Kickin' It Old School

I am a child of the 80s. Feathered & permed hair, ribbon belts, acid wash jeans, jellies shoes, shoulder pads, all of it. Junior high was crazy. Boys who had their friends ask if you would "go with" them (they never asked you themselves), track meets, four-square before school, and cheerleading. Oh, and how can I forget: DURAN DURAN.

In 1984 Duran Duran came to Austin. Leading up to the concert my friends Kristin & Tonya and I constantly talked about going. Playing "what if" scenarios, which now seem so ridiculous. "What if we get to meet them?" "What if John falls in love with me?" "What if Roger wants to get married?" Absolutely ridiculous, I know. But hey, we were 14. This was also the time of my first shut-out.

We had been talking about all 3 of us going to the concert together, and then suddenly Kristin & Tonya started avoiding me. I found out through someone else that Kristin's next-door neighbor was the manager at the Hyatt, where Duran Duran would be staying. The neighbor had arranged a meet & greet for only 2 people, so I got shut out. The day of the concert Kristin & Tonya went to the Hyatt penthouse, met the band, got autographs, and ended up with FRONT ROW tickets, while I scrambled to get tickets and go with other friends. Needless to say, I was devastated. I'm sure I cried for days. The concert was at Frank Erwin, and I remember it well. I also remember seeing Kristin & Tonya go on stage with the band. Kristin even sang into the mic with Simon during a song. It was like rubbing salt in an open wound. Of course the next day at school, when that was all they could talk about, I pretended I hadn't seen.

Tuesday night was different. The venue was smaller (Austin Music Hall is still visibly under construction & leaking), but Kristin & Tonya weren't there. Instead I was with Michelle & Christine, and aside from some territorial lesbians who wouldn't let us past a certain point near the stage, it was stress-free. There were quite a few douchebags, a pirate (no joke), and even some younger folks who seemed out of place. But by far, the crowd consisted mostly of women who are older and heavier versions of their 14-yr. old selves, myself included. At 14, I think I weighed 80 lbs.

The opening act was a bit melancholy for the D2 fans. Sara Bareilles is decent in her own right, but in a sip-wine-in-a-lounge way. What we really needed was an 80's cover band to get us in the mood. D2 wore matching black military-style jackets, and all of them have aged really well. John appeared to be the only one with a bit of a receding hairline (he's now married to one of the Juicy Couture founders). Roger never left the drums, so he was difficult to see, but they have a lead guitarist who is absolutely amazing. In what was apprarently a scandalous departure the original lead guitarist, Andy Taylor, has been replaced by Dom Brown who is younger (and by that, I mean closer to my age than the rest of the band) and hot. And, contrary to the Rio video, John Taylor does not play the sax. I had forgotten that. And I sorta hate to say it, but Simon comes across as a bit of a douchebag himself. While in interviews he seems very charming and polite, on stage he's very scripted, he would occasionally get off beat when clapping and prancing around, and he may have been on something which became more apparent at the very end of the night. Seeing him last night made me recall my dad teasing me about all my D2 crushes when I was younger and calling him a "fruit".

They started by playing about 4 songs from their new album, and of course they mentioned the Justin Timberlake collaboration. Their new music is very clubby in a sort of London-underground kind of way. Then, they started in with classic songs which Simon LeBon would introduce with a cheesy clue. For example at one point he said, "Everyone take a look at Nick. He wants you to take a picture." Then the music would change & we could hear the unmistakable sound of the camera shutter at the beginning of "Girls on Film."

The night was basically spent screaming/singing other lyrics of our favorite D2 songs (you know you know them), including:

• No-no-no-notorious
• Bop bop bop bop bop bop bop bop this is Planet Earth
• Oh Rio, Rio dance across the Rio Grande
• Dance (dance!) into the fire
• Some people call it a one night stand, but we can call it paradise
• Wild boys always shine
• Lipstick cherry all the way down the lens as she's fallin'
• So why-y-y-y-y don't you use it?

Surprisingly absent: Hungry Like the Wolf. I was certain they'd end the show with that, because it was so obviously missing from their set all night. But when the house lights went on & the microphones were taken down by the road crew, we knew it was over.
But it was a solid 2 hours of great music. I had a great night. I felt like a teenager again, and I did not get shut-out! Thanks, ladies!

(note: I was waiting for pictures from Michelle, but I'll add those later - they are AWESOME)