Duran Duran: A true Boy BAND, Electrifies Turning Stone Casino!

Duran Duran: A true Boy BAND, Electrifies Turning Stone Casino! – By Michael Bruce.

When I was in eighth grade there was a girl named Christine that I used to argue with every day. She sat next to me in science class. Before the teacher would start talking, and the bell would ring, we would have our daily battle between who was better.  It was Duran Duran vs. Kiss. I of course was defending that kiss was the best. I still stand by that statement with my own personal tastes however, as time has gone by, I’ve learned to appreciate just how great Duran Duran is in their own right. When I bought the tickets to the show all I could think of is her sitting next to me during the concert saying, “I TOLD YOU SO”.

All these years have gone by, so even though I developed a strong liking for this band, I never thought that I would see them in concert. However, out of the blue sky they fell into Turning Stone Casino arena last night. There were plenty of male spectators, but there were definitely a bigger percentage of female spectators.  So when the lights went down, and the band came on the stage, there was a roar that only a large group of females could make when their favorite pastime “boy band” came on stage. However, that’s just it.  Duran Duran is truly a kickass BAND. They give the term “boy band” a GOOD name. They are living proof that you can be good looking AND know how to play an instrument.  Ladies and gentlemen here is Simon Le Bon on vocals, John Taylor on bass, Roger Taylor on drums, and Nick Rhodes on Keyboards.  They are all very talented in their own right, and John Taylor especially is a beast on bass guitar.  The only original member missing from the band was Andy Taylor who is currently and unfortunately battling prostate cancer.  With the exception of some of their synthesizer album loops, the band was all live and playing their asses off. Vocally, Simon sounded fantastic and they filled in their other parts with people, not computer tracks. The Pop world could learn a thing or two about how it should be done from Duran Duran.  The audience connects with people, NOT a bunch of backing tracks! Duran added two female backing singers Rachel O’ Connor and Anna Ross, along with saxophone player Simon Willescroft, and guitarist Dominic Brown. All together they worked as a great unit giving the audience the unique sound of Duran Duran!

What did they play for the close to sold out arena at Turning Stone Casino? They opened the show with Night Boat, a single off of their very first album that came out in 1981!  Followed by The Wild boys, Hungry Like The Wolf, James Bond’s A View To A Kill theme, and Notorious.  What a way to start an 80s style show.  The audience was LOUD, and up dancing at their seats.  After the super singles mania, the band settled into a few songs off of their Halloween themed album, Danse Macabre, which was released in 2023.  They also released this month a Danse Macabre De Luxe addition.  It’s now late October, so I guess it was very fitting.  From those albums, they performed Supernature, Super Lonely Freak (and busted into a bit of Rick James’ Super Freak), Bury A Friend, Evil Woman (An ELO cover), Psycho Killer (Talking Heads Cover), Confession Of The Afterlife, and Sekret Oktober 31^st.  In the middle of all of that Halloween music, Anna Ross came out front to sing a duet with Simon called Come Undone off of their 1993 album titled The Wedding Album.  This mid-section of the show was cool and fun with all of the Halloween graphic images behind them, but a little slow going for a little too long in my opinion.  However, the band probably wanted to bring you down that cool, but chill road so then they could punch you right in the face with their 80s barrage of chart busters.  Ordinary World, which is a beautiful song, was the only non-80s song the rest of the show.  The madness crowd screaming frenzy resumed during The Reflex, New Moon On Monday, Union Of The Snake, White Lines, Planet Earth, Girls On Film, Save a Prayer, and Rio.  Talk about a party of foot stomping hits!

There is no question that Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame inductees Duran Duran will go down in history as one of the biggest acts that ruled the most memorable decade of music.  They really have a unique pop/rock sound that can’t be compared anyone.  It’s now 2024, and all of these years later, you could tell the band was truly happy to be there and so was the audience.  The boys from Birmingham, England electrified the central New York crowd, and showed why they are not only a 1980s staple, but why music from that decade will continue to live on forever.  Three letters sums it up.  F U N.

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