January 21, 2012 in 11, 12, 2, 2011, 25, 3, 31, 50, 9, a, after, Again, age, all, Also, am, an, and, another, Are, around, as, at, away, Ball, balloons, ban, band, bands, Bass, beginning, big, Bill, black, blue, blues, Bridge, Burn, but, by, ca, can, canon, cat, Cavern, center, Character, charlie, City, classic, CO., color, Colors, COMPLETE, Crowd, cup, Day, dead, delay, down, dragon, en, Encore, end, epic, Eve, Eyed, fall, Fat, fee, fi, final, fire, First, FOR, Free, From, gain, game, garden, Genesis, get, gin, glow, golden, Good, Gorge, grace, grateful, great, Guitar, hall, hampton, hi, high, Hippie, home, How, ice, improvisation, in, into, intro, is, IT, IX, jam, jammin, jamming, Jams, John, Joy, King, know, las, late, Led, Lee, let, life, light, lights, Like, LITTLE, live, live music, log, long, lot, MA, Made, Main, maine, marathon, maze, MI, mod, Music, My, Nat, nate, nc, New, New Year's, new york, News, night, nitrous, no, ny, NYE, of, on, one, op, Open, opener, organ, out, PA, Park, Part, party, Phish, Piano, play, Pop, post, Pot, pro, psychedelic, Pt, rain, read, Reprise, return, reverb, Road, rock, roll, rolling, room, rose, row, rs, San Francisco, Sand, Say, SC, scent, sci, second, set, show, Shows, So, solo, solos, song, sound, SPAC, St, Stab, stage, stars, start, Starting, station, Steam, step, stone, story, street, tab, That, the, third, Thunder, times, to, tone, Too, tour, Trip, two, up", us, USA, va, venue, view, vocal, WA, war, Way, we, Ween, with, years, york, You, Your |
By: Garrin Benfield
Furthur :: 12.31.11 :: Bill Graham Civic Auditorium :: San Francisco, CA
 Furthur : 12.31.11 : by Josh Miller |
It’s taken me several weeks to wrap my head around Furthur‘s marathon New Year’s eve show at the Bill Graham Civic in San Francisco. The epic three set show took on a dream-like quality even while it was still in progress. I flew into SFO from New York City, where I had just seen the middle two nights of Phish at the Garden, just in time to change clothes and head to the venue for the ultimate hippie high-holiday celebration. I’ll admit to some reservations that the band might be worn out after two previous nights at their hometown hall, and might be rusty after considerable time off. Happily, this show will be remembered not for ennui but for five hours of sparkling jams that borrowed liberally from all eras of the Grateful Dead’s career, and suggested that the overtime round we’ve found ourselves in is in full swing and shows no signs of letting up anytime soon.
The band ambled on stage to a full house and broke into the Haight Ashbury’s ultimate party incantation, “The Golden Road (To Unlimited Devotion)”. Phil, already hungrily prowling through the low end, seemed to nudge JK‘s first few solos into early peaks. “Cosmic Charlie” was the perfect late 60s compliment to this opener, and instantly moved the set into darker, trippier territory. The bridge sections of this tune are amongst the early Dead’s most progressive, unclassifiable compositions, and on this night, the sentiment, “Go on home, your Momma’s calling you,” took on an almost taunting quality between the band and the audience, still settling in to the cavernous room.
 Phil Lesh : 12.31.11 : by Josh Miller |
“Althea” was greeted warmly, but was marred by an almost comical amount of uncontrolled feedback coming from Bobby‘s guitar. JK delayed the vocal intro as long as he could, but finally stepped up to the mic and began in earnest. The feedback persisted and actually seemed like it might derail the whole song until Jeff Chimenti‘s first piano solo of the night rescued the whole endeavor. “You know this space is getting hot” took on a new, somewhat agitated meaning, and was met with an even greater roar of approval by the crowd who were clearly rooting for the band, insisting this not turn into one of those evenings where Bob spends the whole show glaring at his gear.
The first totally unexpected song of the night was Weir’s admirable stab at “Next Time You See Me”, a song most people associate with Pigpen’s tenure with the Grateful Dead that perhaps was on the band’s mind because of the recently released remastered Europe ’72 box set. The unquestionable emotional centerpiece of the first set, though, was a gorgeous “High Time”, sung with genuine emotion by JK and delivered by the whole band with an “Attics of My Life” kind of emotional gravity. “High Time” also highlighted for the first time the amount of work this band has devoted to effective vocal arrangements. A perfectly placed “Shakedown Street” reignited the New Year’s vibe, and was once again enlivened by Chimenti’s slinky Rhodes work and a pounding piano solo. The dissonant ending note of “Shakedown” signaled the beginning of another 60s staple that has become a signature jam vehicle for Furthur, “Viola Lee Blues”. Phil was the first member of the Grateful Dead to resurrect this song after Jerry’s death, and his dedication and loyalty to the old repertoire, or “the canon” as he might call it, has resulted in a complete modernization of “Viola Lee”. This standalone version showcased the most expansive jamming of the night so far, and thrust the room into what seemed like the middle of the show. Kadelecik dug into some Hendrixian tones, coaxing squeals, wails, and sirens out of his axe. A chunky, satisfying end to an eventful first set.
 John Kadlecik: 12.31.11 : by Josh Miller |
After a shorter than normal break, JK counted off a game changing and completely unexpected “Morning Dew” second set opener. One of the most intriguing things about a long, three set show is not knowing how the evening will be paced, and it’s safe to say not many expected this degree of seriousness at the outset of the second set. This “Dew” included both the laconic quiet passage reminiscent of 1974 and the fire and fury of a late 80′s crescendo. The band then moved into one of those indescribably Grateful Dead types of improvisation where all five instrumentalists are chugging along, each playing distinct, concurrent lines, and stayed there for a good five minutes before finally falling into “Dark Star”. Furthur’s arrangement of “Dark Star”, while to some may seem overly organized for a song whose ethic suggests total freedom, to my ears is profoundly psychedelic and harkens back to the majesty of the Aoxomoxoa aesthetic. Phil’s voice in particular, shrouded in reverb, reminded me seriously of some of the sounds in the nitrous oxide epic “What’s Become of the Baby”. And with all five singers contributing, the “shall we go while we can” refrain has a newly anthemic quality.
Characteristic of other recent “Dark Stars”, Joe Russo relentlessly pushed the tempo of the jam away from the spacey versions of the past and into a satisfyingly frenetic direction that really has no easy analogue in popular music. The bright tempo served the transition into “Mason’s Children” well, and propelled another searing full band exploration that eventually found its way back, in inimitable Dead fashion, to the second verse of “Dark Star”. “Mountain Song”, the most well received Furthur original, perhaps partially because it is so consistently delivered, again did not disappoint. The song also has a fascinating back story and multiple authors, lending a certain mythology to its genesis. It also has a coda that was built to transition into “I Know You Rider”, a path the band wisely chose to follow on this celebratory night. “Rider” was joyous, measured and mature, imbued with the kind of wisdom that can only be gained after hundreds, if not thousands of performances. With the whole crowd singing along, and the huge Phil bass bomb that concluded the tune, this could have easily ended this set. Amazingly, instead the band played fully realized versions of “St. Stephen” and “Fire on the Mountain” before taking a break. There was not one half assed, phoned in moment in the whole pre-New Years set. Looks of early exhaustion and gratitude filled the room.
 Furthur : 12.31.11 : by Josh Miller |
About twenty minutes into the next break, thunder claps began emanating from the quadraphonic PA, creating an eerie sound collage as folks made their way back into the hall, which already had the look of having gone through a whole show. As the lights dimmed, a cacophonous, 20th century classical piece created a foreboding vibe, and an enormous dragon that had been hidden behind some black tarp on the roof of the hall was revealed and began slowly moving to meet a woman who somewhat magically rose up from the floor. When she climbed on the dragon’s back, The Rolling Stone’s “Start Me Up” came booming over the PA. The whole thing was completely strange, disorienting, and beautiful – my favorite post Bill Graham New Years moment for sure. The dragon made its way above the stage, allowed the girl to disembark (where she was met by Bill “Father Time” Walton and other costumed participants), and the New Years countdown somewhat abruptly lurched us forward into 2012! As balloons fell, the band went straight into — what else — “Sugar Magnolia”. Despite some heartily cheered lyrical lapses, it was a well developed version, and it really is the New Year’s tune. Bobby’s count off into “Playin’ in the Band” was unfortunately halted by Phil for some reason, so there was a bit of an ill-timed pause after the big party moment, but the eventually “Playin” took off and bled into “Uncle John’s Band”. The dragon, with glowing red eyes, remained perched high above the stage for the rest of the show, between two illuminated white globes festooned with the GD lightning bolt, and periodically breathed out billowing clouds of steam. It really was a gorgeous sight.
“Colors of the Rain”, a new Phil composition, was a late show risk that I appreciated as a breather moment as the show moved into its concluding stretch. After a brief detour into the Anthem of the Sun nugget “Born Cross Eyed”, with its Spanish jam intimations, “The Wheel” brought the whole room back together. Sure, the band was starting to show a little wear at this point, but so was the audience. After a splintered outro jam from “The Wheel”, “Playin’ Reprise” occupied the parenthetical role it has so many times over the years and gently concluded the third set. Phil and Bob looked at each other and gracefully tagged “Playin’” with the kind of detailed intention that really ended the evening in a satisfying way. Phil returned, and alone in the spotlight, delivered an especially poignant “donor rap” that had the whole room simultaneously amazed that we were all together again, ushering in another year. And when he somewhat casually said, “I think we have one more for you”, no one expected the entire “Terrapin Station Suite” to unfold in all its 25 minute glory. But that’s the kind of night it was. The encore was a half an hour. We must be dreaming.
Furthur Tour Dates :: Furthur News
JamBase | Bay Area
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Tags: age, grace, lot, Music, new york, play, room, solos
December 2, 2011 in 06, 09, 10, 11, 12, 2, 2009, 2011, 25, 27, 29, 3, 30, 50, 9, 99, a, after, Again, age, Alive, all, am, an, and, another, Are, around, as, at, attempt, Ball, ban, band, bands, beginning, big, blue, Bluegrass, book, boot, bowl, Bridge, Burn, but, by, ca, can, cat, Cavern, center, Chant, chicago, chords, City, classic, close, concert, contest, Crazy, Crowd, dance, Day, does, Drums, en, end, epic, eq, Eve, fake, FEAT, fee, fi, final, finish, First, flood, Fog, FOR, four, Free, Friend, From, Funk, gag, gain, game, get, gin, give, glow, grace, ground, Guitar, hall, hampton, hi, high, home, Hope, How, ice, in, inspired, into, is, IT, IX, jam, Jams, jazz, key, Keys, King, Lake, las, late, Led, light, lights, Like, live, live music, long, lot, love, MA, machine, Made, Main, maine, mash, mass, MI, miami, midnight, mix, Much, Music, My, Nat, nate, nc, New, New Year's, News, night, no, North, NV, ny, of, on, one, op, Open, opening, out, PA, Park, Part, party, Phish, photos, play, Pop, pro, production, Pt, rad, rain, rant, rare, raz, recording, return, Road, Robin, rock, Rock And Roll, roll, rolling, Rolling Stones, room, row, rs, run, Sand, Saw, SC, second, set, Shine, show, Shows, smooth, So, Something, song, Soul, sound, SPAC, Sparkle, St, stage, stars, start, step, stone, stones, storm, string, studio, Summer, tab, tease, That, the, theatre, Thunder, to, tone, Too, tour, track, two, uic, us, USA, va, venue, view, vocal, WA, WAITING, war, Way, ways, we, windy, with, words, years, You |
Words by: Bryan Tobian | Images by: Brian Spady
Umphreys McGee :: 11.26.11 :: Aragon Ballroom :: Chicago, IL
 Umphreys McGee w/ Chicago Mass Choir by Brian Spady |
Still euphoric from the previous night’s blazing wake-up call after a week of Thanksgiving gluttony and sloth, a shallow queue of zealous fans waited patiently in the alley next door to the expansive Aragon Ballroom. Telling jokes and favorite stories of the road, they braved the chill as the rain dumped buckets onto Chicago’s North Side. An obvious consensus of the group was that this night’s show was going to be something extremely special, perhaps even miraculous. Two hours after the first person showed up, the doors opened and sopping fans shuffled their way into the venue, vying for the best positions in the house. It would turn out to be unquestionably worth every penny, every second and every mile that it took to get there on an otherwise unassuming night in the Windy City.
Nearly three years ago, Umphrey’s McGee showed the true glory of their artistic vision with the help of their newly recruited lighting designer Jefferson Waful. The night has become a part of Umphrey’s lore. Many fans recount their visit to the magnificent Chicago Auditorium Theatre, where the band capped off a stellar three day performance by inviting the Chicago Mass Choir out after midnight for the first set of 2009; effectively turning the performance into something more akin to a church service than a concert. Some will even swear they saw God appear in what is still one of Waful’s most magnificent rigs to date. Three years later, breaking a decade long tradition, the band will be playing New Year’s in St. Louis rather than Chicago as they take their biggest show of the year on an indefinite tour of locales beyond their frigid home turf. In an attempt to reconcile, they decided it was high time to give a shot at recreating the magic of that glorious 2008 night in a venue they’ve grown extremely comfortable playing over their many blustery New Year’s residencies.
 Umphreys McGee Fans by Brian Spady |
Twenty-eleven has been a crucially successful year for the band as they continue to elevate the level of their game with bigger, more spectacular live performances in some of the most notable venues in the country. The release of their newest album, Death by Stereo, has proven to be their most crisp, audience friendly, studio production to date. And, of course, their level of fan engagement has remained one of their calling cards with more fan-driven StewArt events, another spectacular UMBowl (the ultimate StewArt event), a remix contest featuring songs from the new album, the now annual Mayan Holidaze vacation shows in Cancun, and their newly announced sUMmerschool which will allow up to 150 devoted fans to participate in 3 days of master classes for musical instruments, lights, sound, business etc., taught by none other than Team Umphrey’s.
The crowd in the massive Aragon built much quicker for the second night’s show as Cornmeal ripped a hole in the bluegrass cosmos, led in part by the Midwest grown, ever virtuosic, fiddling siren Allie Krall. A packed house danced wildly with delight, waiting excitedly for the main event to begin. It has been somewhat rare in recent years that Umphrey’s even gets to come home and treat their roots to all of the music that they deserve. Many may not realize it, but the touring New Year’s run gives them more contractual freedom to play their city by the lake more often. Hopefully it will lead to more special shows hosted in the city’s warmer months and give Umphrey’s the ability to explore some of the other epic venues in the Midway City. This chilly, but not frigid or hellishly cold evening represented the beginning of the experiment.
 Umphreys McGee w/ Allie Krall by Brian Spady |
The room was thick with fog and anticipation as the six Horsemen of the UMpocalpyse filed onto the indigo-washed stage with their pre-recorded track Nipple Trix playing in the background. Rhythm technicians Kris Myers and Andy Farag joined the recording first with thumping kicks and sizzling cymbals. Brendan Bayliss and the newly hitched Ryan Fabec Stasik hit a heavily distorted rock chord over twinkling Joel Cummins keys to set a majestic, uplifting base. With all engines go, Jake Cinninger stomped on the accelerator, soaring quickly into the lead guitar heavens as the Umphrey’s voyager rocket lifted off towards the outer reach of the rock and roll galaxy. Their manically progressive stinger Bridgeless, 80′s pop party Bright Lights and frantic rock anthem 1348 all contained massive jams with the band firing early on all cylinders, reaching massive, quaking peaks in each exploration before moving onto the next tune. Somewhere in the 1348 jam, Allie Krall returned to the stage to help finish out a shuffling country-rock improv that left the audience roaring as the band flowed into the balladic Hajimemashite. It is an old track made new on Death By Stereo that features a heart wrenching vocal performance by Bayliss. As his wails resonated over the frantic audience, Jake and Allie tore into a spine-tingling dual over thundering drums from Myers and Farag. The stage sparkled wildly as Waful followed them every step of the way to the glorious climax. 40′s theme kept the energy alive as Bayliss seized his chance to open up on his nightingale-voiced PRS guitar before passing the lead to Cinninger to kick it into overdrive as the first set stormed to a close.
 Umphreys McGee by Brian Spady |
The beginning of the second set showed the band continuing the fiery energy they exuded in the first set with monstrous versions of two more Death By Stereo tunes, Miami Virtue and Booth Love. Virtue contained a manic jam that saw Waful spraying the room with his colossal MacIII light cannons before the Umphrey’s machine changed directions into the slinky Booth Love. The night was shaping up to be spectacular even with the noted absence of the evening’s honored guests in the Chicago Mass Choir. However, as people began to wonder when those festivities would begin, Cummins welcomed the group’s long awaited return to the stage. Cinninger noodled around on his blue diamond hued G&L Telecaster before playing the opening chords of Bullhead City to the surprise and excitement of the audience. The twangy chantey started softly as Cinniger and Bayliss sent charming lyrics back and forth with the help of the choir’s lead alto. As the full choir joined the chorus, hairs raised, goosebumps formed and tears began to seep out of awe-stricken eyes. With the channels opened and positive energies flowing, the band relit an old candle as they jumped passionately into their mashing of Amazing Grace and their original instrumental Glory. The choir roared as the band transitioned with 25 extra voices ringing out over the vast Aragon Ballroom. With fervor, Cinninger’s guitar licks called out blissfully, and Waful matched his intensity as the lights exploded in celestial radiance. The divine sonic energy flowed and the entirety of the sold out auditorium was once again taken to church within the first hour of Sunday morning.
 Umphreys McGee w/ Chicago Mass Choir by Brian Spady |
With the buzz still riding high, the 70′s era, jazz-funk jammer Day Nurse brought the crowd back to Earth, ending with a spooky tease of Pink Floyd’s Shine On You Crazy Diamond while the stage glinted and glimmered accordingly. The Floor followed smoothly from the fake-out as Bayliss stepped up to the plate to sing the dark, emotive vocals which echoed eerily through the cavernous Aragon. A short Much Obliged flowed into the second half of Bridgeless, bringing the show back around full circle with the eruption of its rampaging conclusion. Barely a soul in the ecstatic audience left the floor during the break as We want the Umph! chants broke out, calling back the brightest stars of this Chicago night for one more solid performance before basking in the afterglow of this mystical experience.
The chants were clearly heard as the band retook the stage to the bellows of their enchanted congregation. While many had been waiting three years for the return of the choir, the Umphrey’s troupe is well aware that there are still many creative roads uncrossed. Even though the band does everything they can to make every night special, it is the ones where they go out on a limb, take chances and explore something new and exciting to the musicians themselves that make for the most memorable shows. With their finger always on the pulse of their fan base, they reminded us that they are working on it and that it will come All In Time. The wailing guitar twosome of Bayliss and Cinninger shredded through the finale of the song with equal parts force and grace. Their instruments sang out like the cries of cherubs as they locked into the blistering conclusion. Waful opened the floodgates seeming to have a set of lights that followed each member as the strobing mayhem flared into its grandiose, classical, finale inspired by Spinal Tap’s use of Luigi Boccherini’s ‘Minuet from String Quintet in E major, G.275′.
Again, answering the unspoken calls, the band invited the choir back to the stage to close out the night. As they rang out the opening, operatic lines of The Rolling Stones’ historic rock staple You Can’t Always Get What You Want, for a moment nobody remembered that outside these walls there was still turmoil in this world. Instead, on this special night, four thousand of us were united into a single heartbeat as we sang, danced and rejoiced together through the power of music. We can’t always get what we want but Umphrey’s McGee has shown their fans time and time again through the years that, love, humility and ambition will undoubtedly get us what we need.
11/26/11 – Umphrey’s McGee @ Aragon Ballroom (Chicago, IL) View Photos
Umphreys McGee Tour Dates :: Umphreys McGee News
JamBase | Uplifted
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Tags: artistic, Eve, fog, friend, glow, ground, Guitar, lake, night, Phish, pop, rad, rock, usa, windy
October 12, 2011 in 06, 09, 10, 11, 2, 2011, 25, 27, 28, 3, 30, 50, 9, a, after, age, Alive, all, Also, am, an, and, animation, Are, arena, Artie, as, at, ban, band, bands, Bass, big, bite, black, bonnaroo, bowl, Boys, Burn, but, ca, california, cat, Cavern, center, Character, chris, classic, color, COMPLETE, concert, concerts, cream, Crowd, dancing, David, Day, definition, distract, down, Drums, effects, en, Encore, end, Enjoy, Entertainment, Eve, fail, Failed, Famous, FEAT, fee, festival, fi, final, FOR, four, frank, Free, From, front, get, gin, give, Glen, Good, ground, Guitar, hampton, Heads, hi, high, hollywood, home, How, ice, in, into, is, IT, IX, jam, John, Joy, key, Keyboard, King, Labor, las, Last, late, leave, Led, Lee, leo, let, life, light, lights, Like, live, live music, log, long, lot, MA, machine, Made, mass, medley, MI, mix, Monkey, Much, Music, MVI, My, Nat, nate, nc, New, News, night, NJ, no, ny, of, on, one, op, Open, opening, out, PA, Part, Paul, Phish, play, player, Pop, post, Pot, pro, producer, psychedelic, Pt, rad, rain, rant, reaction, read, return, rock, room, row, rs, Sand, SC, set, show, Shows, simon, So, song, sound, SPAC, Split, square, St, stage, start, state, step, style, Summer, tab, television, That, the, theater, Thunder, times, to, Too, tour, Train, Trip, Tv, two, us, USA, va, vegas, venue, Video, videos, view, vocal, WA, WAITING, we, Ween, with, years, You |
By: L. Paul Mann
Duran Duran :: 09.28.11 :: Nokia Theater :: Los Angeles, CA
 Duran Duran |
Duran Duran returned to Los Angeles for a triumphant concert at the new state of the art Nokia Theater in the heart of the luxurious downtown L.A. Live District. The theater, across from the giant Staples Center Arena, opened in 2007, and boasts a 7,100 seat, 40,000 square foot venue with plush, sloping seating that affords a perfect view from every row. Climate control, massive video screens projecting crystal clear high definition video, and an army of politely trained staff ushering concert goers into the venue with virtually no waiting, are just a few of the reasons why this may be one of the most crowd pleasing venues in Southern California. An immense in-house sound system provides thundering bass to the far reaches of the theater and the concessions area includes an array of goodies including a full bar. Outside, the theater is surrounded by the ever-expanding L.A. Live District. The 2,300 seat Club Nokia makes up the triumvirate of live performance venues, but the area also boasts an outside stage for periodic parties, television tapings and free concerts, alongside a vast array of some of the finest restaurants in Los Angeles. There are upscale bars like the Conga Room, massive new hotels like the Ritz Carlton and JW Marriot, a 14-screen movie theater, a Grammy Museum, and even a bowling alley. Surrounding structures are adorned with mutli-shaped, giant LED video screens, giving the whole area a surreal feeling much like downtown Las Vegas or Times Square. The setting provides an upscale entertainment package for a complete night out on the town.
 Neon Trees by L. Paul Mann |
Many concert patrons lingered in the outside complex, enjoying food and drink in themed restaurants like the kitschy Tiki Room of Trader Vics, while the opening act Neon Trees took the stage to a largely empty house. From sucking on Trader Vics homemade rum tiki drinks to watching the taping of a television show on the outside stage with a sea of shirtless girls lined up in black bras, there were just too many distractions for most to catch the opening set. This was unfortunate for the Neon Trees, a Utah-based band with its roots in Southern California, who had to play to a sparsely filled, cavernous theater. The band has been a successful staple on the festival circuit the last few years. They attracted a crowd of thousands in the sweltering heat of this years massive Bonnaroo Festival and were also a crowd pleaser at last summer’s Sunset Strip Music Festival. Even though the Nokia show started to a mostly empty house, the band made the most of it fronted by charismatic lead singer Tyler Glen. The slightly geeky but lovable vocalist exhibited the energy of a spider monkey, rushing about the stage, dancing, contorting, cajoling the audience, and telling anecdotes about his early days in California as an angst ridden teenager. Often compared to The Killers, who they toured with in 2008, the bands music is actually more experimental and adventurous than the retro pop hits of the chart topping Killers. Bass player Branden Campbell brings to mind Incubus bass player Ben Kenney with a similarly relentless, thundering style. Drummer Elaine Bradley plays explosively, changing up the beat often and lending her own characteristic voice to the backing vocals. Guitar player Chris Allen rounds out the band with a wailing riff style well suited to the group. David Charles joins the band on tour to play rhythm guitar. Although an animated Glen failed to get much response from the sparse crowd early on, he led the band in a spirited 40 minute set which finally garnered a big crowd reaction for the hit songs Animal and 1983.
 Duran Duran |
By the time that Duran Duran arrived onstage shortly after 9 pm, most of the large crowd had found their seats in the plush theater only to give them up for the duration of the show, standing from the opening notes to the final bow in the bands encore. The spectacular show was veritable feast of explosive music supported by a lighting and multimedia extravaganza. The diverse crowd was composed of many fans old enough to remember the group in their 80s MTV heyday alongside many more new Duranies who weren’t even born when the band began their meteoric rise to stardom. The band was one of the most successful groups in the 80s largely due to their elaborate videos as well as their timeless sound. Judging by the audience reaction to the bands material, old and new, most in the crowd considered themselves true fans of the band, dancing, clapping and singing along to many of the masterful lyrics.
The band played a mix of material split between their huge library of classics and a lot of songs from their new album All You Need Is Now. The latest release by the band, who has sold over 100 million albums in their career, has been well received by critics and fans alike. The newest material harks back to the classic Duran Duran material of the 80s, but also includes elements of the experimental, electronic sound that has characterized more recent albums. The sound is largely influenced by founding keyboardist extraordinaire Nick Rhodes with his immense talents as a music producer. He looked like an iconic rock star on the giant video screens in the Nokia Theater, dressed in a psychedelic, leopard print coat with ruffled sleeves. As each of the five members appeared on the jumbo screens, women in the audience, young and old, would scream like they were at a Beatles concert.
 New Album |
Lavishly dressed lead singer Simon Le Bon seemed happily content throughout the evening, bantering playfully with the crowd. Early on he joked about not being able to read the set list without his glasses. His self-effacing, satirical English humor displayed throughout the night endeared the singer to the audience. The ladies also screamed for original members Roger Taylor on drums and John Taylor on bass. The four veterans of the band were joined by two competent female backup singers and a sax player to highlight key songs like the famous riff in Rio.
Aside from the massive in-house video screens, the stage featured its own array of LED video panels that created a compelling multimedia background synchronized with each song. The videos featured everything from highlights of classic old films like Battleship Potemkin and Metropolis to abstract, artistic, pulsating color panels. The huge lighting trusses were mechanized to move and breathe with each new selection, creating endless lighting scenarios backed by the latest LED effects. Towering above the stage stood four large translucent three-dimensional heads. During several songs, the heads would light up with synchronized animation of the band members faces, bringing to mind a more primitive, creepy version in the old Haunted Mansion in Disney World. The sound system in the Nokia Theater is truly spectacular, presenting crystal clear vocals as well as thundering bass to the very back of the venue.
The band even tapped into Twitter technology, posting a giant live Twitter board where fans could tweet directly to #duranlive. While Le Bon took a break in the middle of the show, John Taylor led the rest of the band in a spirited instrumental version of Tiger Tiger and reminded the crowd to keep tweeting. As the tweets accelerated, one in particular drew cheers from the crowd when it lit up the screen larger than life, Play that fucking bass, John, and he did.
The band played three encores including an extended medley of Wild Boys blended with a cover of Frankie Goes To Hollywoods Relax. The band took their final bows nearly two hours after the show began; a final standing ovation that really had never ended from the moment the band stepped onstage. Duran Duran is alive and well, and Duranies in Los Angeles couldn’t be happier about it.
Setlist
Before the Rain, Planet Earth, All You Need Is Now, A View to a Kill, Blame the Machines, Come Undone, Safe, The Reflex, Girl Panic!, Tiger Tiger, Careless Memories, Leave A Light On, The Man Who Stole A Leopard, Notorious, Hungry Like the Wolf, Sunrise. (Encore) Ordinary World, Wild Boys/Relax, Rio
Duran Duran Tour Dates :: Duran Duran News
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Tags: concert, John, keyboard, leo, museum, night, nokia, rad, years