Duran Duran in Philadelphia 2008

Review by Meredith Evonne
Spring has sprung, as Duran Duran are heading toward the end of their 2008 US Tour this May. On May 22nd, I had planned a day trip to see them for the Mann Center appearance in Philadelphia. Luckily, I had a friend with a driver's license and a car to avoid my usual hassles of out-of-state Duran pilgrimages. Truth be told, I've learned to limit going to concerts beyond the tri-state area, but Pennsylvania was sure to be a getaway to remember. I had second row seats.
Actually, I did not have "second row" seats, if it were true maybe some point in the performance Simon could have seen the Red Carpet Massacre cell phone charm I held up and swayed with my phone during "Save a Prayer." But, I could not complain about the seat location being behind VIP(about 7 rows deep), then brick wall blocked by a cluster of women, followed by the first orchestra row of now empty seats (formally occupied by "a cluster of women"). Did I mention I had second row seats?
Getting to experience the Philly concert had been an exercise in patience. Driving to the venue, my friend and I almost got lost as neither of us had any clue about why suddenly our three internet maps had failed us. A slight panic reaction of "Why are we getting on an unmapped mystery bridge?" was shared in our voices. Streets were not being found and EZ pass was being dragged out an additional time. Being three hours early to the show had worked to our advantage as the traveling suddenly got back on track. The US roads somehow knew I needed to see a UK Rhodes that evening.
The Mann Center looked like a state park area even though Yogi Bear was nowhere in sight. It was calming and picturesque on a sunny day that kept raining and stopping every half hour. By 6pm, the parking areas were open but the car was directed to park on the grass in a specific pattern to fit the amount of cars. With wet grass at our feet and cameras strapped to our bodies, we headed up to the entrance with enough time to see a rainbow, a Cycling team, and two VIP Duranies shriek as they had won a band meet and greet(FYI- not us). The views of the city were beautiful as it was the right time to take a couple photos. I felt happy being in the outdoor area and the venue itself reminded me of the semi-outdoor NJ PNC bank arts center. It looks like a high school auditorium with the sides cutout. but the Mann Center has some wooden structure that made me think I was attending a barn dance.( I don't get out much, obviously.....).
The stage setup looked simplified from the RCM run on Broadway; the curtains were not drawn and the stage looked cluttered as equipment for both Duran Duran and the opening band, Your Vegas, was visible to the audience. Your Vegas started promptly at 8pm and I commented that the group had "as many fans as members in the group" because about five people danced during their 45 minute set. I was unimpressed as the lead singer decided to tell everyone he had a cast on because he had been drunk and fell on some concert stairs. It was no big shock to hear his tale and the english group could not get off the stage fast enough.
"Meredith...Meredith....MEREDITH," I started hearing my name repeated. Two women that were exactly two rows behind reminded me who they were as I felt embarrassed that I couldn't recall where I knew them from. It had been a couple of years but once I remembered, it was a nice opportunity to catch up and the wait for the show flew by quickly.
My friend and I stood up with our cameras when the intro music started and she told me that it was the same intro from the Pop Trash Tour. Not only did I not recognize it, but I was disappointed that "TV OD" by The Normal had also been absent as it had enhanced the anticipation before the recent Roseland show(2007) as a pre-concert track. However, as "normal," the 1st five minutes of the show were a blur. It was a combination of audience flash bulbs and the screams coming out of my mouth.
The band started off with a bang. Each song easily complemented the next and it was a treat to finally be able to see Simon and Nick from a closer view. It was the 1st show where I could see what the custom made RCM shirts actually looked like. I was so pleased that I had enough space to even dance like a dork. It was wonderful!
The first batch of songs featured classics and new material. I was impressed with most of this portion until I heard a new sappy spoken intro to "Planet Earth", and needed to be woken up during the tiresome "Falling Down". Luckily, the next song "Come Undone" jolted me back from my coma as Simon delivered very nicely on the signature finger-sucking portion associated to the live version of the song. In fact, I still refuse to believe it is Simon Le Bon, not Nick Rhodes, who will be 50 this year. The show had started off to be much tighter musically than in some recent performances; Skin Divers, The Reflex, Save a Prayer, and A View to a Kill were the skin tight hits of the night.
An intermission before the Electro Set was unexpected. It made sense for a the Broadway performances, but the RCM US Tour did not warrant a break to set up for this portion of the show. I refuse to believe that finances could not be met to have an easy transition to bring out the needed equipment, consisting of individual musical gear and headset mics. When the set did start, this was when I need to have someone pour my water bottle down my shirt- the songs + the remixed beats + Simon commanding to "Let's Make Love" + I can *see* Nick Rhodes= Please Do Not Resuscitate. You could not ask for anything better at this point, but Simon did pause to sneeze into the mic, which could not come at a worse time. Simon's instantaneous cold was glossed over, but it clearly broke the momentum of the overall strong performance.
The last half of the show was a mixed bag of showmanship. John Taylor put on a Philadelphia Phillies ballcap at one point to complement Simon's choice to don a team jacket, but I can't say that either choice was a fashionable highlight. (It's just either my Yankees loyalty or John should not wear any kind of baseball hat, period.) Notorious and Ordinary World took a similar route. These songs needed to be removed from the setlist. Positively, Girls on Film and Wild Boys were the exceptions of songs that should never be dropped. The audience soaked it all up, as the energy for these favorites were well received.
When the show did end after the 23 song fan romp, I was unsure if I heard Box Full of Honey stopped before it had really started during the show. In fact, I could not hear myself shouting to ask The Mann Center for a setlist as the concert rang through my ears. Had I been ignored for sounding obnoxious? Apparently, not because I found myself clutching a copy of Nick's setlist on the car ride home. Can you hear me now?

Don't answer that, just try to catch Duran Duran...