Duran Duran - GM Place, Vancouver B.C., April 29th, 2008 - Concert Review:

















Photo copyright KulPop

All I can say is that Duran Duran still have it! After 30 years or so in the business they can still draw a decent crowd and still sound great live. Their concert tonight at Vancouver's GM Place kicked off the North American leg of their Red Carpet Massacre Tour.

Opening band Your Vegas we're okay and ended their set with the single 'In My Head' and the song 'Troubled Times'.

Duran Duran's show started with some opening music and a couple of minutes later the band emerged and started with the song 'The Valley' - the lead track on their new Red Carpet Massacre disc. The audience went wild on their fourth song 'Hungry Like The Wolf'. Another highlight was 'The Reflex' that I captured on video followed by 'Save A Prayer' (entire setlist listed below).

















Photo copyright KulPop

The band left the stage after 'Prayer' and the stage was set up for what I've heard called their 'Electro Set'. Two keyboards and an electronic drum kit are set up in the front of the stage and the remaining four original members of the band coming out dressed in black and perform a medley of tracks that includes 'All I Want' and 'Skin Trade'. It was a cool change of pace added a bit of a techno feel to the night.

Then they return to the full band setup for the remaining part of the concert. The band was joined by new guitarist Dom Brown, and a saxaphone player and female backup singer. The final part of the set includes fan favourites 'Notorious', 'Girls On Film' and 'Wild Boys'. At the end of 'Girls' Simon introduces the band, my only complaint of the evening would be that this was dragged out for a tad too long. After 'Wild Boys' the band leaves the stage and eventually comes out for the one encore, the classic single 'Rio'.

The only political comment of sorts came before 'Ordinary World' when Simon commented on Canada being a peace loving nation and that it must be hard to live above a bully (implying the U.S.). And before the encore John Taylor mentioned that when they were flying into Vancouver earlier in the day he thought it would be a nice city to live in.

The band sounded great and Simon is still the charismatic front man and the rest of the band have aged fairly well too. A decent mix of the old and the new and a typical fancy light show satisfied the large crowd and the band seemed to be having fun.

Setlist:

THE VALLEY
RED CARPET MASSACRE
NITE RUNNER
HUNGRY LIKE THE WOLF
PLANET EARTH
FALLING DOWN
COME UNDONE
SKIN DIVERS
A VIEW TO A KILL
THE REFLEX
SAVE A PRAYER

Electro Set:

LAST CHANCE
ALL SHE WANTS IS
WARM LEATHERETTE
I DON’T WANT
SKIN TRADE
TEMPTED

NOTORIOUS
GIRLS ON FILM
- Simon introduces band
ORDINARY WORLD
SUNRISE
WILD BOYS

Encore:

RIO