Dance Into the Fire: Duran Duran Live

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Express' Christopher Porter reviewed Duran Duran's Tuesday concert at Merriweather for Thursday's Washington Post, but he wrote down a bunch of things in his notebook that didn't make the final cut. Read the Post review here; excerpts from his notebook are presented below:

» "The Valley"
Started with a tune from "Red Carpet Massacre," the album that came out last fall — and that excited pretty much nobody except the true Duranies cared about despite collaborations with Timbaland and Timberlake. Simon Le Bon and John Taylor are wearing suits emblazoned with large white "D"s and it looks like there's fashionable "blood" splatters on their threads, too. John's already pulling out thumb-slapping bass moves! It's gonna be a white-funk party 2night.

» "Red Carpet Massacre"
New CD's title track, natch. When John appears on the big screen, the women in the crowd go nuts. Ladies love Cool J.

» "Nite Runner"
Another one from "RCM." This one sounds like it could be a Chic tune, one of Duran Duran's early influences. Timba & Timber worked on this one. The band knows its audience is well-primed — either by Merriweather's overpriced alcohol or by the excitement from the one concert a year these mostly moms and dads will go to — and can pretty much do anything at the start of the show.

» "Hungry Like the Wolf"
OK, my head just exploded, caused by a combo of the balky sinuses that are making my noggin feel like a sensitive lead balloon and the ear-piercing screams from middle-aged ladies like myself — er, I mean, middle-aged people like myself. Sax Guy walks out on stage! Songs from the '80s were full of standing-on-a-windy-mountainside sax solos; today, not so much. That means '80s bands who are still touring have to hire Sax Guy just to come out and blow on the old hits. Such frivolous spending — how very '80s.

» "Planet Earth"
John is playing a tiger-striped bass and is wearing silver Asics sneakers. Simon walks over and puts his right arm on John's left shoulder and sings right into his dreamy eyes — a fantasy for men and women the world over. BTW, Simon still dances like a less herky-jerky version of himself from the "Planet Earth" video — which in medical communities wouldn't be considered dancing but convulsions.

After the song Simon responds to shrieks by saying, "You guys are on it tonight." Such a charmer. He says it in every single town, almost surely, but still — a charmer.

» "Falling Down"
Another one off "Red Carpet" and one they co-wrote with Justin Timberlake. Really not very good; just a generic ballad. And the guitarist messed up the intro and DD had to start over. Be prepared to be fired by fax.

» "Come Undone"
Hard to believe this song is 15 years old. It's off DD's comeback album of sorts, the self-titled CD that's usually called "The Wedding Album."

» "Skin Divers"
Another one from "RCM." But the way DD has balanced the set is really great and these new ones don't kill the momentum even though the songs just don't have the melodies or grooves of the band's best work. This one has an electro vibe, thanks to Timbaland.

» "The Reflex"
I used to think Simon was a good dancer based on the video for this song — well, one move from this video anyway, the one where he jumps out of the shadows and in front of the red drapes. (See the 2:47 mark in the above video.) It was a move I used to re-create in my family's living room, in front of the doorwall, while wearing a royal blue suitcoat (with shoulder pads) stolen from my mom's closet — though it looked more New Wave than womanly, I swear. I recently watched the video again and Simon is helped by plenty of jump-cut editing (natch), though he's still more nimble then than he is now (aren't we all, sister). Tonight, he simply resembles a clumsy giant robot in need of oil. "I'm dancing on the valentine," indeed.

After the song, Simon starts to introduce the next one by saying, "We have quite a few Duran Duran virgins in the crowd tonight." John responds with, "What's that exactly?" And Simon blurts, "I dunno, but I like the sound of it."

And a massive douche chill rushes over me.

» "Save a Prayer"
One of my favorite songs off "Rio." Duran Duran should do one of those concerts that indie bands and dinosaur-rock acts have been doing as of late, where they perform a classic album in its entirely. DD should just perform "Rio" straight through, while incorporating the 12-inch remixes — aka the "Night Versions." The band requested that the audience holds up its cell phones to light the night and sing loud and proud with the chorus — which virtually everybody does. Thank you, "Columbia, Mary-Land!"

» "View to a Kill"
"Dance into the fire" is the best worst lyric ever. In fact, this song might be DD's worst-best hit song. While this was a smash because it came out when both James Bond and Duran Duran were huge, it's a really clunky tune.

The band walks offstage and some kind of setup change is happening. And I was just bonked in the head by a khaki-clad ass that tried to pinch by! I felt you, Random Butt: You're not the svelte, scooty bum of yore, when you last saw Duran Duran in a outfit made of mesh and lace.

» "Last Chance on the Stairway" / "All She Wants" / "Warm Leatherette" / "I Don't Want Your Love" / "Skin Trade" / "Tempted"
After the short break, DD reappeared with just the original members still in the band — Simon, John, Nick Rhodes and Roger Taylor — in front of keyboards and keypads. It's a long medley of DD songs done electro style, with a cover of The Normal's early synth-pop classic "Warm Leatherette" wedged in the middle. Tiny li'l Nick has been on a platform at the back of the stage for most of the show, but now that he's a bit closer I can see he's starting to look more and more like his hero, Andy Warhol. His bleach-blond hair has the same turtle-shell / bowl-cut look. Still, makeup suits Nick well. And Sax Guy comes out for a solo during "Skin Trade"! Thanks for making electro jazzy, Sax Guy.

» "Notorious"
Back to the full band now, and while the electro set was fun, it ended at just the right time. I remember this song came out in 1986 when Andy and Roger Taylor had left the band and nobody was sure what was up with DD. They hooked up with Chic's Nile Rogers and had this funkified hit, which now sounds like something of a precursor to "Red Carpet's" "Nite Runner."

» "Girls on Film"
Still living off the explicit content in this song's groundbreaking video, Simon feigns oral sex while singing "She goes under again." Seriously, get me to a shower — it's just creepy. Dude is nearly 50! I'm not saying he shouldn't feel sexual, but that sort of unimaginative suggestiveness is so different coming from a dopey pop guy in his early 20s than from a now-worldly guy who could be somebody's (really good-looking) grandpa. But then the guitarist manages to out-douche Simon when he tosses his pick to the crowd. "Thank you, Hired Gun Guitarist! I will cherish your precious ax tool forever!"

Simon introduced the whole band during the extended "Girls on Film" vamp (and a touch of "Papa Was a Rolling Stone"). Seriously, it went on forever, with Simon introducing John last (natch) for max screamage — and more room for JT to do a bass solo. A bass solo. A baaaaassssss solo.

» "Ordinary World"
This song is also 15 years old, but it's most likely the newest song anybody outside of hard-core Duranies knows. It's also one of Duran Duran's best tunes, and Simon hits all the high notes — rather shockingly — though I wouldn't be surprised if he's getting some electronic help with his pitch. Anybody who remembers his dog-killing howl during Live Aid 1985 will know what I'm talking about. (See the 3:12 mark below.)

» "(Reach Up for The) Sunrise"
A sweet if pasty song from the original lineup's 2004 comeback album. The thick-necked guy in front of me, who moments earlier spilled his beer everywhere, is playing air guitar. Only a tool among tools would air guitar — anywhere, let alone at a Duran Duran concert — and you, my muscle-bound friend, are an entire hardware store unto yourself.

» "Wild Boyz"
"Columbia, Mary-Land!" I just love Simon and John's show-long shout-outs to the 'burbs and their probably proper pronunciation of Maryland. This song had a cool video — which could be said for most any early DD single, but the Mad Max vibe holds a special place.

» "Rio"
The encore, natch. John comes out wearing a T-shirt featuring Barack Obama's face and the word "Progress" — though he still has a scarf tied around his right elbow. You can dress down a ol' New Waver with a T-shirt, but you can never take the decorative scarves off an ol' New Waver. John also holds his feet like Charlie Chaplin when he plays, prancing about like a wobbly duck, all of which is somewhat unattractive. See, something about him isn't perfect!

» Read our interview with Nick Rhodes here.