 1993 tour leg, there was still something high energy and enthused about its appearance. In this appearance, (as an amazed companion repeatedly pointed out), even Nick Rhodes, scion of all that is fashionable, was wearing ... a t-shirt and jeans. Mind you, it was a stylish t-shirt (no "Momma's Downhome Cooking, Hwy 49 in Gulfport" here), but for a man who swore the band would never play a show in jeans and a t-shirt to be doing so himself certainly was a clear indicator that the early 80s were quite long ago indeed.

Unfortunately, a good part of the audience was hungry for a taste of those times and the band seemed to be doing a less than vibrant rendition of the early hits. Most of it was note perfect from the album, including the backing vocals track, as there was no back-up vocalist on this tour. This was a mistake as the band needed a visual counterpoint to le Bon, and Rhodes, absorbed in his synthesizers never pretended to be a master showman. The fishing hat'ed, baggy pant'ed Cuccurullo tried but was not equal to the task.

Le Bon himself, in a short-sleeved black shirt and some slimming black & white pants, was not a visual bright point on the stage either. Although Rhodes's blond locks were so long as to obscure his vision at times, le Bon's hair was its natural color and close cropped (while Cuccurullo continued keeping a bald pate.) If any of the band members had looked at this set up ten years ago they would surely have declared it drab, drab, drab.

The back screen visuals, stylized female sillhouettes (very Bond'esque) during "Girls" and flames and red lights during the following "Hungry Like the Wolf" didn't add a great deal of ambiance. Furthermore, although le Bon has been keeping himself fairly fit, he is obviously showing his age in terms of stamina. With very little interaction among the band members, it fell to him to eat up the stage with activity and energy, and through the evening he was clearly flagging. At the end of "Hungry" he sounded somewhat breathless, and it seemed everyone's energy was low when after "Notorious", le Bon took a break to speak to the audience.

"Let me tell you about my day," he began. "We sat in a bus for 8 hours today." The audience responded a bit and le Bon nodded, "Yeah, do that again -- awwwwww," and the audience complied. "Yes, we sat on a bus for 8 hours today and look at us! We love it!" he growled enthusiastically. "Yes, there's some things," he trailed off inaudibly. "We're going to start off now with a song from our new album, which you haven't heard yet. It's rather unconventional. It isn't out, that's right," he clarified to someone. "This is about waking up inside someone else's skin. In other words, 'Hallucinating Elvis'."

As the hard-edged intro began, le Bon reappeared in a short-sleeved shiny silver shirt and sunglasses. Orange light came up on the back screen and le Bon really played up the whackier aspects of the song. Some might say that rather than imitate Elvis, this song let le Bon really be le Bon which is far more dramatic. What was significant is that the song woke up both the band and to some extent the audience. Women started raising their hands up to the stage to try and touch him, and le Bon himself during the fade-out seemed to be trying to reach out and touch, er, the spirit of Elvis?

Things slowed down a bit again as "Come Undone" was played, red lights and a different set of female silhouettes on the back screen. Cuccurullo came to stand next to Rhodes, and spoke to him, to which Rhodes nodded and laughed. He seemed to be having trouble with his earpiece repeatedly during the night as he kept tapping it. A roadie, who made repeated casual appearances on stage, passed by the drum kit to adjust something there.

"All She Wants Is" and the flash of white lights, with Rhodes and Cuccurullo purportedly contributing to the intro, brought some energy back up. Le Bon played to the crowd and at one part Cuccurullo wandered back over to Rhodes to play to him.

Then surely the strangest part of the show took place. As the stage went dark, then green, "Friends of Mine" began to play. Le Bon came out wearing a cowboy hat and doing high Monkees kicks as he sashayed towards the front of the stage. Throughout the track he did a lot of hip swiveling (perhaps these moves during "Elvis" would have been a little too alarming) and lasso twirling antics. The only way in which the song really brought back its era is in recalling days when le Bon embarassed himself, albeit unintentionally. Instead he did so intentionally this evening by such antics as slapping his butt every time the "he's having fun" line came up, flipping off the audience at song's end, and tilting his cowboy hat over his eyes as the lights went down.

The audience was certainly entertained, however, and responded well to the high energy of "White Lines", which was probably the only track that was at all altered from its original album format, with an extended break. What looked like enlarged dust spores decorated the back screen and the crowd obligingly raised their hands with each "higher baby," exhortation. Rhodes actually appeared to be singing along as le Bon staggered around stage with the microphone stand, at one time swinging it rather riskily close to the audience in front. Le Bon later took water and spit it out at the crowd from all the way back at the drum kit. (One companion explained it all as a flashback to his days in drama school. "It's method acting," she explained. "I am a cowboy, I am a cowboy. I am a drug dealer, I am a drug dealer.")

The crowd was happy with the excitement however, responding to le Bon's shout of "What do white lines do?" with "Blow away!". He started grabbing his head and rolling his neck, stuck his tongue out to a group in front, and then spit more water around while appearing to chew something (perhaps he was now envisioning himself as a baseball player). He tried to get the crowd to sing along to "White lines don't do it" with limited success. At the song's finale, he threw down the mike stand and raised a fist.

Yellow and red swirled about on stage as "Lava Lamp" played. Wes Wehmiller appeared to signal some problem with the bass as le Bon wriggled around the stage. Wehmiller appeared to be singing back up but the voice sounded even when he became distracted.

"Electric Barbarella" began with flashing lights and images of gears on the back screen. Le Bon started singing too early, and as the song went on it appeared his voice was starting to go. At one point Rhodes appeared to be laughing to himself for no clear reason, then took an opportunity to drink some bottled water during the guitar solo. Jagged white shapes flashed on screen during the song's end.

"Planet Earth", prompted screams as le Bon started bouncing up and down for the opening. An image of an antique map with symbols scrawled across it flashed up on screen, later replaced by images of the moon. Le Bon appeared to be getting particularly tired as he simply paused for stretches before rousing himself for the final chorus.

Some of the crowd was also tiring by now. At one table an older fan was yawning while not far a younger fan was screaming herself hoarse. "Ordinary World" was a nice closer but the wisdom of putting this demanding vocal piece on late in the show was debatable. Some of the same images from "Earth" appeared on the screen as some parts of the audience waited to see if le Bon would actually attempt the high notes of the song's closing. It's such a lovely song nothing can ruin it, and le Bon gave it his best, both attempting and doing passably well at the finale. He was wiping his face during the break though as if the song was taking something out of him.

The crowd kept up repeated clapping with some screaming as a roadie came out to adjust a microphone. However, the lights remain very dim indeed in case anyone considered actually skipping the encore. Le Bon seemed to make a point of this when the band reappeared on stage, encouraging "A little more noise, please." He then explained that it was drummer Joe Travers' birthday, "In my book, this calls for a rendition of 'Happy Birthday'." The band played exactly that as the audience sang along. When it finished le Bon added, "Not only is it his birthday but I think he's the best drummer we've ever had in this band."

"The Reflex" then came along to jazz things up. On the back screen, a close up of le Bon's left and right profiles framing Rhodes' face appeared, along with various color effects during the song. The crowd danced along and waved. At the break, Cuccurullo and le Bon gathered by Rhodes as he did the vocal effects. At the song's finale, le Bon even attempted some of his trademark 80s twirl jumps.

At the introduction to "Pop Trash Movie" le Bon said he'd "Like to thank Nick and Warren for the beautiful job they did in writing this song. I'm so grateful to be able to sing it every night." A shot of cigarette stubs is on the back screen. At the end le Bon seemed to remember his tambourine and went back to the drum kit for it. Cuccurullo sang along with le Bon on both the close of this song and the intro to "Rio."

Le Bon did one of his leaps during the beginning of the song as some Rio'esque geometric shapes flashed on the screen. Some fans started climbing on chairs, but were ordered down by staff. Nevertheless people began dancing in the aisles, and for a few minutes le Bon seemed his old jaunty self. His harmonica playing was still as wobbly as ever, and Cuccurullo ran around the stage with his guitar, playing to the crowd. Le Bon got the crowd to clap along as he blew a whistle, then introduced the band. At the end, he yelled, "Know who I am? I'm the guy who's in charge."

As the song ended, Rhodes shook a few hands in front, Cuccurullo removed his shirt, le Bon hugged Joe Travers, who also shook a few hands. Then "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" played as the lights came up and the crowd began to file out. Some were still a bit giddy, and others ambled about near the stage or went to different tables to chat with friends.

The scene looked much the same the following evening of the 21st, only the intro tape started rolling at 8:15. Le Bon stood still by the microphone through the strobes until the music kicked in and he leaped up. This evening Rhodes was in a black satin shirt which was dressier and in some khaki green pants with a stripe of silver glitter down each side. Cuccurullo was all in black with a hooded shirt, which he wore up for the first song. Le Bon looked much the same only in a blue shirt and black pants. During a long guitar solo, Cuccurullo came to the front of the stage and le Bon did what appeared to be dumbbell raises at the song's end.

During "Hungry" there was a bit of stage drama as le Bon came to lie down next to Cuccurullo, who was kneeling and playing. He sang a whole verse this way before getting up and wandering back towards the front of the stage. Someone offered him a bouquet of roses, which he refused to take but pointed to a spot on stage for the giver to put them down. Le Bon did a run from the back of the stage at the song's close, and then Cuccurullo went shirtless for the next song, "Notorious."

Le Bon worked the crowd, trying to get them to sing back-up. He threw punches at the end, and then made comments such as "A different outfit from last night. Did you fall asleep on us?" (something inaudible), "Too late though. We were in rush hour. Two days ago we were in Graceland." There is some applause. "It's quite a scene, it really is, it's really something. And it was particularly special for us seeing as how we've got a song on our new album which is all about feeling like Elvis. So anyway, in Graceland, 'Hallucinating Elvis'."

Apparently Cuccurullo was getting into it because he performed a karate leap at the audience and started out singing at the intro. Apparently also getting into the spirit of the song were two girls at the front holding up a poster at le Bon, presumably of him. Considering how close they were to the stage, this must have been a disconcerting sight. At the end of the song, le Bon appeared to be pretending to fly, making wing motions.

"This is Come Undone," he announces for the next song as Cuccurullo went to play by Rhodes. When he returned to his side of the stage, he played to a group of women trying to gather close to him. During "All She Wants Is" le Bon and Cuccurullo play acted a bit as Cuccurullo ran his guitar neck against the microphone stand and le Bon acted as if he was crucified. Cuccurullo then went to the other side of stage to play to the audience as le Bon slapped a few hands, staying just out of reach of the grabbing ones.

"I'll bet you know what's coming next," he said as "Friends of Mine" began. Le Bon crouched down to talk to someone at stage edge and then began acting drunk during the "sick of your alibis" line. Cuccurullo waved a bottle of water at the audience and then played guitar god next to Rhodes. Le Bon made wanking motions at the song's end just before flipping the audience off again as he did the previous night. Then he took off his cowboy hat and waved.

During "White Lines" le Bon and Cuccurullo sang together and then Cuccurullo chased le Bon around the mike stand. Le Bon again spit water out at the audience after "Do you know what it's going to do? It's going to fuck you up!"

Le Bon appeared tired as they went into "Lava Lamp", which is not surprising as he really pumped himself into acting out "White Lines" with high kicks and punches. Le Bon and Cuccurullo gathered by Rhodes for a bit to sing back to back. Later le Bon walked out onto a table near the stage where he was touched and grabbed at. He grinned at the people and then danced back to a group of girls in front. There was rather a long pause before the next number.

"Do you want a break?" le Bon asks. "No, let's do a song instead." During "Electric Barbarella" Rhodes again took advantage of some bottled water during the song break and then bobbed his head in an attempt to keep with the beat. He and Cuccurullo faded out together at song's end.

During "Planet Earth" le Bon crooked a finger at and encouraged someone in front. Once again, his voice was going by then. Cuccurullo had some problems with the first part of the song break, prompting Rhodes to look back at Wehmiller and grin. Everyone, in fact, seemed to be smiling about it, and le Bon even called attention to it at the end by saying, "Thank you -- hey did you hear the improvisational guitar there?" He suggested Warren adjust his guitar. As "Ordinary World" played, Rhodes gulped more water during the first verse. Le Bon's voice was even shakier this evening but he just squeaked through.

When they returned out for the encore, the band appeared to be in a playful mood. Wehmiller pretended he should go to the keyboards and Rhodes should play bass. Le Bon teased the crowd by asking them what the band should play. Then he asked "Does anyone know 'da na na na'?" As he did, Cuccurullo came forward to question the audience. He had put a hat and vest on. The crowd was chanting strongly for "The Reflex" before the band even appeared so they're quite satisfied when it plays. Le Bon and Cuccurullo danced together a bit during the break.

"Let me tell you something, we're going to do something unconventional, play a slow song during an encore, but I think you're going to like it," le Bon began. "It's one of the best songs we've ever written." However, at the end of "Pop Trash Movie" something is not quite right and le Bon and Cuccurullo's harmonizing didn't working out.

During the "everything is fine" intro to "Rio", it seemed to end in a singsong of "Happy Birthday". People seem to know it is the last song for the night because as the last chorus starts to play a number of girls jump the stage. Le Bon dodged the first one, although he was obviously surprised, and security quickly caught the offender. She was put back in the audience but several more tried again later. A companion mentioned that the security guard in question actually encoraged the girl to try, but later kept pushing her back from the stage.

As the song ended, le Bon did some of his pogo stick bounces but was too tired to keep it up for long and the set wrapped up. There was speculation from some that the band was not happy with the venue and audience response. However at least Cuccurullo seemed to be cheerful after the show.

According to a companion, the band split up but reappeared in the casino. On her way to the the main floor, she came across different band members. "To my left was a short hall and I was going to go down there when I caught Simon's image in the doorway. He was curled up on a bar stool, cigarette in hand and having a close conversation with a short-haired blonde... Two security guards were standing in front of a set of windows at the steakhouse restaurant. Warren was at a table, laughing, talking."

Outside while waiting for her car, "I turn to see Nick, not more than ten feet away from us, walking into the casino. Now I don't know where he came from (a car, the hotel) but wherever he was going, he was going quickly. Yes, Nick can move when he wants to. Accompanying him was the girl with the turquoise hair and leather jumpsuit...Twenty seconds after him were about four girls trying to chase him and trying to look like they weren't chasing him. Reminded me of a psychedelic version of Benny Hill. Anyway, Nick may not have been able to outrun the women, but in his attempt he was a turtle at top speed."

One other interesting post-concert observation was derived from the band's merchandise. Among the usual shirts and program, was a children's size t-shirt. Apparently the band is well aware of their major demographic these days. Everything may not be fine career-wise, but the band continues to look to tomorrow. Their enthusiasm for their intriguing new material is in stark contrast to the audience's love of their classics. Hopefully the t-shirt indicates a future filled with yet another generation of fans, and not the scenario of velvet Duran paintings and cheesy lounge tours. It would be a shame if in ten years "Hallucinating Elvis" was more than just a song.

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

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