Post by ©DURANMANIA Board Team on Mar 24, 2005 17:49:26 GMT -5
[glow=red,2,300]Duran Duran hits old, new at The Mark
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Wednesday, March 23rd, 2005 / By Sean Moeller
photo-Derek Anderson/QUAD-CITY TIMES/ "Duran Duran lead singer Simon LeBon sings “Planet Earth” while bass guitarist John Taylor and drummer Roger Taylor provide a beat Wednesday night at The Mark of the Quad-Cities in Moline. "
Nothing played as Simon LeBon, John Taylor, Roger Taylor, Nick Rhodes and Dominic Brown sauntered out from the black of the stage and up to the curve of the front edge Wednesday night at The Mark of the Quad-Cities in Moline.
.
The five members of immaculately dressed 1980s electro-rock stalwarts Duran Duran stood about as solid as Mount Rushmore, soaking in the roars and creating a five-strong manscape before breaking out and into “(Reach Up For The) Sunrise,” the first single from last year’s new record “Astronaut.”<br>.
The gesture and choice of show-opener formed the basis for much of an evening that had the band happily showing off their newest songs and reaching for the sentimentality button frequently.
It packed its main set with sap, leaving the theater-seated crowd of a couple thousand riveted to the handful of bones tossed to it in the form of “Hungry Like The Wolf” and “Come Undone,” not LeBon’s pantomimed hand gestures of lovers breaking apart and the miming of windows.
.
It’s not to say that LeBon wasn’t at the top of his game. He sounded like a 20-something, never losing track of a note and courteously displayed that flailing is an art form. He pranced and posed and whipped out the coolest swipes of the hand — right along to his calm expressiveness, turning a dead-arm fling into beauty.
.
He looked the part of the godfather of all metrosexuals. He sported tiny spikes in his casually tousled hair and worked a pink-collared shirt under an unbuttoned black leisure jacket. It could be the role he’s played since the band began in 1978.
.
Much of the emotion of the evening was subdued, and rightly so. Founding guitarist Andy Taylor was forced to leave the tour last Monday when his father, Ron, had his health severely deteriorate, forcing Taylor to fly back to the United Kingdom to be by his bedside.
.
According to a post on the band’s official Web site, Ron Taylor passed away Tuesday. More than three times during the show LeBon made acknowledgements to healing and coping as segues into songs.
.
“I think it was Bob Marley who said, ’This is to good friends and good friends we’ve lost along the way,’” LeBon said before the band locked in for a stirring rendition of “Ordinary World.”<br>.
The band followed it with a plea to pull out the lighters and cell phones to “make the stars come out” for another slow-roller, “Save a Prayer.”<br>.
LeBon had all the moms in the place singing, but even his suave, thingysure movements and good looks couldn’t spruce many of the new tracks that simply don’t stack up to most from the band’s backlog.
.
Louisville’s VHS Or Beta opened the show with a too-short wash of dark dance music that mixed the smoky club with a foggy night to suitably sinister results.
.
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Wednesday, March 23rd, 2005 / By Sean Moeller
photo-Derek Anderson/QUAD-CITY TIMES/ "Duran Duran lead singer Simon LeBon sings “Planet Earth” while bass guitarist John Taylor and drummer Roger Taylor provide a beat Wednesday night at The Mark of the Quad-Cities in Moline. "
Nothing played as Simon LeBon, John Taylor, Roger Taylor, Nick Rhodes and Dominic Brown sauntered out from the black of the stage and up to the curve of the front edge Wednesday night at The Mark of the Quad-Cities in Moline.
.
The five members of immaculately dressed 1980s electro-rock stalwarts Duran Duran stood about as solid as Mount Rushmore, soaking in the roars and creating a five-strong manscape before breaking out and into “(Reach Up For The) Sunrise,” the first single from last year’s new record “Astronaut.”<br>.
The gesture and choice of show-opener formed the basis for much of an evening that had the band happily showing off their newest songs and reaching for the sentimentality button frequently.
It packed its main set with sap, leaving the theater-seated crowd of a couple thousand riveted to the handful of bones tossed to it in the form of “Hungry Like The Wolf” and “Come Undone,” not LeBon’s pantomimed hand gestures of lovers breaking apart and the miming of windows.
.
It’s not to say that LeBon wasn’t at the top of his game. He sounded like a 20-something, never losing track of a note and courteously displayed that flailing is an art form. He pranced and posed and whipped out the coolest swipes of the hand — right along to his calm expressiveness, turning a dead-arm fling into beauty.
.
He looked the part of the godfather of all metrosexuals. He sported tiny spikes in his casually tousled hair and worked a pink-collared shirt under an unbuttoned black leisure jacket. It could be the role he’s played since the band began in 1978.
.
Much of the emotion of the evening was subdued, and rightly so. Founding guitarist Andy Taylor was forced to leave the tour last Monday when his father, Ron, had his health severely deteriorate, forcing Taylor to fly back to the United Kingdom to be by his bedside.
.
According to a post on the band’s official Web site, Ron Taylor passed away Tuesday. More than three times during the show LeBon made acknowledgements to healing and coping as segues into songs.
.
“I think it was Bob Marley who said, ’This is to good friends and good friends we’ve lost along the way,’” LeBon said before the band locked in for a stirring rendition of “Ordinary World.”<br>.
The band followed it with a plea to pull out the lighters and cell phones to “make the stars come out” for another slow-roller, “Save a Prayer.”<br>.
LeBon had all the moms in the place singing, but even his suave, thingysure movements and good looks couldn’t spruce many of the new tracks that simply don’t stack up to most from the band’s backlog.
.
Louisville’s VHS Or Beta opened the show with a too-short wash of dark dance music that mixed the smoky club with a foggy night to suitably sinister results.
.