Duran Duran 

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• Duran Duran

  Lets face it Duran Duran has built a huge part of their fame around their stylish sensibilities; but they would be no where near the band they are today if it was not matched by their music. It is the marrying of these two factors, which make Duran Duran one of the biggest pop bands of all time and one of the most fun acts to see live. Who would have thought that merging the decadent disco scene saturated by the yuppie culture and the "no-foolery" stripped down sound of punk would have worked. More importantly - is such a thing even possible?! Duran Duran is proof of its success. Fueled by the inspiration of the fervency and straightforward delivery of the Sex Pistols and the pure sheen and intricacy of Chic, Duran Duran developed a sound that was a constant contradiction, but nevertheless daring and undeniably fresh.

  At a Duran Duran concert you can catch elements of this dichotic nature. John Taylor might be storming down the stage with utter fierceness, but a moment later might be playing a verbose funk bass riff. Duran Duran is a group that is uninhibited in nature, which of course makes for a highly entertaining show. When I saw them at Chastain Park in Atlanta, Simon Lebon was dancing around in a sequent shirt singing a Lady Gaga song. The crowd was eating it up. At the same show they were cranking up their most recent hit "All You Need Is Now" accompanied by an artistically tasteful but macabre video. The song starts out like a Nine Inch Nails track but ascends into a upbeat pop tune.

  During a Duran Duran show you can find yourself singing and dancing along to hits like "Rio" and "The Reflex," but also find yourself spooked out by their darker tracks like "The Chauffeur" and "Nightboat" a song which Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan has performed with them on one of their tours.

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  by wjmcc

• “Hungry Like a Wolf” saw the two-toned Le Bon joined center-stage by Dom Brown and John Taylor, flanked by the angelic voices of Ross and Wagner. I hadn’t seen the band since the ’95 (when they were performing a bunch of covers), so to be able to witness that classic up close and personal was a real treat. I was in the 9th row, so I’m not sure if the sound was able to compete with the wind up top, but it was pure perfection up front. The core members of the band were all as tight and on-point as anyone could have asked, and the although the saxophone player stayed in the shadows, his contribution could be felt as well as heard. “Oh Red Rocks!’ Le Bon seemed truly in awe as he started snapping his fingers to the James Bond theme before performing the appropriate “A View to a Kill”, but it wasn’t until the intro to the next song that he made his feelings known. “Look at this place! This is beautiful! This is like playing inside what’s left of an ancient alien spaceship. I like it. Lets get all of you singing now!” The deafening sound of thousands of people (kinda) in sync (“da na na na”) overpowered Le Bon as Roger and Rhodes set the controls for 1983 with “The Reflex”. The guys might not be the kids they once were, but they didn’t seem to have any problem with the altitude as they cranked things up a notch to compete with the decibel level of their fans. - See more at: http://ilistensoyoudonthaveto.com/2015/09/21/duran-duran-chic-red-rocks-09-20-15/#sthash.yMope03v.dpuf

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  by kmartini

• I've seen Duran Duran nine times over the course of the last 23 years. The band understands how to put on a show that not only entertains but also impresses. Stage presence, glitz, glamor, pretentious weirdness... it's all there. Not to mention extraordinary musicianship. You can't please everyone with your setlist when you have as many hits as this band does. So, inevitably, those hardcore fans hoping for a smattering of deep cuts will be somewhat disappointed this go round. The last tour in support of All You Need Is Now managed to mix in hits with albums cuts as well as a few surprises, but this tour is leaning heavily on the hits with new songs off Paper Gods carefully interspersed so as not to interrupt the flow. The new stuff works well with the classics. Casual fans might not even know the difference. The Bowie tribute during the breakdown for "Planet Earth" is heartfelt and appropriate. How these guys have managed to buck the aging process so successfully is difficult to process. Simon Le Bon is close to 60 years old and can belt out these songs just as he did 30 years ago. He doesn't cheat on the high notes like a lot of singers his age do. He goes for it every time. It's amazing.

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  by esgiii

• Duran Duran is my ultimate favourite band since 2006. They are the perfect mixture of rock,pop and glamour. Also this band is a great survivor, since they went through the splitting of the band and had band members quit, but still they managed to come back and make music. I need to admit not many bands can keep going for so long as Duran Duran. I attended two shows on the 2012 All you need is now World Tour. One in Vienna, Austria and one in Budapest, Hungary. Both shows had epic openings, and had great setlists. The song selections were a mixture of powerful and fast; and slow emotional songs. The guys sounded better than ever. On stage they are like a band of brothers that live for music and if the audience parties then they party even more. Duran Duran went through many things in their career but with the All you need is now album they showed that they live in the now, they can still make fantastic music and they got rid of the dirt of the past and with renewed power they run towards the future.

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  By Anonymous

• Duran Duran were back in Leeds after a 28 years and what a show they gave us. Simon and the gang were all on top of their game and gave 2 hours of solid music.

  The lighting and stage set were as spectacular as always and the new screen imagery was a wonder to behold, especially Wild Boys.

  The set list has had a bit of a makeover for The Paper God's Tour. Love Voodoo and Too Much Information from the Weddding Album thankfully replacing likes of The Reflex and Is There Something I Should Know? which while popular were getting long in the tooth. In addition they seemed to pick just the right songs from the new album. The highlight for ne being the glorious anthemic What Are The Chances? which had a fantastic Dom Brown prooving the band do not need the third Taylor back.

  Duran Duran rocked our little part of the world on Saturday and I think it's fair to say that as an audience we rocked theirs.

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  by steven-batty

• No one sits down at a Duran Duran concert.

  All around you will be beautiful people of all ages (most of them over 35), sizes, colors, and genders having fun, smiling, dancing!

  They are one of the few bands that sound better live than on a polished studio recording. They love and respect music and it shows.

  Brilliant energy and an experience of complete peace, joy, and belonging will overcome you at a Duran Duran concert. It feels like a family. No one was a stranger. No one was sad, or angry, or tense. No aggression. No negativity. No drama.

  They love their fans as much as their fans love them. The entire concert is one big love-a-thon.

  I guarantee this: even if you have never been a fan of the band or their music, if you attend one of their shows that will change. You will be a fan, and one of the family. Welcome.

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  by PolliSunshine

• First of all, the show I saw was Chic, and Duran Duran.

  So, Chic played first and was on point: They sounded amazing. They worked through a bunch of hits, and then played hits written by Nile Rogers for other artists - including David Bowie, Diana Ross, Daft Punk, and more. Again, amazing. Well worth the price of admission.

  Next, Duran Duran began their show. Definitely promoting the new album, as they played quite a few songs from it. The band is still a bunch of showmen, and they played hit after hit. The band worked in a tribute to David Bowie as well during, 'Planet Earth'. It was also wonderful to have Niles come back on stage and perform with them a song he wrote for Duran Duran.

  All and all, a great concert performed in a beautiful Amphitheater, with a kick ass sound system.

  I'd see them all again.

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  by waldolc

• In 2015 I saw DD on the 4th and 8th December. I drove from my home in Bristol to Birmingham and watched them. Brilliant. After that gig I drove to London and arrived there early morning on the 5th. I stayed a couple of days and on the 7th December I drove back to Bristol and went to bed early. On the 8th I was up early collected a friend and drove back to London and saw them again. They were even better than they were on the 4th. After the gig in the O2 London I drove home. I got home very early on the 9th December and went to bed but had to look at the 600+ photos and videos I'd taken.

  I can't wait for them to come back to the UK and tour again. I will be there at as many nights as I can afford.

  Life long Duran Duran fan

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  by david-l-silvester

• What a cracking show. Playing the highlights from Paper Gods, interspersed with a selection of hits from the last 37 years, including some rarities like Love Voodoo.

  The highlight for me was the medley "(Reach up for the) Sunrise / New Moon on Monday". Just never really thought of those two tracks together, but it worked really well.

  The big screen behind the band was awesome with some fantastic visuals being projected.

  All in all, a great evening, even if Lindsay Lohan couldn't remember all her lines from Dancephobia or the chorus to Rio (what has become the defacto encore closer over the last few years).

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  by greedoe

• The show was great! They sounded good, looked good, seemed to be having fun and like each other.

  Played all the hits and the new songs I didn't know (sorry, guys!) were really good. We had a great time!

  Simon played acoustic guitar for Save A Prayer and threw his pick to the audience after. It landed by my foot in the aisle, but some clown had snuck down to our section and was hiding from security behind me. I was so distracted by this idiot that I didn't see the pick (next to my stupid foot) and the girl behind me got it. Rats! Still fun though!

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  by j-jo