As someone who has been collecting music since I was in kindergarten, Duran Duran has always been a special band for me. They were the first band I truly became a diehard fan and collector of, wanting to get my hands on everything they put out back in the early to late 80's. I still distinctly remember trips to Harmony House Records and all the import Duran vinyl they used to stock, with those wonderful 'Night Versions' , extended remixes of their singles, and non-album B-sides. I bought them all over time, building up a nice collection of their work.
You can imagine my excitement when, at the age of 13, I was able to see their tour when it came to Cobo Hall in Detroit in 1984. There was only one problem. At this time Duran Duran was one of the biggest acts in the world and the only vivid memory I have of that show was barely being able to hear the music over the din of screaming, shrieking females. All I could think was this was what it had to have been like to see those early Beatles concerts in the States. Luckily I was able to see the band again in 1989 behind the "Big Thing" album, a personal favorite, at The Palace Of Auburn Hills. I was actually able to hear the music this time, and it was a great show, although by now both Andy and Roger Taylor had moved on.
I lost track of Duran Duran in the ensuing years. It wasn't until the original five members reunited for 2004's "Astronaut" that I bought another album by the band. But the excitement their music used to bring me as a teenager returned late last year when they released a shortened download version of their new album "All You Need Is Now" on iTunes. I've raved about this album ever since, a true return to the Duran Duran sound, a legendary band finding itself again and one of the best releases of 2011 in its full length form. There was no doubt, if a U.S. Tour came anywhere near Detroit, I had to be there.
It doesn't get much closer to Detroit than across the river in Windsor, Ontario so tickets and an enhanced driver's license to get across the border were bought. I hadn't been this excited for a concert in awhile and although I normally like seeing what the opening act is about, was glad on this night there wasn't one so we could get right to Duran Duran.
The band took the stage to one of the instrumental interludes from the new album then started into "Before The Rain". The ballad served notice immediately that Simon Le Bon was back in top form vocally after laryngitis had wreaked havoc on tour plans earlier in the year. Le Bon could not have sounded better throughout the night, always refreshing to hear a vocalist who doesn't need studio trickery to sound good.
Their set was a perfect blend of material from "All You Need Is Now" mixed with their biggest hits and a few older fan favorites. With a catalog as deep as Duran Duran's, it is hard to pull this off as some favorites are ultimately going to be left out. On this tour, the most obvious missing songs are "Girls On Film" and "Save A Prayer", but at almost two hours and 20 songs, the setlist never left me feeling cheated. The new material blends seamlessly with the classic stuff to where I was just left wanting more as opposed to feeling I didn't get enough.
After "Before The Rain", the band went into a killer version of their first ever single, 1981's "Planet Earth", giving John Taylor a chance to showcase the throbbing bassline that runs throughout the song. "A View To A Kill" followed, the first track to show the full impact the video screens behind the band would play in the stage show. Between the images on the screens and the staggering lights, this concert was as visually arresting as you'd expect from a band who were involved in some of the greatest music video productions of all time.
The first half of the show was heavy with "All You Need Is Now" material as six of the first ten songs played were from the new album. They touched on most of the album's best tracks including the title track, "Girl Panic!", "Blame The Machines" and my personal favorite, "The Man Who Stole A Leopard". Backing vocalist Anna Ross handled Ana Matronic's parts during the funky "Safe(In The Heat Of The Moment)". Interspersed amongst the new material were performances of one of their best songs from the 90's, "Come Undone", and "The Reflex" which finally got some of the duds seated around us who were only there to hear 'the hits' out of their seats. The latter song also revealed the video 'heads' at the top of the stage, screens that showed images of all four original band member's heads singing along. It was as cool as it was a bit creepy looking. Le Bon even went down into the audience to find a big fan to start singing the intro to "The Reflex".
The second half of the show focused on their older material, with current single "Leave A Light On" the only new track played for the rest of the night. After another of their smash hits, "Is There Something I Should Know?", John Taylor took to the microphone to joke about how time has changed both the band and its fans as a way to introduce the opportunity for those in attendance to get their Tweets shown on the video screen onstage during the performance of the instrumental "Tiger Tiger". Besides giving Nick Rhodes a chance to show off on keyboards, this also served as an opportunity for saxophonist Simon Willescroft to take center stage. The set roared back to life with a fierce, rocking version of "Careless Memories", a fan favorite I was not expecting, but was glad to be pleasantly surprised.
Le Bon dedicated "Ordinary World" to the soldiers that will be returning from the Iraq war as guitarist Dom Brown got his chance to shine on this one. Things went into funk overdrive during "Notorious" as they extended the song, which also included introductions of everyone onstage. Le Bon pulled a fan out of the audience to introduce him, and she couldn't have done any better had it been rehearsed. The main set closed out with everyone singing along to "Hungry Like The Wolf" and a surprisingly electrifying version of "(Reach Up For The) Sunrise" from "Astronaut". The live version was a much harder rock arrangement, with Brown again showing his guitar skills. For not being one of their 80's hits, the crowd was really into this performance.
After a brief break, Duran Duran came back out for their encore and kept everyone on their feet with a slamming version of "The Wild Boys" that also incorporated Frankie Goes To Hollywood's 80's anthem "Relax". I never realized how well the two songs went together, but it was a genius mash-up. The set then closed with the packed house singing along to "Rio".
Duran Duran have been releasing music for over 30 years now. It's rare a band can be at this stage of their career and still seem to be peaking instead of falling into nostalgia act territory. The new album is fantastic, the new songs fit perfectly in concert with their classics and I don't think they have ever sounded better live. It was great to see original drummer Roger Taylor back behind the set as well and they lose nothing with the outstanding Dom Brown on guitar. They are as vibrant now as ever, truly a night where I feel I got every penny of my money's worth and more, in the company of this legendary band.
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