BIRMINGHAM’S WILD BOYS STILL SHINE

Promoting the December release of their 15th studio album Future Past and fresh off nabbing a coveted spot in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, DURAN DURAN hit the States earlier this month to start their 14-date tour. The British rockers lit up Madison Square Garden with a two-hour set that was heavy on nostalgia but peppered with fresh tracks from their latest release.

Full disclosure: I am a Duranie. I have loved DURAN DURAN since I was twelve-years-old. They have the distinction, nay, the privilege, of being my longest running fandom. I spent a hefty amount of my tween and early teen years immersed in their music, staring at my poster-covered walls, memorizing their birthdays, and daydreaming about the day that John Taylor and I would finally be united in matrimonial bliss. I’m one of those fans who gets excited when they play deep cuts. Could I be a little biased? Perhaps. But judging by the frenzied crowd at MSG, I am far from alone.

As if seeing the Birmingham boys live for the first time since 2016 wasn’t enough to give me the vapors, the legendary Nile Rodgers and Chic were the supporting act. And they threw one glitter bomb of a disco party. Power vocalists Kimberly Davis and Audrey Martells were human mirrored balls in their sequined pink gowns, refracting the stage lights across the arena. I was instantly transported to my local roller rink, in the middle of a free-skate. I could literally feel the bass in my chest as they ripped through funky classics like Le Freak and Everybody Dance, while giving a nod to Rodgers’ prolific production and songwriting career by covering Diana Ross, Madonna, Daft Punk, Sister Sledge, and David Bowie. By the time they closed with a banging rendition of Good Times (complete with a snippet of Rapper’s Delight), they had absolutely electrified the crowd. We were primed and ready for the main event.

The Garden plunged into darkness as the eerie tones of Velvet Newton echoed through the arena. For two minutes, the set glowed an extraterrestrial green, while fog whispered across the floor and white and green strobes pummeled the stage. The band members quietly took their positions as the audience waited, somewhat hushed. Finally, the stage was awash in blue for a few breathless moments before exploding into red and orange while Roger Taylor hammered out the signature opening cadence for The Wild Boys. Duranies from across the globe erupted in jubilation. It was finally time.

The lads kept the hits coming with Hungry Like the Wolf, but quickly yanked us back to the present by bringing out two tracks from Future Past: Invisible and Anniversary. In my humble opinion, Anniversary is the standout song of the album. From John Taylor’s thumping bass line to the banging guitar riff expertly played by Dom Brown, the song is nothing short of an exuberant celebration of everything Duran: the 40th anniversary of the release of DURAN DURAN, their first album, the 40th anniversary of their first American tour, and forty years of both “being together” and “staying together”, in the words of John Taylor.

The MSG crowd was given a rare treat with the appearance of Nile Rodgers and his guitar to play Notorious with the boys. Rodgers has been working with DURAN DURAN on and off since 1983, and he produced the whole of the Notorious album. The band carried us back to their MTV glory days, with hits like A View to a Kill, The Union of the Snake, Planet Earth, and The Reflex. Frontman Simon LeBon dedicated the eternally iconic Ordinary World to the people of Ukraine. “We wish them life,” he said. “We wish them happiness and peace in their own country.”

Also from their second eponymous album, referred to as “The Wedding Album”, the band gifted us with a soulful, sensual, slow burn of Come Undone. Diehard Duranies were given an unexpected treat when they surprised us with rarities like Friends of Mine and Hold Back the Rain. They blazed through two other tracks from Future Past, Give It All Up and Tonight United, reminding us yet again that DURAN DURAN are still very much a working band. There was only one cover on the set list: Grandmaster Flash and Melle Mel’s White Lines. I’m not usually excited to hear covers, but their rendition is pure rock.

The band members have aged handsomely, still evoking the 80’s in their Miami Vice stage clothes (I’m specifically talking to you, Nick Rhodes, with the turquoise sequined suit and hot pink tie, and you, Dom Brown, in the pink Don Johnson homage). However, they exude the cool confidence of the seasoned rock veterans they undeniably are. Simon LeBon’s voice is still gorgeous, if a bit strained on occasion. Roger Taylor, mostly obscured behind a wall of percussion, kept his ever steady thumping beat, while John Taylor perpetuated the rhythm with his driving bass lines. Nick Rhodes, affectionately nicknamed “The Controller”, is a keyboard magician. His imaginative synths have been the foundation of the DD sound since its inception. Dom Brown, who has been touring with the band on lead guitar longer than either Andy Taylor or Warren Cuccurullo, never disappoints with his masterful solos and energetic riffs. Simon Willescroft gave new life to the trademark saxophone solos of Rio and Union of the Snake. And backup singers Anna Ross and Rachael O’Connor harmonized beautifully on Come Undone, providing impeccable vocal support. O’Connor’s duet with LeBon on Give It All Up was simply sublime.

LeBon is always the consummate frontman, full of energy and charm, riffing with the crowd on occasion, but remaining focused on his role as the voice of the band. At one point in the evening, he announced that he was “crowdbathing”. “You’re turning my skin brown!” he exclaimed. Duranies do have some affectionate long-running jokes about Simon, one of which is that he will flub the lyrics to one song of every show (the fumble this performance came during Careless Memories). Simon also loves to spit water over the first few rows on the floor, prompting many to claim he’d given them the “LeBonic plague”. Undeterred by coronavirus, LeBon’s signature spray came during White Lines. I had friends in the first few rows and nobody has fallen ill yet, so hope springs eternal that Simon didn’t share any cooties this time around.

The boys closed the regular set with Girls on Film, mixed with a bit of Calvin Harris’ Acceptable in the 80’s. Unsurprisingly, the band bounded back onstage for an encore, starting with the hypnotic and ethereal Save a Prayer. LeBon asked the throng of 20,000 to activate their flashlights, and the entire arena glittered as if blanketed in stars. Fans swayed dreamily to the music, holding their phones, and if you unfocused your eyes for just a moment, you could almost see candlelight instead of LEDs. Rio was the final encore track, as it always is, and we never, ever get tired of it. The two-hour set was a fantastical trip for me to more carefree days when my biggest worry was that the DJ talked over the intro to The Reflex while I was trying to record it on cassette. Forty years later, DURAN DURAN still perform like they have something to prove. I’m just grateful to have been invited to the party.