Duran Duran Concert 2007- Pt 2

November 13

I went to the Virgin Megastore again. This time I bought Genesis- Turn It On Again- The Hits Tour Edition. I have the regular one but this has a few more songs that I like on it.

   I saw a book about male idols of the 70s and 80s. Some of my former crushes were in it, Tom Selleck- who was the cover boy too- and Pierce Brosnan. Duran Duran and just Simon were also.

   I was talking to a girl on line in front of me for a bit then to a couple behind me. The one likes John. She said that she met him once and that he is nice. Lucky her. Her friend likes Nick and Simon.

   They seemed baffled and surprised when I told them that I didn’t really get into DD until “Ordinary World” – 1993. I did say that I had the “Hungry Like the Wolf” 45 in the 80s.

   The one girl was hoping that they would perform “Hold Back the Rain”. It was doubtful that they would which it turns out that they did not.

   There were 3 color wristbands that were given out. This was according to your ticket price. I got orange for the back section. The venue wasn’t that big which was nice. I was to the left of the stage.

   I talked to a nice couple next to me. The lady said that she had seen the Police during their Synchronicity tour and that REM had been the opening act. She also saw Howard Jones, Culture Club, and The Human League when they were touring together.

   I told her about the Norway girl. She said that she wouldn’t really travel that far to see anyone except for probably Kate Bush.

   The show was done in two acts. They performed the entire new album during the first one and their hits during the second. There was an electro-set of 5 songs, including “I Don’t Want Your Love”, “Last Chance on the Stairway”, and a cover version of “Warm Leatherette”. I forget the other 2; one might have been “All She Wants”.

   They were wearing nice matching suits then. The lady said that they looked sort of Devo-ish. She and I were so happy when they did “Planet Earth”.

   During “Save a Prayer”, that couple were holding onto one another. I hate that part of me was wishing that I had a boyfriend that I could do that with.

   I was pretty upset that a very tall guy was often blocking my view during Act 2. I had to look around him. I couldn’t really use the binoculars that much then.

   During the band intros towards the end, I finally figured out what the crowd was chanting about John. I hadn’t caught onto this at the 2 other shows in 2005. It was “Play that f***in’ bass, John.” I would never want to say that.

   The couple bought the poster set for their son. I don’t know why I got this too; I don’t need to have posters of them on my wall.

   I had heard them talking about how they want to sell their 2 friends tickets. A part of me wanted to buy one so I could see them again the next night. If I hadn’t seen Bon Jovi the week before I would have been able to afford this.

   At Penn Station, I helped a cute guy from the Netherlands find the right train. He was going on the same one as me. He sat in front of me on it. If there had been a double space available, maybe we would have sat together.

   I was feeling anxious when we were talking. He had been at the Knicks game. He was in the area for a business trip. He got off at Newark station. It is so bad that I was wishing that I could have gone with him.

   The guy next to me asked about my posters. I was embarrassed when talking about Duran Duran. He said that I shouldn’t be. He showed me photos of his two kids. He has a doggie named Sweetie (Sweet Georgia Brown)

Duran Duran Concert 2007- Part 1

November 10- Our Adventure in NYC

My brother came with me into the city on the day that I was going to the Duran Duran concert. We looked around in some stores and went to St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

   We bought some CDs in the Virgin Megastore. He got Bon Jovi- Crossroads, Rush, and Hall and Oates. I got Phil Collins- Love Songs and Elvis 30 #1 Hits. I paid cash for that but then used my credit card for 2 DD CDs and their Sing Blue Silver DVD.

   I heard their “Hungry Like the Wolf” playing on the stereo system and saw a big cardboard cut out thing of them there. In Barnes and Noble I read a review of their new album. This was getting me even more excited about seeing them.

   We got to the Barrymore Theatre at about 7:10. A girl was there telling people that the show had been cancelled because of the Broadway strike. This was extremely disappointing. She handed out a paper with a number to call about rescheduling.

   My brother was talking to a girl who had traveled all the way from Norway to see them. I felt bad for her.

   This would have been only the second time ever that I was in a Broadway theater. The first was in 1982 on a class trip. We saw The Pirates of Penzance but the understudies not Linda Ronstadt and Rex Smith were in it. I still have the Playbill for this.

 

November 12

I was feeling so anxious when calling that number. The guy told me that I could use my ticket either that night or the next one. They would now be performing at the Roseland Ballroom. I just have to go tonight I can’t wait another day to see them

  Mike and I are going to Target tomorrow. I will be buying DD’s new album, Red Carpet Massacre. It is new release day. This is the first time that I will ever be purchasing an album when it first came out.

My First Real Duran Duran Concert- 2005

 April 13, 2005- MSG, NYC

Mom had a bad episode the day before this. She seemed really out of it which is usually what happens when she overdoes it on her as needed meds for migraines and anxiety. I was afraid that she would have hallucinations and wind up in the hospital again. I did not want to miss this concert. I was feeling both upset and angry. Luckily she didn’t have to be hospitalized.

   I was feeling embarrassed that I was really excited about seeing all of the original members of this group, esp. John Taylor. The last time at PNC it was more like the Simon and Nick show.

  Before the concert I went to Macy’s where I bought a pretty 1928 necklace and matching earrings. I also had strawberry ice cream at Ben& Jerry’s there. I hadn’t eaten ice cream in many years. This was so yummy.

   About half an hour later I went over to the Garden. A guy asked me to take a picture of him and his friends. I had never used a digital camera before this. The girl sitting next to me had on too much perfume. She was drinking either champagne or wine which I was afraid that she’d accidentally spill on me. I had the same fear about the beer drinking guy who was standing next to me for a little while.

   I was in the top section, front row end seat. It was to the left of the stage so I was on bassist guy’s side which was nice. I definitely made sure that I used the binoculars and got a good view of him- oh, and the others too. I used them sometimes when Simon came over to the left.  I didn’t use them enough though, esp. during “Save a Prayer”.

   There weren’t any screens which was very disappointing.  I hate that my bad side made me use the binoculars for inappropriate viewing of the butts and was thinking very nice about JT’s and not bad about Simon’s- how majorly embarrassing.

   Simon told everyone to hold up their cell phones during that prayer song. I didn’t have one of these. I was happy that they did “The Chauffeur “and “Hold Back the Rain”. The girls went gaga over Simon when he left the stage and was near some of them. I was never really a fan of “The Reflex” but after seeing it performed here I started liking it.

    Before the concert I heard a few girls talking about the 2003 Bon Jovi concert that my brother and I were at. It was so stupid that I waited until the day after I heard about the DD concert on the radio to call for a ticket. Maybe part of me was ashamed to even want to be going to this event. I hadn’t even heard about it until February.

   I didn’t want to share my group with Mike so I didn’t even tell him about it. Eventually I mentioned that I had gone to this show and he did seem a bit disappointed that I didn’t include him.

   During the train ride home I heard a few people talking about this concert and sort of wanted to join in on the conversation but was too afraid to. I was wishing that I had gotten the 57.00 ticket which was the section below where I had been but I foolishly thought that I had to stick with the least expensive one like I always do at such events.

   I didn’t even know that Duran Duran was back together until October 2004. I had screwed up the taping of them on “GMA” that month. I didn’t buy the tour book because it was too expensive- 45.00. If it had been a regular one and not this special, fancy kind it would have cost less and I would have purchased it.

  I completely hate that my bad side was having naughty thoughts about bassist guy, like thinking that he looks hot in those tight black leather pants. Yuck!

   Simon did mention the fact that it had been 21 years since they all last performed there. Being at this concert didn’t even seem real, well except for the distractions including my own thoughts and stupidity like not taking off my coat. I am kind of embarrassed that I sometimes swayed to the music and sang along a bit like during the last song which is my favorite, “Rio”.

My First Duran Duran Concert- 2000

 Saturday August 8, 2000- PNC Bank Arts Center- Holmdel, NJ

I was worried that I wouldn’t even be going to this concert because Matt didn’t call me for a few weeks before this so I was thinking that maybe he was about to break up with me and would just go to it with his friend but luckily that did not happen.

   Part of me was wishing that John Taylor was still with them. I wasn’t ashamed this time to admit that he is my favorite guy in the group.  I was kind of embarrassed that I was singing a bit during “Rio” and swaying to the music though.

  I didn’t look at the screen much and had forgotten my binoculars which I beat myself up about, naturally.  Matt had small binoculars that I did use a little. He bought me the postcard set. It was a good show except for a few rude people near us ruining the experience. We had to move like half a dozen times for them to go get beer.

My Duran Duran Fascination

I didn’t really get into Duran Duran  until after “Ordinary World” first came out, but then it was only a little bit. I was mainly into country music in the 1990s up until 1998. I don’t even really remember much about them from the 1980s. I did have a 45 of their “Hungry Like the Wolf”. It was one of only 10 that I had in that decade.

    I never watched MTV or music videos on other channels either. Wait, I did see Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” around the time that it premiered. Even Mom was watching that! I only saw parts of DD videos in specials about the 80s on VH1 and other channels in the 1990s. I never saw a full video of theirs until around 2007. I got the Greatest CD that came with a DVD then.

   I didn’t look in those teenie bopper mags when I was a kid either, except for the 1 or 2 that my Grandma next door got for me because she thought that I had a crush on Michael J. Fox. I liked him in the movie Back to the Future, that’s all.

   I remember wanting to laugh when my grade school classmates were talking about which  one of the Duran Duran guys that they each had a crush on. I simply did not get why they were so fascinated by them back then. I guess that I kind of do now though.

     I’m kind of ashamed to even admit that I am a DD fan. It’s mostly been for only the past 3 years. I didn’t even go to their official website for the first time until last summer. I learned about the history of this group then. I felt like I was doing research for a term paper on them.

   I would love to say “I just like their music” when people ask me who is my favorite DD guy. I could also simply say that they are all good looking in their own way. A couple of times I have admitted which one it is. I can’t help feeling embarrassed about this. I have got shame issues that I am trying to work on, esp. when it comes to music and certain guys.

   I used to have many dreams with my music people in them, esp. Duran Duran. I was worrying that this might be kind of obsessive but my therapist said that it isn’t. It’s not as if I have any control over what I dream about.

    Should I be ashamed to even admit that I see a therapist? My issues are anxiety- esp. social, extremely low self-esteem and depression. Hopefully I will be able to overcome all of this. My music does help to calm me down and cheer me up a little. Why is it that I often choose DD to do this?

   I have even pictured a certain guy in this group hugging me and telling me that it’s going to be alright. This is majorly embarrassing. I don’t even like to be touched- yet another issue.

    Why do I feel that it is okay for everyone else to like Duran Duran but for me it seems sort of wrong? I used to feel the same way about Bon Jovi but not so much now. I’m kind of over that phase. I didn’t start liking them until after “It’s My Life” came out in 2000. I guess that it’s better late than never for both of these groups.

   Part of me is just hoping that liking DD a lot is just some phase that I am going through, like my Beatles/McCartney/Wings one of the late 80s and early 90s. It’s not a crime for me to be a fan of theirs. I have to convince myself to believe this. And it’s not a sin to admit that bassist guy is my favorite. Yikes, I can’t even type his name, that is how embarrassed that I am.

     I am hearing “Planet Earth” playing in my mind’s stereo. Now I’m thinking how I’d like to listen to the Night Version of this- love the extra bass. Damnit, does this make it seem like I am semi-obsessed with that guy? -Probably not. Actually, I’d love to see this video. I get a kick of the puffy shirts in that. Bring those back into fashion- just kidding.