Duran Duran will bring their modernized ’80s sounds to New Orleans this Saturday as the boys play an intimate gig at Twi Ro Pa.
The band is best known for its parade of hits throughout the ’80s. Songs such as “Rio” and “Hungry like the Wolf” were MTV mainstays when the station was just beginning.
The band has reformed in different incarnations over the years, but this tour reunites the original lineup for the first time in nearly 20 years.
The band recently released a two DVD anthology of their greatest hits, aptly titled “Greatest DVD.”
The band seems poised to make a comeback, riding a wave of ’80’s nostalgia, and trying to bring something new to the table as well.
The band is revving up to record a new album. The first with this lineup since 1983’s “Seven and the Ragged Tiger.”
According to lead singer Simon Le Bon the band is hoping to create a new sound with their next effort.
Le Bon told Rolling Stone, “John [Taylor, bassist] always said that we started as a fusion between the Sex Pistols and Chic. Accordingly, we’re being pulled in two different directions now: Nick [Rhodes, keyboardist] loves hip-hop, but then I like raw things like the White Stripes and Rapture. If we can make that fusion, we’ll be on to something.”
But to some the band always will be a classic ’80s group, known for its now seemingly ridiculous videos and number one hits. Songs such as “Girls on Film” are not the most cerebral, but the band has a special place in fans hearts.
Those looking for an ’80s revival should attend the show with caution.
Bass player John Taylor in an interview with the Free Press explained the shows on the latest tour are not all about nostalgia.
“The tour is a testing ground for the new material, but we’re not sadists. It’s not all about the new material. It’s a balancing act of old and new. The argument we have before each show is which songs aren’t we going to play. Nick has this golden rule – we can’t play all the No. 1 hits. You have to keep people wondering. I think that’s good. It isn’t a greatest hits show. I think that part of keeping the new material in the mix keeps us relevant,” Taylor said.
So far the band is succeeding in its quest to remain a relevant source in music.
The latest tour has the band playing to deliberately intimate crowds to increase ticket demand. Recently the band won Lifetime Achievement awards from MTV and Britain’s influential Q Magazine.
With these successes it seems clear the band is doing a good job of using their stigma as the most famous ’80s band to give them modern success.
Catch Duran Duran as they continue their comeback quest in New Orleans this Saturday at Twi Ro Pa. The show starts at 9 p.m. and tickets are $55.