Note: A much smaller version of this article appeared in The Daily Herald, March 17, 2005.
If you looked at the title of this article and suddenly felt like you’d just stepped into a time warp, sit back and relax. You haven’t.
The wild boys of MTV video fame are indeed back on the airwaves and on stages around the world. And though they aren’t the prima donnas of the popstar world, nor the princes of the teen mags like they were in the 80’s, their new musical offerings are as good as their old stuff and definitely worthy of attention.
Under a smiling crescent moon floating in the western sky, Duran Duran landed their popular Astronaut Tour in Salt Lake City’s Delta Center, NuSkin Theater to a thrilled and appreciative crowd of approximately 5,000. It marked the band’s first ever appearance in the state.
Duran Duran. I’m sure you remember them -- flamboyant fashion, big hair, and supermodel looks.
Their synthesized sound was hypnotic and fresh, like the first days of spring after a long winter. You couldn’t help not dancing. But I recall being most fascinated by their bizarre and catchy lyrics. They were the new poetics of the synthesized age.
You can’t pick just one element that propelled them to stardom. They were the epitome of it. In the short time span of their American debut with the album Rio (1982) and subsequent releases Seven and the Ragged Tiger (1983) and Arena (1984), the band amassed ten Top 40 hits, their biggest chart toppers being "The Reflex" and "Wild Boys," which topped the charts at #1 and #2 respectively.
(Arena, a greatest hits album, actually helped introduce Americans to the hits from their debut album Girls on Film, from 1981.)
The band parted ways in 1985 after releasing the theme song to the James Bond film A View to a Kill, which ironically became the bands second only number one record on the Top 40 charts in America.
Duran Duran, under the skeleton crew of Simon Lebon, John Taylor, and Nick Rhodes, continued releasing the popular albums Notorious (1987), Big Thing (1988), Decade: Greatest Hits (1989), and the bands biggest-selling album The Wedding Album (1993).
But after the failure of their four subsequent albums, it appeared that Duran Duran was on the verge of distinction.
After reconciling their differences a couple of years ago, the band regrouped and met in Paris to write the lyrics for their latest album Astronaut. While recording, they were contacted by one of the most noticeable producers in the music industry, Don Gilmore (Linkin Park, Good Charlotte, Sugar Ray, and Pearl Jam, to name a few). Gilmore’s relationship with the band has proved most fruitful, yielding an album that is second only in substance and depth to The Wedding Album.
Despite all of this, heading into the concert I wondered whether the Astronaut Tour was anything more than a standard reunion tour. My thinking couldn’t have been more wrong.
The Fab Five started off the show in a dramatic under-statement. In single file, with just guide lights set around the stage for light, Simon Lebon, Nick Rhodes, John Tayler, Andy Taylor, and Roger Taylor (none of them related) walked onto stage in single file, finally taking their place all in a row at the edge of the stage facing the audience. Their dark silouettes stood against a lighter backstage and it teased the crowd to the point of madness.
The evidence of hysteria was visible. Directly in front of me, five thritysomething-aged women went into spasms not unlike the kind I’ve seen watching re-runs of the Beatles performing in America for the first time. They shook their hands, held their heads with both hands, jumped up and down clinging to each others shoulders, and squealed that piercing squeal that as parents we ban our children from doing anywhere in hearing distance.
When the lights came on in a sudden flash, revealing the Fab Five dressed in trendy black suits, white shirts and thin ties, the crowd flew into a frenzy. Then they rocketed into their opening number "Reach Up For the Sunrise," their first hit off Astronaut.
Long gone are the non-sensical, outlandish, and esoteric lyrics of yesteryear. They have transformed over the years, grown mature. Though you’ll still recognize that poetically playful style of the early years, they’re songs sport a basic story-telling standard sprinkled with gems of insight and wisdom. Just consider the chorus to the opening number, a mantra of hope and affirmation: "Reach out for the sunrise, bring the new day into your life."
Maybe they’ve been mastering kabbalah with Madonna? Maybe they’re just masters of tivo-ing The Oprah Show. But debating the "whatever" or "however" is pointless. The songs off their new album were some of the more meaningful moments of the show.
It wasn’t surprising that the crowd consisting of mostly thirty and fortysomethings, however, were there to hear the songs that made the band a household name. And the Durans obliged, immediately going into a set of oldies: "Hungry Like the Wolf," "Hold Back the Rain," and "Union of the Snake."
Nearly immediately into "Hungry Like the Wolf," the same ladies in front of me (who nearly cried in anticipation for the concert to begin), hopped on their cell phones and started screaming in delight to the person on the other end and pointing the cell phone toward the stage in the hopes of proving their exact location. Thank goodness for modern technology, you’d have to wait till you got home to razz your friends that you went to a concert!
The frontman for Duran Duran, Simon Lebon, who has great vocal power and range, started off flat at the beginning of a few of these opening songs. However, he recovered and was pitch perfect the majority of the concert and especially when it mattered. He showed impressive vocal acrobatics especially during the songs "Union of the Snake," "Come Undone," and "Sing Blue Silver."
In all due respect, Lebon might be aging but he has the mojo of a superstar. He worked the audience like no other, dancing and jumping about like a younger version of himself. If this indeed was a reunion tour, someone forgot to tell him. His presence was magnetic and the audience followed him incessantly, reacting wildly anytime he came their direction. Witty, sensual, provocative, and likable, Lebon seemed in the moment, not detached or disinterested.
I was most taken by Lebon during the performance of "Ordinary World," which he dedicated to all of their friends and loved ones who had passed on. Near the end of the song, off of center stage and out of the main spotlight, he drew his arms and hands in close to his chest and then suddenly threw them out and wide open as if he had just released a thousand doves from his chest. It was a seemingly sincere and remarkable expression I won’t easily forget.
Nick Rhodes must be commended for remixing the oldies. The songs never sounded so good. And Andy Taylor (guitar) and John Taylor (bass) were sheer brilliant. Their guitar work was electrifying, spine-tingling, and captivating during "I Don’t Want Your Love (Waking Up the House)," "White Lines," and "What Happens Tomorrow," to name a few.
The talented Anna Ross, backup vocalist, made her presence known during the rocked-up version of "I Don’t Want Your Love."
The circular stage (with catwalks stretching out its two sides) was simple and utilitarian, allowing the band just enough room to move about and work the crowd.
The key to the visual experience of the show, however, was the five long and narrow LCD screens that hung at the back of the stage. The screens displayed images of the audience or of the band in real-time. They also showed the same types of bizarre and cryptic visuals and stories that comprised many Duran Duran music videos. For example, colored illustrations of the space shuttle and astronauts flashed during the performance of the song "Astronaut." And a video montage of the band performing "Planet Earth" in the 80's was a perfect dichotomy to their performance of this night.
I was most impressed with the short anime film during "Careless Memory." The anime film told a Tarantino-like story in which the band members were martial art fighters (who dressed in suits and thin ties) who fought super-villains, monsters, robots, and evil CEO’s.
I also enjoyed the visuals for the song "Wild Boys." On the LCD screens, the sillouttes of naked women dancing amidst bright orange and red flames seemed to pay homage to the infamous introductions of the James Bond films.
One of my favorite displays, however, was used for the beautiful slow song "Save A Prayer." A continuous shower of golden-yellow rose petals fell behind Lebon and company throughout the song. It was peaceful and reflective, a most beautiful enhancement.
The band played three other songs off of Astronaut: "Chains" and "Nice" (which received the best response of all the new songs). But the upbeat and hopeful "What Happens Tomorrow" might have just been the shows highlight for me, sporting some of the more memorable lyrics of the evening: "And nobody knows what will happen tomorrow. We try not to show how frightened we are. If you let me, I’ll protect you, however I can. You’ve got to believe it will be alright in the end."
Duran Duran seemed genuinely thrilled with the crowd in Salt Lake. Early in the show, Simon commented on how "nice" the audience was, adding that they loved Utah and loved the Osmonds. And coming back for an encore, John Taylor took the microphone and commented how this first trip to Utah might not be the last because "you are such beautiful people. How could anyone stay away?"
Yes, the night belonged to the thrity and fortysomethings, dressed to the nines, many of whom had waited twenty years to dance and cheer at the feet their favorite group of the 80's. But the night also belonged to Simon, Nick, John, Andy, and Roger.
Whether this was some elaborate swan song or the beginning of a new day, many in attendance Saturday night were reaching for a bit of sunlight and hoping it wouldn’t so quickly fade, that there is more from this band than just Astronaut.
If there is one thing evidenced from this performance it is this: Boy bands beware! You’re outclassed! Go back and get some talent! The Fab Five is back for now and they have the real thing!
