It’s been a busy year for Duran Duran. Last October, the legendary band (Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes, John Taylor, and Roger Taylor) from Birmingham, England released their 15th album, Future Past, one that they say is a nod to their past while embracing their future. It makes sense. Duran Duran have always had an eye to the horizon; they were famously among the first to embrace the music video. That willingness to look ahead has contributed to their longevity as a band, but mostly they just make great music that stands the test of time.
But I digress. Back in June, the band performed at the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebration outside Buckingham Palace, celebrating the 70th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign. Last month, Duran Duran kicked off the 2022 Commonwealth Games with a headline performance in Birmingham. To top it all off, Duran Duran—one of my all-time favorite bands and my first true musical love—were announced as one of 2022’s inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. That honor will be formally bestowed on them November 5th in Los Angeles.
Amidst all of that, the band found time for a tour to promote the newest album; the Future Past tour made a stop at Maryland’s Merriweather Post Pavilion Tuesday night. Duran Duran brought down the house with their mix of old and new. I expected nothing less.
As in the past, Nile Rodgers & Chic joined the tour as support. What a pleasure and a privilege it is to see Rodgers perform. The man’s career has been simply mind boggling—the record producer, composer and co-founder of Chic has contributed to records that have sold over 500 million albums and 75 million singles worldwide. He co-produced Duran Duran’s 1986 album Notorious, and remixed “The Reflex,” their biggest-selling single. Grammys? He’s got three of them. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? He was inducted in 2017. If you’ve ever liked a great pop/ funk/ disco/ soul song that was made at any point since the ’70s, chances are Nile Rodgers had a hand in the creation of it—the man’s abilities are just jaw dropping.
Live, Nile Rodgers & Chic are an absolute delight, smiling for our lowly cameras and getting the crowd on their feet and dancing. Chic tunes were on the setlist, of course, along with a sampling of others Rodgers helped craft—a little Diana Ross here, some David Bowie there, and a bit of Madonna and Daft Punk. After the set ended, I overheard fans say they’d be happy to see the band perform a headlining show and some of the other photographers wondered out loud how anyone could follow up such a wonderful performance.
Duran Duran were up to the challenge. After 40 years, Duran Duran is one of those bands that could assemble a winning setlist just by throwing darts at a board—their back catalog is to die for. For the Future Past tour, they’ve incorporated several of their new tunes—including “Invisible” and “Anniversary”—in with older songs that span their discography, including “Hungry Like the Wolf” and “Ordinary World,” the latter being dedicated to the people of Ukraine.
While it’s not a proper Duran Duran gig without closing things out with the classic “Rio” from the band’s masterpiece album of the same name, I was surprised and thrilled to hear “Friends of Mine,” a favorite that I still listen to several times a week. While it’s often tough to keep a crowd around to the very end of a gig on a Tuesday night, the mostly Generation X fans in attendance did just that, literally dancing in the aisles until the band took their bows.
As a photographer, I couldn’t have been more excited to capture Duran Duran from the photo pit—I jumped up and down when I got confirmed for a pass. My ten-year-old, Seven and the Ragged Tiger-loving self would never have believed it.
Duran Duran’s Future Past tour continues into September, wrapping up with three consecutive shows at the Hollywood Bowl.
NILE ROGERS & CHIC
DURAN DURAN SETLIST
Wild Boys
Hungry Like the Wolf
Invisible
Anniversary
Notorious
A View to a Kill
Come Undone
Give It All Up
Friends of Mine
Careless Memories
Ordinary World
Tonight United
Planet Earth
Hold Back the Rain
Reflex
White Lines
Girls on Film/Acceptable in the 80’s
ENCORE
Save a Prayer
Rio
