For me, it was a dream come true.  I had wanted to see Duran Duran with its original lineup for 20 years - the last time they had all played together was at LiveAid in 1985.  For a long time I had assumed it was never going to happen, until last year, when it was announced that they were back together and would tour, with a new album due out in the spring of 2004.  Duran Duran – with Simon LeBon (vocals), John Taylor (bass), Andy Taylor (guitar), Nick Rhodes (keyboards/synthesizer – the man whom, when I was 13, I swore I was going to marry), and Roger Taylor (Drums) – performed at the Cullen Performance Hall in Houston on November 23, a venue that sold out in less than half an hour.

The quintet came out and stood still at the front of the stage for about 30 seconds, while the mass of thirty-somethings instantly reverted back to their teenage days, screaming constantly in Duran hysteria.  The guys were dashing and debonair, and the saying that “men get better with age” was certainly true that night.  LeBon was dressed in black pants with a black shirt, sequined around the collar, and a white jacket; Andy looking cool in sunglasses and a dark pin-stripe suit; Nick in a dark suit and white shirt; John in dark pants and dark coat; while Roger dressed in dark pants and a white sleeveless side-buttoned shirt.  No New Wave garb tonight – the guys of Duran have grown up along with their fans.

After standing at the front of the stage for a standing ovation, the band took their instruments and launched into “Friends of Mine” (one of my personal faves).  The 17 song set list included plenty of classic favorites, plus several hits from after the departures of Andy and Roger.

One of the best was the eerie sounding “Night Boat” from the debut album, when Simon left the stage and came back in a black trench coat waving a spotlight into the crowd.

Two new songs that will be included in the upcoming album were also featured in the set list – the funky/groovy sounding “What Happens Tomorrow?” and the ballad “Beautiful Colours”.

Simon had the audience sing along on “Notorious”, and in the middle of the song, they did about a 30 second cover of Sister Sledge’s “We Are Family” – quite fitting I thought.

The guys appeared to enjoy playing together again, and enjoyed the audience as well, flashing smiles to the fans.  Simon swiveled and gyrated, inciting countless screams from the women.  They seemed to play flawlessly; it was like Andy and Roger had never left.

Many audience members came dressed in their old Duran gear and other memorabilia.  I was sporting black leather pants with a hip-chain belt and white jazz shoes (the Duran look) with a Duran t-shirt and my black blazer embellished with all my old Duran Duran pins, plus wore my makeup like Nick’s.  It was all very nostalgic – audience members were sharing fan stories and checking out each other’s memorabilia.  I also noticed that everyone was nice to each other; usually at concerts some people get really competitive or rude, but here it kind of felt like a sisterhood/brotherhood type of atmosphere.

We all seemed to have turned back into adolescents.  Anytime Simon was speaking to the audience, every second of silence was filled with an “I love you, (insert favorite Duran here)!” from somewhere in the crowd (okay, I admit, I yelled “I love you guys!” once).

Duran Duran played a rock solid show – proving that these “Wild Boys” have not gone anywhere and are still a force to be reckoned with on the tour circuit.  They still keep us “dancing on the Valentine” and make us thirtysomethings feel young again.  By the way, Nick, I’m still waiting for my marriage proposal.

Set List:

Friends of Mine
Planet Earth
Hungry Like the Wolf
Come Undone
What Happens Tomorrow
New Religion
Is There Something I Should Know
Beautiful Colours
Waiting for the Night Boat
Ordinary World
Save a Prayer
Notorious
Girls on Film
Careless Memories
Wild Boys
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The Reflex
Rio