DURAN DURAN in concert

from ToneAudio Magazine, issue # 19

MGM Grand Foxwoods Casino

Mashantucket, Connecticut
December 12, 2008

Article by Brian Hughes Photos by Ruth David

From reports of the South American and Southern U.S. leg of their worldwide Red Carpet Massacre Tour, with cancellations of some dates, because of a flu bug that
bit the band, one would have expected Duran Duran to stumble into the MGM Grand Casino at Foxwoods in Connecticut. That is, if they showed up at all.

But they did, and the ravenous, sellout crowd was not disappointed. The legendary band from Birmingham, UK, with 70 million records sold to date, showed up ready to play, blazing through material both old and new, and eager to continue this extraordinary chapter in the life of the band.

The band took the stage to the ominous strains of Wendy Carlos’ title theme to A
Clockwork Orange. Standing still and powerful, with screams (females mostly) cascading over the band, Duran Duran kicked the concert off with perhaps their strongest show opener to date, “The Valley,” from their latest Epic studio release Red Carpet Massacre. Driven by the electronic, disco/rock rhythm of Roger Taylor’s drums and John Taylor’s flawless funky bass, the song set the tone for the rest of the evening, charging at you as if you were a red cape in Pamplona. Duran Duran wasted no time getting right into the classics – “Planet Earth” was followed by “Hungry Like The Wolf,” as Le Bon asked “Is anybody hungry?” Simon, as alluring as ever, teased, danced and toyed with the audience, gaining energy and strength as the show carried on.

Other highlights included the smooth and breezy “Save A Prayer,” “Falling Down” (their extremely underrated single) and the highest charting James Bond theme to date, “A View to a Kill.” Both “Prayer” and “Kill” showcased the synth wizardry of Nick Rhodes, who like Robert Johnson, must have made a deal with the devil, for he seems to defy age. Simon’s highlight, for this reviewer, was his always poignant delivery of “Ordinary World” – a song for which he still hits the high notes effortlessly. The energy level soared with the crowd friendly “White Lines,” from their album of cover songs, Thank You. You’d be hard pressed to find a band of the modern era who could close a performance with as many hits as this band did, with songs such as “Sunrise,” “Wild Boys,” “Girls On Film” and the indomitable “Rio.”