Duran Duran Tour Kicks Off Tonight

As much as Red Carpet Massacre is just not doing it for me, I still can't resist catching Duran Duran whenever they come to town. I wish Andy wouldn't have left the band last year, so that they could have released the guitar oriented album instead of going back into the studio with Timbaland/Timberlake. But oh well, as one of the first bands I ever saw live (Wedding Album tour @ Starplex in Dallas, 1993), they'll always remain my favorite band to have come out of the New Romantic-era.

A look at a few recent setlists shows a nice mixture of new and old ("New Religion"! "Hold Back The Rain"!) And fingers crossed that they play this mid-show "electro set":

Last Chance On The Stairway / All She Wants / Leatherette (The Normal cover) / I Don't Want Your Love / Skin Trade / Tempted

Duran Duran U.S. tour dates: (tix)

Apr 29 - General Motors Place - Vancouver, BC
Apr 30 - WaMu Theater - Seattle, WA
May 2 - Sleep Train Pavilion - Concord, CA
May 3 - Santa Barbara Bowl - Santa Barbara, CA
May 4 - Nokia Theatre - Los Angeles, CA
May 6 - Dodge Theatre - Phoenix, AZ
May 8 - Valley View - San Diego, CA
May 9 - The Joint - Las Vegas, NV
May 10 - The Joint - Las Vegas, NV
May 12 - Wells Fargo Theatre - Denver, CO
May 14 - Rosemont Theatre - Chicago, IL
May 15 - Masonic Temple Theatre - Detroit, MI
May 16 - Summit City - Whitesburg, KY
May 17 - Chastain Park Amphitheater - Atlanta, GA
May 18 - UCF Arena - Orlando, FL
May 19 - Mizner Park Amphitheatre - Boca Raton, FL
May 21 - Koka Booth Amphitheatre - Raleigh, NC
May 22 - Mann Center for the Performing Arts - Philadelphia, PA
May 24 - Atlantis - Paradise Island (Bahamas)
May 27 - Merriweather Post Pavilion - Columbia, MD
May 28 - Agganis Arena - Boston, MA
May 30 - Central Park Summerstage - New York City, NY
May 31 - Central Park Summerstage - New York City, NY

Comments

[sfenn]

I was at that show at Starplex - Terence Trent D'Arby opened, right? I drove up from Austin since they rarely played there. I'm going to the show here this week in the Bay Area, too. I feel the same about Red Carpet Massacre. Duran Duran albums have always been such an event for me, but I've been slightly disappointed each time ever since The Wedding Album, when I took the day off from school to spend with the album, which just didn't do it for me, as deep as I was into 4AD and The Smiths at the time (and now). But they're still a sentimental favourite, and I'm looking forward to concert #11. I'm just nervous for them that there's still tickets available fairly close up. Hopefully it's just that everyone's been buying the cheap ($22!) lawn tix.

[torr]

haha yes, TTD opening in '93, that was indeed the show! Funny that we were both there.

Interesting that the Concord, CA show has such cheap tix. The LA show has price levels of $65, $85 and $125, yikes!

[sfenn]

I'd be interested in hearing your take on the show. I thought they sounded - and looked - pretty great. Nice setlist. Even the new songs fit in alright. I was psyched to hear 'Last Chance on the Stairway' but a little disappointed in the way it came across and the electro set in general, which I was really looking forward to but was too much like an 'All She Wants Is' megamix - not enough variety. And Your Vegas were fairly boring. They should play up their Britishness.

I imagine we've been to a few of the same shows in Dallas. How about Morrissey at Reunion Arena in '92 or Cocteau Twins at the Bomb Factory? Edgefest '94?

[torr]

the LA show the other night was really good! The band is so cheesy but you just can't resist.

I did think the new songs stuck out like a sore thumb due to them being just so damn bad though.

And the electro set was a bit of a letdown. I thought Last Chance sounded good, but Skin Trade didn't sound right in that format. And I really didn't like that cover they did.

The sax on so many songs was annoying, and what a bummer that we didn't get "New Religion" or "Hold Back The Rain" like some other shows this year have.

But other than all that, it was a great show! :-)

As for Dallas shows from back in the early 90's, I was too young to have known what was up (other than DD in '93). Since I was born in '80 I didn't get into the really good stuff till around '96.