I know to some those words will sound like blasphemy, and - believe me - I love me some Zep. But contextually, in 1983, Led Zeppelin had already disbanded 3 years prior. Duran Duran was the one of the hottest bands on the planet, launching the year by playing "Hungry Like The Wolf" on MTV's New Years Eve Ball. So for me, a Duran Duran concert takes me back to playing Pac-Man at the arcade, Friday Night Videos, and a pretty darn happy and innocent time.
Durham Performing Arts Center has done an outstanding job of bringing in artists that generally play larger venues to create once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Duran Duran, for example, played an amphitheater in Atlanta in the show before DPAC, and is playing an amphitheater in the show after - both venues double the size of Durham's gem.
The show began with a bizarre 10 minute video of Aztec statues and water features set to a symphonic soundtrack. It wasn't the unusual nature of the video that bothered me so much as the images of falling water made me want to go to the restroom.
The band appeared and launched "Before The Rain", a slow to mid-tempo tune from their latest album, 2010's "All You Need Is Now" (the band has been touring in support of this album for 20 months). Any designs on the band playing too much new material were put to rest in songs 2 and 3 of the set, the excellent minor hit "Planet Earth" and "A View To A Kill".
The newer songs sounded superb, woven expertly throughout the night with every hit you'd want to hear. A fan was brought on stage to sing the "dah-dah-dah-dah" intro to "The Reflex". One of my favorites, "Union of the Snake", was a pleasant surprise, as was their impeccable cover of Grandmaster Melle Mel's "White Lines".
Simon LeBon introduced "Ordinary World" as a song they never tire of playing, because it reaffirmed the band's relevance at a time Duran Duran was hanging by a string and could have disappeared forever. "Hungry Like The Wolf" played well into "(Reach Up For The) Sunrise", a terrific 2004 track that charted much better overseas than in the U.S. but is one of their best moments of their live show.
Ever notice that "Wild Boys" kinda sounds like Frankie Goes To Hollywood's "Relax"? They did a wicked version of "Wild Boys" that veered into "Relax" in the middle.
Finishing their 2-hour set with "Rio", Duran Duran proved to a jam-packed house that you can go forward and back and the band sounds as good as ever. A terrific night.
Foster
Radio 96.1
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