Yesterday my favorite band from my teenage years, Duran Duran, played to a full house.
They have an impressive 43 year career in music that is unparalleled; many bands of their day are playing fairgrounds or other smaller venues. I first saw them at the Oakland Coliseum in April 1984. Those were the days of the “screamers” and I was definitely one of them. It was worth cutting school, taking a BART train with my fellow “Duranies,” and waiting in a long line to be as close as possible to the stage. The next day I would have to do after- school detention for the unexcused absence and it was totally worth it.
Flash forward 21 years. I’m living in Vancouver, Washington with my husband and six children. Duran Duran is touring North America, promoting their “Astronaut” album. This time I take the MAX train with my husband (shout out to him for accompanying me, thinking he would actually sit during the entire concert) and we see them perform at the Rose Garden in Portland.
Last night, almost 20 years after the last concert, they performed as part of their “Future Past” tour. I was in good company at the Moody Center in Austin, TX; there were many middle aged women, a few wearing DD T-shirts, others sporting buttons of the Fab 5, bright colors and big plastic earrings, although I didn’t see much “big hair.”
I also saw a lot of younger and male fans, so there is no signature profile for a Duranie. I imagine some fans were there for the more current band, Bastille, who showed a lot of energy, jumping around while performing. Nile Rodgers and Chic also did an outstanding job, performing popular 80’s songs that Rodgers wrote for other stars. But clearly, the majority of the audience was there for Duran Duran whose set lasted almost 2 hours.
Technology played to their advantage with the large screens displaying flashing images behind them throughout the entire show. They opened with a steamy, mysterious set and the song “Night Boat” from the early days. Then they jumped into “Wild Boys” and a string of past favorites. They only played two songs from their most current album, “Future Past.” In my opinion, there was only one song that didn’t quite work out well on the live stage (“Lonely in Your Nightmare,”) but it was quickly followed by a surprise snippet from Rick James: “Superfreak.” The fans went wild over it.
The band was smart to stick with their well known past favorites. Lead singer, Simon Le Bon, praised Austin by repeating the city’s name several times and pointing out the city’s “progressive” aspects compared to the rest of the state of Texas. He also dropped the names of places they’ve played in the past including Austin City Limits. There was an emotional moment when he introduced their big 90’s hit, “Ordinary World.” LeBon recalled that was a difficult time for the band, then said he couldn’t imagine the horrors the people of Ukraine are currently facing under the terrible regime of a neighboring country. He didn’t need to drop specific names; he just said the song was dedicated to them, but played for us.
There was one song I didn’t jump up and down for, although it’s got a good music vibe: “White Lines.” It’s hard to ignore the reference to heroin. I looked up an article about the band’s struggle with drugs in the past and I came away with a feeling of understanding. They state they are clean and sober these days.
There was also a glaring absence on stage: original guitarist, Andy Taylor. I learned that he is fighting prostate cancer and wish him the best. Sadly, he missed the band’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last year.
One of my favorite moments was the band’s encore performance of “Save a Prayer.” LeBon asked the audience to turn on their phone flashlights. (Back in the old days, we actually used cigarette lighters.) He wanted to see the “milky way,” and indeed it looked just like it — beautiful!
The band’s final encore performance was “Rio.” As with other favorites, it got me and most fans out of their seats, dancing and singing along. When it comes down to it, Duran Duran plays fun music with a catchy beat. With all the serious stuff happening in the world, it’s nice to have a moment of unscripted fun.
I’m up for it again in another 20 years if they are.
