My inner twelve year old is still squeeeling over Duran Duran live in Cleveland

Immediately after Duran Duran left the stage at the Playhouse Theater in Cleveland on Wednesday, an attendee behind me said, “Well, that wasn’t THE BEST Duran Duran show I’ve ever seen, but it was definitely in the top two.”

Now, maybe he’s only seen two Duran Duran shows. I don’t know. I didn’t ask him, but I got the impression that he had seen quite a few, and he knew what he was talking about.

This was actually my first Duran Duran show, but it left me wishing I’d seen them more often in the past. Truth is, I was twelve when I bought my first Duran Duran tape, and that's too young to attend a concert without parental superivision. I did go to see one concert with my mom when I was 13. That was Lionel Ritchie with Sheila E. Later that year I saw Cindi Lauper with a friend and her Dad. After that, when I was old enough to see concerts without chaperones, it was Janes Addiction, Guns n Roses, Soundgarden, Social Distortion, and the like.

But back to Duran Duran at the Playhouse Theater in Cleveland. They played every song I expected them to play (Notorious, Planet Earth, Reflex, etc), a few I didn’t even realize I really wanted them to play (Ordinary World, Come Undone) and encored with the two songs that everybody wanted to hear (Hungry Like a Wolf and Rio).

The entire crowd  - even in the balcony seats I could see - stood and danced and sang throughout the whole show. The onstage videos were amazing. And the sound was incredible. Every song sounded just like I remembered it, only louder and pulsing straight through my bones.

Front man Simon Lebon still looks great in a black V-neck T, and he can still do a high kick while singing Reflex! In between songs he recounted the first time the band played Cleveland and even remembered the name and layout of the joint. (Apparently, there was a stripper pole in the middle of the stage.)

Cleveland, I'm certain, will not soon forget Duran Duran. Neither will you if you see them live.

Comments

[Sarah]

I was going to comment about how I still clearly remember listening to Duran Duran songs we taped off of the radio on your front porch, but I got distracted by the stripper pole part.

In an arena?

Wait - never mind. I guess it makes sense.

[Nick]

love them! they are the best!