Duran Duran has a fantastic summer ahead, including tours in the U.S. and Europe and a concert in Hyde Park for the opening of the Olympic Games.

John's autobiography and Nick & Warren's TV Mania project will be released in the fall.

In February 2013 the band will reconvene into the studio to start writing new material with Mark Ronson; according to this interview the band hadn't really talked about the new direction the album might take but Nick thinks "it would have to be a logical continuation of All You Need Is Now, maybe, Rhodes says, something a little more funk... something with one's eye on Notorious actually..."

July 9, 2012 | All the Duran Duran fans are ready for this new chapter of the Duran Duran history! Methaphorically speaking this is the conclusive chapter of the 'All You Need Is Now' book, a project that has seen the band returning live on stage for over a year with a massive world tour and an album that has been on top of the charts simultaneously in 15 countries [when the album was digitally released back in December 2010].

Two years filled with great music and cool collaborations starting with Lynch and ending with Steve Aoki. After almost two years since its release All You Need Is Now is still a fresh album and fans seems still so excited about the current round shows... it's an album that will stands the test of time.

The band is celebrating the conclusion of the 'All You Need Is Now' tour with a new release, the dvd/blue ray A Diamon In The Mind.

The dvd has been launched yesterday on facebook with a special digital premiere. We were among the thousand of fans who took part at the event and we really enjoyed it, especially the exclusive question and answer part with the band live o all the way from Istanbul.

A Diamond In The Mind, will be released on DVD, Blu-Ray and CD on July 10. Check out a cool and technical review of the dvd on blu-raydefinition.com

Left and below pics: the band photographed during their recent successful South American tour, below the guys in Greece some days ago.

"The set, as Nick Rhodes described it, is “Pixel Punk,” a pure visual feast that could go toe to toe with U2 at their most elaborate. Multiple hi-tech screens flash an array of visual effects from CG animation to psychedelic patterns."

"Asymmetrical lighting rigs flash multi-colored lights while numerous film cameras capture images from every angle. That doesn’t even take into account the post-production effects added for the home viewers’ benefit to add a sense of energy and “being there.”

"That, of course, is all fine, but ultimately a musical concert has to deliver – on the music. A Diamond in the Mind does, without a doubt. The band is on form, the musicianship is at a very high level and no one misses a beat."

I think when you make a concert film what you're always trying to do is capture the energy of the performance, Rhodes explains, and the atmosphere and the spirit that was in the room when you actually played the show. And, obviously, that's very hard to capture on film. But with this one, I think we definitely got as close as we ever have because you can see the intimacy and the interaction on stage.

It seems like the further north [in England] you get, the crazier the audiences get, Taylor said about the band's choice to film the show in Manchester. And on this night, it was Mad Friday, which is the last drinking night before Christmas, so the crowd was good and rowdy.

A Diamond Premiere

Duran fans joined the band on facebook for an exclusive live Q&A from Istanbul

Dvd Review

highdefdigest.com | Filmed at the MEN Arena in Manchester on December 16th, 2011, this stunning Duran Duran live show is the perfect combination of great music, amazing visuals and iconic style which has been the band s trademark throughout their career. Following the release of their acclaimed All You Need Is Now album, this concert combines new songs from that release with their classic hits. Whether in the studio or the live arena, Duran Duran are masters of their craft and this latest concert bursts with energy and oozes class in the way that only they can.

The digital premiere of "A Diamond In The Mind" | The band will be streaming the concert at 2 p.m. EST on July 8 on facebook, with the added bonus of audio commentary and a live question and answer session with band members.

Le Bon said in comments at duranduran.com: “We really hope the fans will enjoy this experience. The Manchester show was a special one for us – and we’re very proud of the film. It has a different feel from anything we’ve done before, but we think it completely captures the spirit of the performance that night.”

On the right the japanese edition of ADITM

In support of A Diamond In The Mind the band in June did some great promotion in New York, they made an appearance on the Good Morning America Tv show and some other online and printed media. They also made a special guest appareance for Trident which hosted a private concert on June 20, on John's birthday! [check out some pics below]

The show, called "See What Unfolds Live," with renowned DJ Steve Aoki. 3,000 lucky fans were treated to an evening of unexpected surprises thanks to world renowned DJ Steve Aoki, who hosted a performance that included an appearance by the guys.

The defining moment of the night was a Steve Aoki produced remixed performance of the band's classic hit, Hungry Like The Wolf, aptly named, "Hungry Like The Wolf: Steve Aoki vs. Duran Duran - The New York Werewolf Mix" that brought the house down. The remix was the joint vision of electronic dance music master DJ Steve Aoki, and Duran Duran, who collaborated for weeks on the reinvention of the song. You can download the song for free right here

An official video of the collaboration, complete with live footage from the performance set to the studio track, premiered on Vevo.com on June 29. Check it out here.

So this new chapter of the Duran history marks the end of the world tour with new European and US legs. Is going to be a hot summer for the fans with more #Duranlive entertainment with more live shows and new dvd!

Duran Duran have started up the Euro tour in Poland on June 25th and they will conclude it with their peak appearance in Hyde Park - London for the BT London Live Olympic Opening Ceremony on July 27th. The band never fail to surprise their fans, the other night in Thessaloniki the band toasted David Bowie by playing 'Starman' fourty since the song debuted on Top of the Pops... John Taylor said that after that "life for us was never the same again". Check out the video here.

Aoki says "Me and John Taylor of Duran Duran, was lots of fun collaborating with the legends!”

More news and tidbits

  • That's not all, as we already said, the band will reconvene in the studio next year to start works on a new album... some little news have started to surface thanks to John [read the cool interview that John did last mont for a South American newspaper] and more recently by Nick who during the press conference in Wroclaw confirmed that the band will be starting writing the new album in February 2013 and they will be working with Mark Ronson again.
  • John is looking forward to September... From September on our bass player will be busy promoting his upcoming autobiography "In the Pleasure Groove: Love, Death and Duran Duran". In a recent chat he had with the fans on twitter [june 2] he said "I've been absent, I apologize. The book is FINI. Done and dusted. Audiobook in the can too. The audio is me myself and I. Get ready! Below a video clip of John recording the audio book.
  • According to this blog post by John Jones he's writing/publishing [?] a book about Duran Duran. As you notice he ended his post writing "Buy my upcoming book about Duran Duran for more photos of Nick Rhodes!

John Taylor in Prague July 2012

 

Pictures from See What Unfolds Live event

"We could not pass up the opportunity to work with Steve Aoki on a remix of one of our songs. It's always really exciting to collaborate with someone whose work you admire, especially when what you are creating together is something that ultimately you're going to perform live.

Unlike so many remixes, where a DJ takes just a few elements from the original to create a new track, the challenge for Steve and all of us was to come up with something that every member of the band was well represented on, and that could be performed live on stage for the fans," said Simon LeBon, lead singer Duran Duran.

"This event is the beginning of a really exciting summer for us including tours in both the States and Europe, where we end up with a concert back home in Hyde Park for the opening of the Summer Games."

Special thanks to Trident and Christopher & Rebecca @ citizenrelations for the great pictures and info.

* Click on the thumbnails to get the larger version of the pics*

 

Singular Italian Best Of including early b-sides and Burning The Ground

 

 

On July 10th 2012 a 'Best Of' will be available in all the italian newsstand with the magazines Tv Sorrisi e Canzoni and Donna Moderna for only 12,90. The double cd set has an unusual tracklist for the general public, in fact it includes some beautiful b-sides. A clever move from EMI Italia since the release will coincide with the tour... A cool collector item but also a chance for the general italian audience to know more about the band's catalogue.

 

mondadoriperte.it

 

TRACK LIST CD1

1. Rio
2. The Reflex
3. Hungry Like The Wolf
4. Save A Prayer
5. is There Something i Should Know
6. New Moon on Monday
7. Girls on Film
8. i don’t Want Your Love
9. Secret oktober
10. Planet Earth (Single Version)
11. My own Way
12. Fame
13. careless Memories
14. Faster Than Light
15. Faith in This colour

 

TRACK LIST CD2

1. The Wild Boys
2. Notorious
3. Skin Trade
4. do You Believe in Shame?
5. The chauffeur
6. Union of The Snake
7. Burning The Ground
8. Meet El Presidente
(2010 digital Remaster)
9. Like An Angel
10. Late Bar
11. All She Wants is
12. American Science (2010 digital Remaster)
13. Tiger Tiger 14. Khanada

 

Pictures from Good Morning America show and rehearsal

Tour dates: Euro and Us tour, final leg of the AYNIN tour

 

June

June 25 Duran Duran: Music Pool GMBH, Wroclaw, Poland.
June 27 Duran Duran: O2 Arena, Prague, Czech Republic
June 28 Duran Duran: Papp László Budapest Sport Arena, Budapest, Hungary.

 

July

July 6 Duran Duran: Earth Open Air, Thessaloniki, Greece.
July 7 Duran Duran: Skopsko Kale, Skopje, Macedonia.
July 9 Duran Duran: Küçük Çiftlik Park, Istanbul, Turkey.

July 12 Duran Duran: Exit Festival, Novi Sad, Serbia.
July 14 Duran Duran: Gospodarsko Razstavišce, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
July 16 Duran Duran: Verona Arena, Verona, Italy.
Jul 18 Duran Duran: Foro Italico, Rome, Italy.
July 20 Duran Duran: Arena Della Regina, Cattolica, Italy.
July 21 Duran Duran: Piazza Napoleone, Lucca, Italy.
July 23 Duran Duran: Théâtre Jean Deschamps, Carcassonne, France.
July 25 Duran Duran: Sporting Club Summer Festival, Monte Carlo, Monaco.
July 27 Duran Duran: BT London Live - Opening Ceremony Celebration Concert, Hyde Park, London, UK.

 

August

August 8 Duran Duran: Mountain Winery, Saratoga, CA, USA.
August 9 Duran Duran: Mountain Winery, Saratoga, CA, USA.
August 11 Duran Duran: OC Fair, Pacific Amphitheatre, Costa Mesa, CA, USA.
August 15 Duran Duran: The Joint, Tulsa, OK, USA.
August 17 Duran Duran: Memphis Botanical Gardens, Memphis, TN, USA.
August 18 Duran Duran: Biloxi, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, MS, USA.
August 19 Duran Duran: Chastain Park, Atlanta, GA, USA.
August 21 Duran Duran: Durham Performing Arts Center, Durham, NC, USA.
August 22 Duran Duran: nTelos Wireless Pavilion, Portsmouth, VA, USA.
August 24 Duran Duran: MGM Grand Theatre at Foxwoods, Mashantucket, CT, USA.
August 25 Duran Duran: Revel Ovation, Atlantic City, NJ, USA.
August 26 Duran Duran: Stage AE, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
August 28 Duran Duran: Fraze Pavilion, Kettering, OH, USA.
August 29 Duran Duran: Ravinia Festival, Highland Park, IL, USA.
August 31 Duran Duran: Casino Rama Entertainment Centre, Orilla, ON, Canada.
September 1 Duran Duran: Casino Rama Entertainment Centre, Orilla, ON, Canada.

 


A Wedding show

Duran Duran in Monopoli - Bari

On the right the article from La Gazzetta di Mezzoggiorno from july 2, 2012 that reports about the show that the band played in Monopoli [Bari - Italy] on June 30, 2012 at the wedding of the young wealthy Italo-Canadian businessman Julius Gaudio and his beautiful young wife Melba.

Here is a summary translation of the article. The celebrations of the wedding took place in different locations, the Masseria Pettolecchia and the Castle of St. Stephen in Monopoli where the couple held the party. When the news of the Duran Duran concert began to spread, the agency that organized the event, had to announce that the show was going to be canceled or moved to another location for public order reasons. Instead the show took place where it was expected, with a stage on the sea.

The only way local people could follow the show was by sea, some people even tried to get closer by boat but it was almost impossible to get to the place given the enormous deployment of police and security guards around the castle. The British band of Simon Le Bon has performed for about an hour with the guests into raptures.


 

John Taylor interview to Globo [translation]

 

Translation [by Salvo] from this interview | During a telephone interviewed with G1, bassist John Taylor, says that playing "Rio" in Rio is "exactly the same thing" that playing it somewhere else and comments about his upcoming autobiography, his relationship with fans and the '80s. "I had some terrifying moments. We have been very lucky, nothing has happened in those crazy years, a catastrophe could have happened. It seemed dangerous" he recalls.

Will the concert be similar compared to the stage and structure seen in the dvd concert 'Diamond in the Mind'?

John Taylor - This isn´t my problem... I don´t know how it goes when I get there. These decisions have nothing to do with me. Nick, who is into technology, looks out how the technology will be like in every show. I know he will always strive to do something special. The rest of the band concentrates on the musical side. We just think to play the songs. We want to make the best show that Duran Duran has ever done in Brazil.

How did the idea of calling your book 'In the Pleasure Groove: Love, Death and Duran Duran' ?

John Taylor - I took a while, it was the fourth title option. When I was writing I noticed that my story is about someone who became addicted to the pleasure. The book is about the ups and downs, it's about the pain and pleasure. We also wanted something that was related to playing bass, then came the word of "groove". You get stuck in the groove, no matter if it´s good or bad. So the idea is kind of stuck in the groove of pleasure.

What did you write in the book that you had never told anyone?

John Taylor - There is much that I only said to people very close to me. It´s an opportunity to talk about growing up during the 70s. Nobody played music at my home. I had achieved all that through my own efforts. I met Nick [Rhodes], we formed the band and everything worked out, mainly in the 80s. Then I had to learn to deal with fame. If I hadn´t learned to be a real person, I would have become one of these decadent ex- popstars. I learned to be a thirty years old man, I lost my parents ... The book talks about this experiences.

Did you experience some moments with fans that lead you to think everything could get out of control? Have you ever been afraid of fans?

John Taylor - I experienced terrifying moments. In the United States in 1984 the situation was insane. A catastrophe could have happened, luckily enough we didn't have any major problems. There was a high level of madness and popularity. The Arena were so full, so much people, thousands and thousands of people... And they were all crazy. It seemed dangerous.

Duran Duran´s hair have already been copied a lot. Is there a lack of good visuals in pop rock nowadays?

John Taylor - Today isn´t so easy to invent fashion, so much has happened in pop music. The 70s were good times to come up with a haircut... It´s hard to mention a rock artist who really had an innovative look. Today new acts only want to wear white shirt and black jacket. They are very "clean". The music is all going in the same direction, isn´t as interesting as it was before.

You said that your daughter doesn´t like Duran Duran, does she still think so?

John Taylor – Isn´t exactly that way. She isn´t a big fan, but she´s proud of her father. She came to Coachella [U.S. festival] twice and she prefers songs of people of the same age as her [she has 20 years]. Sometimes I like what she listen to, sometimes gives me a headache.

What would make you leave the band?

John Taylor - Good question. My God, I don´t know. I'm not ready to leave them again [he left the band in 1997 and returned in 2001]. Let's do another album of new songs soon, we care a lot of each other. We enjoy making music together and we enjoy each other's company. We'll be touring until September and then we'll begin to think to the new album. It may be with Mark [Ronson, producer] again. He is available.

The book cover has been unveiled by play.com some days ago.

 


Roger and Nick about working with Ronson again

Source Vh1.com | The great thing about Mark is that he came with a vision, Taylor explained. It's good to have somebody, just slightly outside of the band, with that vision.

Rhodes weighed in next. We wanted to work with Mark because we'd done a show with him in Paris. We had such a good time with him, generally. He's a lovely person to be around. He's funny, he's sharp.

He wears nice suits,Taylor chimed in.

He wears nice suits, Rhodes admitted with a chuckle. He fits in on many levels. He was an obvious one for us and for him, because he knows our music so intimately. He's a professors level of knowledge about Duran Duran.

 


 

More about Rio and Antigua: Rolling Stone interview translation

The lyrics to Rio were inspired by a waitress in a Birmingham pub

---

In the June issue of Rolling Stone Italy there was a fantastic interview to the guys in Antigua. Below you can find scans and translation of the most interesting parts.
  • "I remember a lot of things about Italy, it’s a very important country for Duran Duran. Not long a go we even attended a party at Berlusconi’s in Sardinia. When we arrived everybody was singing that song“ We are lucky that Silvio exists”. Nick
  • The interviewer [Marco Drago, pictured on the right with Simon in Antigua] is obviously a Duran Duran fan and asks if they ever thought about working with Brian Eno. “When we recorded A View to a Kill” we asked Eno to produce the song, but he was too busy so we didn’t manage to work together". Nick.
  • "The first sessions for the Rio album were recorded at Bob Lamb’s studio in King’s Heath. I recently listened to them and they sound exactly as the final songs on the record. All the tracks existed already when we went into the studio to record the album, they were all written during the recording sessions of the first album. We actually didn’t suffer of the second record crisis... maybe of the third... Rio has been made with the energy and with the band's first wave of creativity". Nick.
  • Simon recalls that Rio was born from a John Taylor idea, he just wanted a longer song to open the shows. "We decided the title Rio later: for us it meant something like ‘the mother of all the parties’ just because of the Rio Carnival... So we thought it was a good title for the album. The lyrics were still missing... words came in cafe in Birmingham. There was this waitress who was moving around the tables, she was aware that everybody was looking at her, she was beautiful and elegant, “like a bird of paradise”. I wrote opening verses on a napkin and then I finished the rest of lyrics at home attributing to the misterious waitress caratteristics of other girls that I had met at the parties in the States. Unfortunately I never met that girl again".
  • "Back in 1982, I were at my parent’s home, we were eating fish and peas and the telephone rang... my mother answers and says "It’s Michael", nothing strange since our manager’s name was Michael. My mother that said it wasn’t his voice. So I asked her to ask the person to tell his surname, since I was staring to get famous and I didn’t want to be distrurbed when I was at my parent’s. She returned saying “it’s Michael Jackson”. I rushed to the telephone overthrowing the dish of fish and peas... it wasn’t a joke, it was that Michalel Jackson who was calling to just say how much he loved Rio and that he wanted to do a record with us". Nick.
  • "It was nice to go back to Birmingham in those early years of the band becaause we could actually look in the face all the people that treated us badly and made fun of us just because we liked to dress up, use make-up and listen to glam rather than rock". Simon.

Source Vh1 | Duran Duran's 1982 album Rio is a modern classic. The record, which produced the megahits Hungry Like The Wolf, Rio, and Save A Prayer, just celebrated its 30th anniversary last month. We knew we had something really great with the finished album,Roger confessed. I remember listening to it from start to finish on my Sony Walkman on an aeroplane and i thought, F*ck, this is REALLY good.

I remember we recorded it in Air Studios in London, Rhodes regaled. We were in Studio 1, and in Studio 2, at the end of the corridor, Paul McCartney was working on something with [legendary Beatles producer] George Martin. So each night, around 7 o'clock same time every night Paul and Linda would come and bang on the door, stick their head in and say, Good luck, fellas! It was so bizarre, so abstract for us. He was so sweet and down to earth, and for us, it was a big deal. It was inspirational.

Speaking of inspirations, we asked them if they had ever seen Noah Baumbach's 2010 film Greenberg, a movie in which their Rio album plays a major role. Specifically, Ben Stiller's title character describes the album and the song The Chauffeur, specifically as great coke music. So we asked them point blank: What sort of a role did cocaine play in the writing and recording of Rio?

It was part of the general background of our life, Taylor told us. You can't say that there wasn't quite a bit of cocaine around. So, I guess that was a backdrop, and maybe somehow that did influence some of the songs on the record.

Definitely not with "The Chauffeur", Rhodes cut in.

Maybe some of the faster songs were more coke-induced, Taylor continued. Because some of them were F*CKING fast. Bang!

 

Fan Report from the road, Faby shares her diaries

The Band Designed To Make Us Partyyy!

Brasilia, April 28th, 2012.

It was the band´s first time in Brasilia, and may I say, also mine. This young 50 year old Brazilian city is like no other I have ever been to. So different from Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. The work of Architect Oscar Niemeyer in Brasilia is stunning; he designed a large number of residential, commercial and government buildings in a city designed in the shape of a bird [or an airplane], which was the perfect setting for the first Duran Duran concert of the 2012 South American tour leg.


We arrived in Brasilia the same day of the concert and after landing, went straight to Centro de Convenções Ulysses Guimaraes. The show was moved from Nilson Nelson Gymnasium the previous week and the new venue was smaller and had seats all over it. We waited for the doors to open with our Brazilian friends. Being with friends makes things much more fun, so time went by fast. The doors opened at 8:00 PM and we entered the venue where a great surprise was awaiting for us: a Meet & Greet with the band members! It was lovely to meet them on the very first day we started "touring", all of them smiling and being warm and friendly with their South American fan base.
Minutes after the M&G was over, the show started and, as every Duran Duran show, it was amazing! The crowd enjoyed Duran Duran´s first perfomance in town from beginning to end, singing and dancing through the whole set of songs.

The next day, we visited a few lovely places in the city like Catedral Metropolitana Nossa Senhora Aparecida, the National Congress and the Museu Nacional that John had visited the day before enjoying Ziraldo´s work; in the afternoon we were off to Rio for the next stop ot the tour. To our great surprise, the band was flying the same time we were, so it was a very nice experience to be "boarding" together. One of the things I had brought with me from home was a poster that I had printed of a photograph taken by a dear friend, Carla Magrin, in Sydney, Australia, when the AYNIN hit OZ.

The picture was taken while the band were playing "Rio" and as we all know, pictures of fans are shown on the screens during this song on every concert. I was lucky enough to get my picture chosen and even luckier to have someone from so far away take such a great shot of Simon Le Bon with open arms on stage while my picture was shown above him, and then send it to me. The band members loved the shot and they all signed the poster for me. It was a magical moment [so thank you once more, Carla].


Rio de Janeiro, April 29th May 1st.



Once in Rio, a city I had never been to before and was very excited to get to know, rain did not stop for 3 whole days! I had a lovely local friend who lives in Niteroi, Paula, who was willing to show me around, but due to the weather, I could see very little of Rio de Janeiro. The Oscar Niemeyer MAC Museum was a lovely place to visit and the view of Rio from Parque Da Cidade was absolutely wonderful.


On April 30th we were ready for our second Duran Duran show at Citibank Hall, and the evening was a memorable one. The audience was much larger and louder than the one in Brasilia, making the concert a great one, and for me, my favourite Brazilian show of this tour.

There were lots of colourful neon sticks and balloons in pink and black to welcome the band on stage. While playing Notorious, the crowd held up signs saying "NO", something very original done by Brazilian fans and the band loved it!

Save a Prayer was the song the audience was waiting for, not only in Rio but in all 3 Brazilian concerts, since it is one of their greatest hits in that country. Rio was just great....I mean, how many times can you listen to Rio being played live in Rio?

Sao Paulo, May 2nd.

On this day, we arrived in Sao Paulo to enjoy the final show of the band in Brazil. This was the best selling one in that country, the venue was bigger than the others where they had played before and great number of fans were expected to attend the show at Credicard Hall.
The doors opened at 7:00 PM, we all went inside and got our sports in the front row like in all other shows, and the night was marvelous! The neon sticks, balloons and "NO" signs were all there again. The energy was great and the audience loved the show.
By the end of "Is There Something I Should Know", Simon started to cough, almost without stopping until the end of the song. Once it ended, the band paused for a couple of minutes before playing "Girl Panic". Once GP started, Simon kept on coughing during the song and for a moment there, I was really worried something was wrong with him [do I need to tell you all what fear popped into my head at that moment?], but after Tiger Tiger, he was good to go again and gave a spectacular performance to all fans in Sao Paulo!
Cricard Hall was a great ending for the Brazilian shows, with an audience that enjoyed Duran Duran to the fullest making it a performance to remember.
The next day, we saw the band off, having lovely moments and chats with them. It is a delight to be a fan of such great musicians that are also so willing to take the time to talk and enjoy moments with the people who admire them, they way Duran Duran do.

Having just completed tours in Asia, South America and parts of Europe, Taylor says the band “can always find an audience,” even though “we might have 6,000 people at a show instead of 60,000.”

John Taylor

Buenos Aires, May 3rd. Getting ready for the BIG ONES!

I arrived in Buenos Aires late at night and could barely sleep, even though I was really exhausted, knowing I had to go in line early the next day. Buenos Aires was going to be a very different kind of thing, since there are so many Duranies in my homeland who adore the band. So the excitement did not let me rest and I was up very early and off to Luna Park to join my friends in the queue.
To spice things up even more, I was told I had a spot in the M&G for the next day [well...sleeping was off the agenda for good!], so after all the good news and the friendly company, time flew by in the queue until the doors opened at 7:00 PM. They divided the crowd in 4 lines at gate 8, and I was the first one to run inside [talk about excitement!]. I was thrilled to be there, front row with all my friends, ready to enjoy #DuranLive in my hometown!
Luna Park was SOLD OUT, about 10.000 fans were expecting to see DD after 4 years since their last show in Argentina and for the first time, the band played in an indoor arena in Buenos AIres. To put it in JT´s words: "First time indoors in BA. Finally a roof to tear off". And man, did we tear it off! It was one the greatest shows I have ever been to in my whole life! The crownd was so loud, chanting, screaming, singing and dancing to every single song like there was no tomorrow. You could hear from the outside of the venue our very own "Olé, olé olé ole Duran Duran!" over and over again, and the band loved it to pieces.
For the first time ever in South America, Simon Le Bon dived into the crowd (and on my head!) and stayed there enjoying all our loving for a good 2 minutes. I felt I was inside a tornado or something! Everyone wanted to reach out and touch him so it got a bit messy, but sooo good! Keep on doing it, Mr. Le Bon!

 

“We are going through a renaissance with those songs that we had gotten tired of playing, maybe that just comes with age. They are all quite different tunes, and they are actually really great fucking songs.”

John Taylor

Simon speaks enthusiastically of Argentina: "I have many wonderful memories, the last time we were there was in 2008 (before it was in '93, 2005 and 2007)."

The lead singer of Duran Duran still remembers a special moment he lived in the early '90s: "When we recorded the video for Breath After Breath with Milton Nascimento in Iguazu, near waterfalls, six butterflies suddenly fell upon me at the same time. "

 

On May 5th, I went to the M&G which was very nice and relaxed. They were all so happy with the first show in Argentina you could see it in their eyes. The show was a different, since this time there was not a standing audience in front of the stage. There were seats all over Luna Park, which made it a bit less crowded but with more space to dance all night. And so we did!

Another night with a venue at full capacity and with a longer and different set list. This time around "Blame the Machines", "The Man Who Stole a Leopard" and "Careless Memories" were added. The audience loved them all, specially Careless Memories that had never been played in Argentina or in South America, for that matter.

My friends and I were lucky enough to get front row centre seats, and during The Reflex, as we all know, Simon picked someone in the crowd to sing along. To give it a twist, this time around he picked a group of 3 girls to sing, but only one girl approached the stage and sang the intro with him. After this, Simon still wanted to look for some "fellas", because as he says, "it´s such a guy thing". And to our surprise, he came straight to us, the crazy, jumpy, loud, front rowers and made Gerardo, Daniel, Ariel, Victor and Pablo sing along, and by the end, all of them, Cecilia and myself were in a "roundabout" singing and jumping all together and being shown on the screens with our beloved front man. Is this Heaven or what? Thank you, Simon!

At both shows, the audience displayed a lot of Argentine banners with logos and Duran related phrases. We sang our hearts out and showed our deep love for the band. Argentina adores Duran Duran and the band adores us back. They gave us everything, they was nothing left to be given. This love affair between Argentina and Duran Duran will never end.

On May 6th, they flew to Chile and I was able to see them off along with many other fans. They were all so happy with the shows and audience in Argentina. Lovely words were said by the band to the fans before they left. It was very touching to hear such appreciation from the band you love.

“They say that gratitude is a prayer”

“Everyone always wants more. But I have found that it’s important to really love what you are doing at the moment, and we love playing right now. That kind of pleasure is what maintains the vivaciousness of our performances.”

John Taylor

Santiago de Chile, May 7th

The four of us, Gerardo, Victor Pablo and myself, took a flight to Chile to see the show at Tearo Caupolicán on May 8th, in Santiago de Chile. On the day of our arrival, we walked through the beautiful city and met some cool Chilean fans wh were thrilled to have the band back in their country.
The next day, the show at Caupolicán was fantastic. It was a sold out show with a capacity of 5.000 people who loved Duran Duran´s performance. Songs like "Planet Earth", "Come Undonde" and "Ordinary World" were high points of the night.

The Reflex in Santiago: FUNNIEST REFLEX EVA!
Simon picked a guy from the audience to sing, as usual, but the guy was so absolutey starstruck with him that all he kept saying was "Te amo" [Spanish for "I love you"]. Simon kept on asking his name, and in the end he thought "Tiamo" was the fan´s name. By the end of the intro, Simon shouted to the crowd: "Let´s hear it for TE AMO!".
It was so absolutely funny! You can also check the video for this one on YouTube.

Last night’s show at Lunar Park indoor arena, in Buenos Aires, was one such occasion.

In the bus back to the hotel from the venue, as we sat in our soaked stage clothing, we all agreed it was possibly the best show that we’d ever played, and it certainly was the best audience we’ve played to in our career.

Simon Le Bon

The band has such a loyal audience in Chile, it was lovely to be part of that show. I have many dear friends there, it was great to meet them all again.
We were lucky enough to see the band after the show and also leaving Chile, ready to get back to their homes. For one of my friends, it was his first time meeting the band in a calm situation, since in Argentina it is almost impossible to see them quietly.

He was so happy to talk to them and he even gave demos of his tribute band, "Night Boat" to John and Nick. They were so nice to him and to us all, it was the perfect way to say goodbye to them.
They took pictures with us all and signed our records; even leaving in the early hours of the morning did not matter to them.

All I can say over and over again is huge THANK YOU to all the band members, Nick, Simon, Roger and John, for every single moment and detail shared with us all in South America. We cannot wait for your next visit and hope that it won´t be very long until you tour South America again.

Thanks to all my friends who joined me and helped me throughout this tour and thank to you, dear Salvo, for everything you do and share with us.
Duran Duran not only gives us the best music in the universe and the greatest shows on Planet Earth, they also fill our lives with friends all over the world ready to enjoy the band designed to make us party!

 

Faby reports | Fernanda Barbosa Takai (born August 25, 1971) is a Brazilian singer, better known as the lead vocalist ofthe rock band Pato Fu. She has also been working on a solo career since 2007 and recorded 2 solo albums, one of them, Luz Negra, featuring a cover of Ordinary World. Fernanda was invited to sing this song with Duran Duran at all three Brazilian shows giving a great performance, being so touched by sharing the stage with the band, since she is known to be a great Duran Duran fan. She attended the Meet and Greet in Brasilia on April 28th and was very excited about seeing the band, just like any other fan would be. She was also seen in Rio and Sao Paulo having dinner with the band members. Could we expect a new colaboration with another great Brazilian artist? In case you want to find out more about Feranda Takai´s musical career, you can find out more here fernandatakai.com.br

 

Translation from the areavip.com.br interview

Relationship with Brazil


Simon Le Bon: Brazil is the future. You have an economy that really works, that is growing. There is still room to grow here. And, musically, is a place of great music producers. You have a very musicality and export it. So it's important for us to come here and experience Brazilian music
Nick Rhodes: I do not know much about modern Brazilian music, but obviously we like Caetano Veloso and other artists. We would like to know more. The business is the energy of people around here. Many people say that the South American public is the best. And it's true. More animated, louder singing, they dance a lot and has more pace.

Roger Taylor: It was amazing. I have not touched so many times here in Brazil, but for me it was the best night so far. It was awesome. The public was interacting. It seems he knew all the lyrics
.


Social projects and sustainability


Roger Taylor: We're not a band to preach to people, be it political or environmental issues. But today, if it has any significance for the festival [ the band took part part in the festival that supports the sustainability debate] and the audience is even more attractive to us. We can help with publicity, but depends on the individual to do something with the information.
Simon Le Bon: It is more urgent for the young people, because honestly, we'll be dead in 50 years. But they will be alive. So, what happens depends on them.

Simon is Ambassador of the Air Ambulance Service

Picture on the left: Duran Duran frontman Simon Le Bon praised the work of the Air Ambulance Service during a visit to its headquarters in Coventry. He met staff at Bagington Airport as part of his new role as an ambassador for the charity. The 53-year-old singer said it was vital the service was maintained. He added that he was keen to help the charity after he was rescued from a capsized yacht during the Fastnet Yacht Race 27 years ago.

The charity provides emergency medical services for Warwickshire, Derbyshire, Northamptonshire, Leicestershire, Rutland and Milton Keynes.

  • In the scans section at the end of this page you'll find some press articles about this new role of Simon.

Simon arriving at ITV Studios in London on June 13, 2012

PreDDhistory: Simon talks about Dog Days and the song 'Permissive Society'

 

On may 12, 2012 Simon tweeted this very interesting piece of pre-duran history!

Bending to put dWog bowls into respective crates, a single thought rolled down my inverted spine and landed in my head - Eddie & The Ho Rods! They were my favorite band for two weeks in 1977 until I heard John Peel play Fan Club by The Damned.

  • I auditioned for a band called Bolleaux [as in Gateaux] Alan St Clare, ex-Spear Of Destiny, on guitar. Sang Rory Gallagher's Open Up and... it was way out of my range. I screeched the whole thing... and got the gig. The only song of Bolleaux's which I liked sounded like Eddie & The Hot Rods.
  • We did one rehearsal together before disbanding. Alan St Clare & myself along with Pete Johns - bass, Oly Bezhadi - drums and Carol Isaacs - keyboards, formed Dog Days.
  • Eddie & The Hot Rods video | Simon says: "Dog Days song Permissive Society was E&THR inspired"

On the left a picture of Alan St. Clair playing with Spear Of Destiny. The British guitarist played with several prominent punk and new wave musicians in the 1970s and 1980s, including Dog Days.

 

 

Get all these scans [and more!] from international mags and newspapers

 

 

The only aim of this webzine is to celebrate Duran Duran and their members. This is a non-profit activity and there are not commercial purposes behind the existence of the site. This webzine is just a positive place to share love, passion, stories, news and pics among Duran Duran fans. Any Duran Duran fan is welcomed to submit reports, news, pics, etc.

www.duranasty.com is a fan-site made with passion from a fan to all the fans of Duran Duran on Planet Earth.

contact the editor and webmaster salvo@duranasty.com | the life and times of D u r a n a s t y ® All rights reserved

Thank you Duran Duran for being a daily source of inspiration with your art

 

 

 

Special thanks to all the people who helped to build up this installment: the fantastic Faby Torras, Evelyn Wade, Michelle Riding, Christian, Marco Drago, Adriane Dalmaso and Diana da Cruz, Trident and citizenrelations, Barbara and all of you duranasty's facebook friends!

 

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