Very little effort was needed to convince me to go to the sold out show at the Ogden Theater featuring Duran Duran this Wednesday night. I was surprised to see people waiting in a line outside the theater when I drove by shortly before 5 PM. I joined them an hour later, standing 300 feet from the doors.
While having dinner at the Cheeky Monk before the concert I noticed that Governor Hickenlooper was sitting at the adjoining table with a guest. As he was departing I approached him and commented on the fact that I first met him 20 years ago in the basement of the Wynkoop Brewery, he dressed in an apron tending to his beers, commenting that I too am a geologist and that I am now his employee. He made the observation that we have come full circle after 20 years, meeting again under different circumstances. I also congratulated him for his win last November. If he attended the concert, I did not see him, being all the way up front near the stage.
Perhaps one of the most buzzed about tours across the country right now is that of the internationally renowned UK superstars Duran Duran. Denver, CO was lucky enough to score front row tickets with a stop on their tour at the sold out Ogden Theater on April 20, 2011. The more intimate venue served up a rare opportunity for fans to catch an up close and personal glimpse of a band who has sold out arenas. And after receiving some pretty compelling reviews of their performance at Coachella last weekend the crowd eagerly anticipated their own exclusive experience.
Rather than riling up the already eager crowd with an opening act Duran Duran chose to play a 45 minute video montage from their extensive music video library. It served its purpose well as the crowd cheered for their favorite songs and seemed equally as entertained and engaged as they would have been with an opener. And when the lights came up on the band taking the stage so did the energy and electricity in the venue
Read it all here:
http://www.examiner.com/pop-music-in-national/duran-duran-all-you-need-is-now-tour-review-review
Nick Rhodes hasn’t changed at all in more than three decades. Neither have John or Roger Taylor. Simon Le Bon? Aside from growing a rough beard that makes his face just a little more round (and a voice that’s missing some of its youthful squeal from time to time), he also looks timeless. Up close in the tightly packed confines of the Ogden Theatre on Wednesday night, the original members of Duran Duran might have looked even better than I remembered.
And their performance didn’t disappoint. Through 16 songs over 80 minutes, the iconic group delighted a gathering of fans that looked like they’d been at the same party since the video of “Hungry Like The Wolf” was first broadcast. Rhodes and Le Bon sported signature suits with sparkling lapels and boots, and led the band through a set that depended a tad too heavily on material from the new record, this year’s “All You Need Is Now.” It may have been a general lack of familiarity with the new stuff, but the connection to the performance was visibly troubled until the recognizable first notes of their mega-hits jolted the audience back to life.
Read it all here with many more pictures:
http://www.heyreverb.com/2011/04/21/duran-duran-photos/
At least from where I was standing near bass "god" John Taylor, it appeared women outnumbered men three to one. The people I was standing near me were all there to savor JT's handsome looks and moves, screaming and cheering at every opportunity. The opening act, a string of videos featuring songs off their All You Need Is Now album, released here in the US on March 22, 2011. After the third or fourth video, the crowd groaned when a new one appeared on the screen, everyone wanting to get on with the real show.
Had a blast dancing the night away! Too bad it was a week night, not able to cut loose knowing I'd be at work only hours away.
Download the excellent audience recording here:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=DJO6PW3K
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