Duran Duran, the Duranie Version

As a lot of people know, living in London has not been one of the easiest things I've done in my life, but every once in a while there is something that makes me say, "this was totally worth it." Last night was one of those moments.

Anyone who knows anything about me knows my love of music. U2, being my band I adore. And those who have known me since the 80's knows that my other band that I love is Duran Duran. And if you were lucky enough to see my bedroom in the 80's, it was plastered from floor to ceiling with every picture of Duran Duran I could have gotten my hands on. Not to mention, the "Duran Duran" haircut, the plastic bracelets, the white loafer shoes. I was a Duranie.

I was lucky enough to see Duran Duran at Six Flags in 1987 for a mere $5, plus park admission and then twice in 1993. But last night, I was lucky enough to see Duran Duran with 4 out of the 5 original members in their hometown. It was amazing! I cannot even begin to tell you how much fun I had. I danced for 2 1/2 hours like I was 16 again (of course I'm not feeling 16 today). But they were incredible. As J. said, they started off with a few new songs. I have listened to the cd a few more times than he has so I was more familiar with them, but I've only had it for about a month. Still, they were fun and sounded great. Then they went into their older stuff and it was non-stop great. I was a little worried going into the show because Simon's voice has been hit-and-miss since the 80's when he almost died in a yachting accident, so I really didn't know how good they would sound. But his voice was strong and absolutely the best I have ever heard. On top of that, they seemed to be having lots of fun. They had a couple of big screens, so you got shots of them smiling and laughing. That just made it more fun. And when they ended with Rio, I really wanted to go, "Can't you play a few more?" It was an incredible concert.

As J. pointed out, we had really good seats and I did get to take my camera. I got some decent shots, but I wish my camera had a better zoom. It's only a 3x. A guy in front of us had a 10x zoom and I kept telling J. I wanted his camera b/c he was getting some really good shots.

Then riding home on the train with the other couple who went to the show talking about how they met them before the show and then about being a fan for the last *gulp* 25 years. It was definitely a night when I could say, "Moving here was worth it." And to quote Simon LeBon from their song "Ordinary World",

"But I won't cry for yesterday
There's an ordinary world
Somehow I have to find
And as I try to make my way
To the ordinary world
I will learn to survive."