Simon le Bon broke the orgasmic tension of devout fans on Wednesday night by bellowing the opening lyrics to “The Valley” with appropriately exaggerated tosses of his newly highlighted ‘do. Duran Duran fever was in full swing, especially in the form of swinging hips and limbs behind me, and Simon’s awkward, jerky diva dance moves were forgivable, even endearing.
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Duran Duran and Your Vegas
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 Entertainment
Art
Rosemont Theater
Chicago, Ill.
May 14, 2008
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After a slightly rusty start, all the obligatory elements of extravagance—costume changes, tentative crotch-caresses, semi-blinding light show—congealed into reasonably effective atmospheric tricks.
In a marathon two hour set, the band trekked through decades of nostalgic hits: “Hungry like the Wolf,” “Notorious,” “The Reflex.” Peppering the variety were also singles off the 2008 album, Red Carpet Massacre. The set list retained enough tried-and-true oldies to satisfy the die hards who must have bought the new album with a hefty dose of both anticipation and apprehension, while also reincarnating the band as an unearthed time capsule. As part of their new album, Duran Duran collaborated with one of today’s hottest producers to jump-start their familiarity in the pop market. Timbaland laid down his signature beats for three tracks on the album (featuring Justin Timberlake in “Night Runner”), infusing their already-familiar style with heart-skipping staccatos that are already part of the music industry’s collective subconscious. The cross-breed works, but still retains some expected clumsiness.
Channelling the mod-greats, Simon pulled an Andre 3000 when he screamed at the men, then the women, in the audience to let him know how they were doing. Hey Ya, Simon! With a core, adoring fan base, he can get away with it. Although it doesn’t help when Chicago’s own covert star, Billy Corgan, comes on stage to rock out a guitar solo and the audience stands perplexed. Or, like the guy next to me, screams: “Get off the stage!” Some intermingling works, some doesn’t. Corgan’s surprise grand entrance was anticlimactic, to say the least, and in the future he may avoid Chicago venues even more fervently than he has since the reunion of The Smashing Pumpkins.
All in all, Duran Duran has definitely imbibed itself into the pop culture dialogue through association, but it will be interesting to see if the ‘80s boys can stay afloat in a new environment without Timberlake-shaped lifesavers.
The opening band, Your Vegas, was led by a front man with a broken leg and a quirky sense of humor, who informed the crowd that his injury happened last time the band played in Chicago. The vocals were U2-like, but the instrumental back up was rocking with a subdued 80s edge. The music is sentimental and lyric-driven, a feel-good upbeat. Highlights from the energetic set included "Aurora", "Blue Skies", and "Till the lights go out." This triplet of semi-love songs would charm the pants off any American chick with a thing for accents. Their debut album, "A Town and Two Cities", hit stores earlier this year, and they're making waves. Catch them at Lollapalooza in August, when Coyle Girelli's leg heals and he can jump all over the stage.
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