Beth’s Music Moment: Ironing Simon’s Pants

And you wanted to dance so I asked you to dance

But fear is in your soul

Some people call it a one-night stand

But we can call it paradise

~~ Duran Duran, “Save A Prayer”

Before I get into the story of the rather strange title of this entry, I’ll give you a review of my beloved Duran Duran at Ravinia Park Pavilion north of Chicago on Saturday, July 9th! (Click on a picture to embiggenate.)

When Ken and I saw Duran Duran at Berkeley last October, the show immediately rocketed into my Top Five concerts ever. The concert at Ravinia also rocketed into my Top Five and even passed the show at the Greek!

Why was this one better? Well, they were both fantastic. But this one was a bit of a bigger production. I think the first leg of the tour last year was a test—an attempt to see how well they would be received, how ticket sales would be, what songs, both old and new, would go over well. When they expanded this year’s tour, a continuation of the “Paper Gods” tour, they added a few songs, the lights and video seemed more fleshed out, and it seemed a little less stripped down than the show we saw at the Greek. This was two hours of sheer entertainment and I danced my ass off!

First, the venue. It was my first time at Ravinia Park and it was absolutely gorgeous! It really is a park and the stage and pavilion are surrounded by grass and trees. The lawn was absolutely packed with people having elaborate picnics, including tables with tablecloths, huge spreads of food, drinks...I said it was like a fancy version of tailgating at Notre Dame! Duran Duran posted on their Facebook page that a couple had even gotten married and had their wedding reception there and that they were happy to be a small part of the couple’s special day. Awww!

Our seats were in the pavilion, though, not on the lawn. Seeing them up there onstage for real is much more fun than seeing them on a big video screen! Our seats were great (I got us VIP tickets via the DD website because I’m a club member) and we settled down with Shane and Matt to wait. The show started right on time, with the opening band Chic and Nile Rodgers taking the stage promptly at 7 PM. They opened for DD when we saw them at the Greek, too, and they blew me away then. They didn’t disappoint this time, and Nile Rodgers is an absolute legend. Not only is he an amazing producer and songwriter, he is an incredible showman. He knows how to get a crowd moving and his smile just lit up the whole joint. He talked about being a cancer survivor as an introduction to the song he wrote about that, “Get Lucky” by Daft Punk. It’s not often that I stand for the whole time for an opening act, but I honestly don’t know how anyone could sit down for that set!

After a brief break between bands, in which we got to see my cousin Michael and his husband Mike, the lights went down and the opening to “Paper Gods” started. There was lots of fog and dramatic lighting as the band took the stage, and then the lights hit Simon as he started to sing. Ooo, I get chills just writing about it! For the next two hours, it was hit after hit, and on the songs that weren’t hits from the new album, I danced my ass off, anyway! I sang, I pumped my fist in the air for “Wild Boys,” I yelled, “Play that fuckin’ bass, John!” I had a TOTAL BLAST. In Berkeley, I didn’t get to hear “Wild Boys” or their cover of “White Lines,” but I got both in this show! They had also not been playing “The Reflex” on some of the European shows, but it was back in the setlist, as was “Save A Prayer” which was surprisingly not on the Nashville setlist. The band dedicated that song to Nick Rhodes, who sadly was not there due to a family emergency back in England. You were missed, Nick, but the woman filling in for him, MNDR, did a great job in his place!

One of the coolest parts? Shane mentioned it first, but it was my feeling upon seeing them in Berkeley: they were really having fun up there. Simon was smiling and joking, John was grinning, the backup singers were dancing around and having a blast, and they were all loving us for loving them. Of course, Roger was his usual stoic self, but he flashed a big grin when they came out to take a bow! Like I always say, “Show the band some love!” You’ll get it back a thousandfold with an incredible show, and that’s what happened here. John was wearing a t-shirt with a sequined “Rio” smile on it, and at one point, cheeky Simon went up and kissed him on the chest. Made me laugh!

They are absolute professionals and incredibly talented musicians. The show was perfect, with no technical glitches or sound problems. I kind of lost myself for a couple of hours and what better way to do it? This show reaffirmed my love and respect for the band. Not that it needed reaffirming!

Oh, and have I mentioned Simon Le Bon’s tight white pants yet? No? Shame on me! That became a bit of a joke, because for a while there, practically every review I read of their shows included a mention of how good Simon looks in his “tight white trousers” or “tight white jeans.” (It’s true. He does.) That is what led to the title of this entry. After we checked into the hotel, the four of us were sitting around talking before we went to dinner. I said, “I wonder where the band is staying? Palmer House, maybe?” Either Shane or Matt said, “They’re staying right here!” There was an adjoining door to the room next door and one of them said, “John is staying next door!”

We were cracking up because it was funny to imagine Duran Duran staying in a Courtyard Marriott. Then Shane took it to another level and said, “Simon is probably opening the closet, pulling out the iron and ironing board, and ironing his tight white pants right now!” I don’t know what it was, but that struck us so funny that I fell over laughing on the bed. Not only imagining them staying in a Courtyard Marriott but picturing Simon ironing his own pants. Probably in his underwear, right? Right!

But wait, there’s more! The next morning, as we’re getting ready to go grab some breakfast, I get a text from Shane: “New band name: Ironing Simon’s Pants”! I about died!

But wait, there’s even more! When I mentioned that on Facebook, our friend Tim came up with an album cover for us. I’ll let you know when it’s released! (Don’t hold your breath!)

I experienced a bit of post-showital blues, but I’m back to my usual self. It was a total kicky blast of a weekend. Thanks to Saint Ken for putting up with our shenanigans, thanks to Shane and Matt for aiding and abetting in said shenanigans, and thanks to Duran Duran for making me smile for so many years. I don’t think I could adore them more. Fangirl is happy!

Get ‘em to the Greek

You’ve gone too far this time

But I’m dancing on the valentine

~~ Duran Duran, “The Reflex”

Play that fuckin' bass, John!

Whoops, I had really intended to write before this, but after getting back from our whirlwind San Francisco trip, I was occupied with laundry and other things around the house, as well as re-adjusting to my usual time zone (I seem to be very time zone sensitive), and just generally recharging my batteries. As much as I love to travel, it does seem to wear me out being around all that humanity.

We had a wonderful time in the city! It was so great to see Todd and we’ll make sure the next visit doesn’t take us as long as this one did. We had lots of delicious seafood and I had a little too much fun at the Tonga Room (Beware the Lava Bowl!)! But it was a ton o’ fun and San Francisco is still one of my favorite cities to visit. We rode the cable car one day, and something about it was just so iconic that it made me verklempt. Hearing the rumble of the wheels on the tracks, the clang of the bell, the creak of the car as it took the curves, and seeing the hilly side streets going up and up...ahhhh. It was a lovely moment.

Do I look happy and excited? I was!

Anyway, the impetus of our trip was to see Duran Duran at the Greek Theater at UC Berkeley! We took BART over to Berkeley fairly early so we had plenty of time to find a place to eat. We decided on pizza and beers and sat outside in a pleasant little courtyard. We ended up talking to the women at the next table, Sarah and her girlfriend Crystal from Bend, Oregon. They were just so sweet and so fun to talk to and we are now Facebook friends! I bet we’ll see them again at some point, maybe on a visit to Portland. Then we talked to a woman sitting next to me, who was originally from Slovenia. We had a nice conversation with her, too. Then we talked to a group of three women a little further away who were also going to the concert and they were also super nice! It was such a lovely dinner because everyone was in a very happy mood and it was so much fun to talk to everyone! (Although some of that might be why I was so exhausted when we got home!)

Then it was time to make our way to the venue. The UC-Berkeley campus was gorgeous (at least what we saw of it), and the Greek Theater is a beautiful open-air theater with a capacity of about 8,000. The seats around the perimeter seem to rise fairly steeply, so I suspect that there isn’t a bad seat in the house. Ours certainly weren’t, because we were in the fourth row! To make it even better, we were on the left, so we were in front of John Taylor (insert automatic swoon here)!

I had to wait a while for Duran Duran because there were not one, but two opening bands. The first was Clean Bandit, who are apparently causing a bit of a buzz among those who like dance music. I had seen a couple of their videos and liked them, and they had a lot of energy and were very fun! Next up was none other than Nile Rodgers and Chic, and they blew me away. Nile Rodgers is an amazing musician and performer. He had us all up dancing and got us perfectly primed for the main act! I knew we’d see Nile again since he was a producer on both Notorious and the new album, Paper Gods.

Finally, it was time. Duran Duran opened with the title track from Paper Gods, as I knew they would, and it was fabulous. We were off and running! I can’t say that I screamed like a teenager—I don’t think my voice reaches that register anymore—but I did my share of yelling and I know there were moments when I had my hands on my head in a sort of “Oh my glob!” gesture. This is a band of consummate professionals, people who know how to not just play, but how to command a stage. It helps, of course, that they were a veritable hit machine for quite a few years, with so many of the songs indelibly familiar to many of us.

Some of the most magical moments (yes, I said magical...and they were for me!) were when the crowd was singing along. I’m not always a fan of singalongs, but when they work, they work. It’s a moment of shared experience with other human beings and a communal vibe that just feels good. We all sang to “The Reflex” and to “Rio,” with a little bit of singing for various other songs. The new songs sounded great and the party vibe of “Pressure Off” (with Nile Rodgers joining on guitar) was aided by a big ol’ confetti explosion that made it feel like New Year’s Eve. The older songs didn’t sound tired or dated; they were as fun and danceable as ever.

Let me just say again how talented this band is as musicians and performers. You can tell they’ve been doing this for a while (35 years, in fact), and they’ve got it figured out. In some bands of this longevity, that can come across as stale or “calling it in.” That is not the case with Duran Duran. They seemed to be genuinely having fun out there and made sure to put on a good show for the crowd. The sound and visuals were great, no one sounded off or off-beat, and Simon’s voice was phenomenal. He hits some high notes on some of the new songs and it wasn’t just digital manipulation because he hit those same high notes live. I think his voice has matured as he’s gotten older, and I read that he worked with a vocal coach to “rebuild” his voice a while back. He learned to not force it as much and just let it go. I noticed that on the new album and it was also very noticeable in concert.

This show immediately rocketed into my Top Five concerts of all time. If you know me or have been following me here for a while, you know that I’ve been to a lot of concerts! I know I was primed for it because I’ve been on such a DD kick for a while now, so that may have had something to do with it. But I went into this with high expectations, partly because I was so excited to see them and partly because I’ve heard that they are a fantastic band live. They did not just meet those expectations. They exceeded them. It was just a great, great show. I could have listened to them play for another hour and a half and would have stood and danced on the valentine the entire time!

Oh, and they looked kind of nice, too.

[video from Concertkid found on YouTube]

Beth’s Music Moment: Duran Duran’s “Paper Gods”

Photo via Paper magazine

I’ve been super excited to write this review, and I’m even more excited that I can write such a positive one!

DD’s fourteenth studio album came out on September 11th, and I’ve listened to it pretty much nonstop since then. “Rio” may end up being their legacy album and the one that they are most known for, but this album is surely on the verge of being one of their best. At least in this humble fan’s opinion!

Before I get to a song-by-song review (yes, I am doing that, including bonus tracks), just a few words about Duran Duran. Although much maligned as a throwaway boy band, those of us in the know understand that there was always (and still is) much more to them than that. They managed to meld a punk rock sensibility with an infectious, bass-heavy dance groove. Add in some genuinely great lyrics on many of the songs, and you’ve got a band that inspired countless others and who still makes me dance. They were also fashion icons (still are) and quite good-looking (still are). That latter may be the understatement of the year. But beyond being ridiculously photogenic, they are talented musicians and songwriters who aren’t content to be an ‘80s nostalgia band. Thus a fourteenth studio album that is some of the best work they’ve ever done. If you haven’t listened to anything beyond their radio hits, you’re really missing out. Missing the (night) boat, one might say. (I made a DD pun!) The hits are great, too, but dig a little deeper to find some amazing stuff.

Simon Le Bon once said that they are the “band to dance to when the bomb drops.” There are a lot of bands and a lot of music that I love, but if death by nuke is to be my ultimate fate, I can’t think of any band I’d rather blow up to.

[clapping hands] All right! Here we go! For your listening pleasure and enhanced reading experience, you can stream “Paper Gods”. I highly recommend it!

1. “Paper Gods” - The opening track is a long-ish one featuring a collaboration with British songwriter and producer Mr Hudson. A scathing commentary on our consumerist culture, the song makes a good point that we “bow to the paper gods,” and that it’s all “paper walls falling down, paper house, paper town.” But it’s still got a great dance groove to it! I’ve been reading that they are opening their most recent concerts with this song, and even before I’d read that, I thought that this song would be a perfect opener. A sort of Gregorian chant starts it, then Simon sings, then the rhythm section joins in...that’s what I’m talking about! Nice build-up to start the album or a concert.
2. “Last Night in the City” - This song includes Canadian musician Kiesza. (Amazing how many new performers I learned about from this album!) It’s a great rave-up of a song, and Kiesza’s vocals are a lovely and soaring counterpoint to those of Simon. I could dance the hell out of this song.
3. “You Kill Me With Silence” - A little bit of a slower beat on this one after we all shook our booties to the previous one. Simon hits some pretty awesome high notes in the chorus, and there is a super cool guitar solo towards the end. Well done, Dom Brown!
4. “Pressure Off” - Holy shit. This is the first single and it came out a couple of months before the album release. The first time I heard it, I thought I was going to DIE. Okay, I’m exaggerating a little bit there, but I think I did clutch my heart! Nile Rodgers is all over this one, and he’s listed as one of the producers, along with Mark Ronson, Mr Hudson, and of course, Duran Duran. The chorus is infectious and makes me want to wave my hands in the air like I just don’t care! Janelle Monäe is featured and she just knocks it out of the park on her verse. If this song doesn’t get you moving, call the coroner, because you’re a dead mofo!
5. “Face For Today” - Another up-tempo one, although it seems almost sedate after “Pressure Off.” Some nice keyboard from Monsieur Rhodes here.
6. “Danceophobia” - And the dance hits just keep on coming! This is one of the funnest songs on the album, with a spoken word cameo by Lindsay Lohan—I’m not kidding! She does a great job as the doctor with the sexy voice who tells her patient that he’s got danceophobia, and “I may have to work on you throughout the night.” Great fun!
7. “What Are The Chances?” - This one features John Frusciante, formerly of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, with some killer guitar. It starts off as though it’s going to be a complete ballad, but the beat is still there. Just a little slower. This is one of my favorites on the album because Simon’s vocals send chills down my spine. Around the 3:15 mark, he just soars, and then amazingly goes even higher. Blows me away every time! I’ve read that he worked with a vocal coach to “rebuild” his voice, and he learned how to relax and just let ‘er rip (I’m paraphrasing). Even before reading that, I was struck by how strong his voice sounds on this album, so it was cool to learn that he was working to improve his voice even more. He’s always had a distinctive voice, and this track showcases it perfectly.
8. “Sunset Garage” - This is a happy little song (“Sooo...halfway drunk”) that makes me think of cruising down the Pacific Coast Highway in a little convertible roadster. I love how Simon sings, “Whatever happens, we’re okay, hey, we’re still alive!” Yes. Yes, you are. And you can sing that to me in a convertible roadster on the PCH anytime you want to, Simon!
9. “Change the Skyline” - Man, is that one tasty synth riff opening this up, or what?! This one starts off fast, but the chorus slows down a bit with more great vocals from Simon. The track features Jonas Bjerre, who is the lead singer of Mew, a Danish rock band. (I’ve heard of Mew but didn’t know Jonas Bjerre’s name until this album.) Another nice vocal collaboration between Bjerre and Simon.
10. “Butterfly Girl” - Another strong cut that is just a great pop song. It is a little reminiscent to me of ‘70s pop (in the good way). This is another of my favorites on the album because of its positive message. “You can make it through tomorrow, set free your Butterfly Girl, and when you rise above the sorrow, you’ll be a Butterfly Girl.” More great wailin’ vocals from Simon and more guitar from John Frusciante.
11. “Only In Dreams” - A slow-starting one that you think is going to be a ballad (and can I say enough about Simon’s vocals??), but then the rhythm section kicks in, with some great bass grooves from JT. Play that fuckin’ bass, John! “There’s a vampire in the limousine!” I don’t know what that means, but I love it!
12. “The Universe Alone” - I’m not going to say much about this one at the moment because it’s going to get its own blog entry. I’ll just say for now that this song moves me as much as anything DD has ever done—even as much as “The Man Who Stole A Leopard.” (Ask Ken about my reaction to that song!) It’s also a great closer to the regular version of the album. More on this one soon.

Bonus tracks (from the deluxe CD version)*

1. “Planet Roaring” - Fun keyboard intro that makes me think of Devo and a great chorus that makes for another tasty dance song. Guitar on this is attributed to Steve Jones. That would be THE Steve Jones, formerly of the Sex Pistols. He and John Taylor have been pals for a long time and played in a band in the ‘90s called the Neurotic Outsiders.
2. “Valentine Stones” - “I don’t wanna be like the boys that you keep in tow, like your Valentine Stones.” How do they manage to make a song simultaneously menacing but danceable? I don’t know. But that’s Duran Duran.
3. “Northern Lights” - Another slow starter and then the rhythm section and keyboards kick in. Man, this opening makes me think of Devo, too. More great keyboards from Nick and more guitar from John Frusciante. This song strikes me as kind of sexy and romantic. “If you want to stay tonight, write your name across the sky, nothing that I would rather like than see you in the northern lights.” Kind of a slow-jam sort of vibe here.

Bonus tracks (from the Target version)*

1. “On Evil Beach” - Man, I love this one. It has a distinct reggae vibe to me, with nice tinkly keyboards, some funky distorted bass, and I’m not sure how to describe the drums—almost a steel drum sound?—but they add to the reggae feel for me. There is even an interjected “Hey!” in there every so often. Dare I say it? This makes me think of how the Clash melded punk and reggae. Yep, I said it!
2. “Cinderella Ride” - I love this one, too! Once again, Simon’s vocals send me. So smooth, and yes, I’ll ride with you, Simon! “Rise up on sparrow wings, you shall be the queen of shrouds, the queen of helpless things.” Again, I’m not sure what that means, but I think it’s lovely.

So there you have it. It strikes me that their bonus tracks are as solid as anything on the main album, but if they had to pare it down to twelve songs, they made good choices. I had been anticipating this album for months and what a wonderful thing to listen and realize that not only did it meet my expectations, it skyrocketed past them. I think I like this even more than 2011’s “All You Need Is Now,” and I’ve been listening to that in my car nonstop for months. “Paper Gods” debuted at #10 in Billboard’s top 10 album chart, the strongest chart position they’ve had in 22 years, so it seems that I’m not the only one who is diggin’ it!

To make this even more special, we are flying out to Berkeley, CA to see them perform at the Greek Theater on Oct. 2nd! It will be my first time seeing them live, and I am thrilled. You know this fangirl is going to be wiggin’ out!

Congratulations to Duran Duran for making a fantastic album and for having great success with it. I couldn’t be happier for them and I applaud them for pushing the envelope and taking chances with new music and new collaborations. They are stronger for it and my fandom continues unabated. Duran Duran 4-evah!

*The bonus tracks are not included in the stream I provided, but if you want to hear the songs, they are all available on YouTube.

I’m in love with my car

I was draggin' ass this morning, but it was my own fault for staying up so late. I was listening to music and deciding what to upload, and before I knew it, it was 3:30. Ouch man.

I had several errands to run today, so I headed out before too long, and man, was it ever a great day for a drive! Sunny, warm enough to put the window down, and the Dandy Warhols blasting. I did plenty of seat-dancing and singing along, and I'm sure I looked quite silly. I didn't care. If anyone didn't like my seat-dancing, they can just bite me! My drive had a strange effect on me...it made me feel sassy. In fact, I felt like I had stepped in a big pile of sassy. It could easily have turned to aggression, because people were driving like dicks, but I kept the level in the sassy zone. I love my car. How can I not love something that makes me feel so completely and utterly sassy? (This could very well be a private joke between Cousin Shane and I, unless someone else remembers that SNL skit!) Slick takes me where I want to go, when I ask him to he responds, and he's got that throaty growl that I so adore. Saddle up!

Tell 'em how I feel about it, Roger!