Greenway88
9-25-03, 12:01 PM
from: http://www.bayarea.com/mld/cctimes/6839086.htm
Now & Zen Fest elevates Duran Duran to higher level
By Tony Hicks
CONTRA COSTA TIMES
THEY NO LONGER rule MTV and no longer go platinum automatically. They aren't the most desired group of men to the planet's teen-girl population anymore. Boyfriends and husbands probably don't even hate them anymore. They weren't even a very good live band in the '90s.
So what exactly does a re-formed Duran Duran have going for it nowadays, 18 years after the original lineup last performed together? Probably what they wanted all along: They have songs and musicianship, which they always had but was lost amid all those fancy clothes, hairdos and screaming girls. They also have the chemistry that made them such a huge deal 20 years ago.
The females still screamed Sunday during Duran Duran's headlining performance at the annual Now & Zen Fest, hosted by radio station KLLC-FM 97.3 (Alice). The show also featured Seal, Liz Phair and Maroon 5, but most of the overflowing crowd braved broiling temperatures at Golden Gate Park to see one of the greatest phenomenons of the '80s back together.
Yeah, the guys are still cute and all, in that good-looking dad kind of way. Yep, some underwear still flew toward the stage. But the crowd's reaction -- which did include three or four topless women riding high on men's shoulders -- was overall more of an appreciative type of screaming. Maybe it was '80s nostalgia, but it was more likely a tribute for a band that never really got its musical due.
We're not exactly talking about the Beatles here, but Duran Duran was always far more capable than critics surmised. They wrote incredible catchy songs and were above-average musicians, especially when it came to mixing genres including funk, rock and straight pop. Especially the pop. What was apparent Sunday was that band members, now in their 40s, can leave at least part of the female-generated hysteria behind. Like fog in the morning before the sun comes out, it just burned away. They looked healthy, they looked happy. And they sounded good.
Even the new material sounded pretty good, though there were some obvious speed bumps in an otherwise classic set of Duran Duran oldies. It's never easy in this day and age playing headlining sets in the afternoon. Crowds are used to nighttime special effects and light shows -- the shiny, spectacular frosting that generally goes with the musical cake. The strength of the annual Now & Zen Fest has always been in the event itself; a bright last gasp of summer before autumn sets in. People go regardless of who's playing, and they stay regardless of how they perform.
But Sunday was different. There was a serious buzz about the crowd. Not so much for Liz Phair, whose new, more commercial-sounding record is getting mixed reviews from old fans (many of whom have accused her of selling out). For all her talent, watching her do her new radio-friendly stuff wasn't much different than watching a Sheryl Crow show.
Seal had his moments. He's a great singer and has a loyal fan base. But like so many good musical acts of years past who come out to the park, with its festival-like atmosphere, he was rendered fairly average by the surroundings.
Duran Duran didn't do anything startling, since much of their strength is in the nostalgia factor. But when age helps strip away the hype, it's easy to see that these guys can play. Guitarist Andy Taylor -- absent from the band since its 1985 Live Aid appearance and from the music world, more or less, for the past decade -- came out blazing. He was always the band member who wanted to rock, and now he has the space to do it. Singer Simon Le Bon actually sang pretty well here and there, and bassist John Taylor showed the semi-funk skills that made his side projects so surprising. They tore through the oldies without a hitch: "Hungry Like the Wolf," "Planet Earth," "Undone" and "Ordinary World," (with great guitar work from Taylor, who didn't play on the original). The new material was so-so, though one song, "Virus," recovered from a plodding heavy guitar to shine toward the end with nice harmonies. "Save a Prayer" was the best song of the afternoon, re-enforcing the band's musical strengths.
Though the crowd seemed to be up for it, they could have skipped "The Wild Boys," with its piped-in chorus (that's what can happen when big-production '80s bands go on tour). But a big crowd sing-along during a seamless "Rio" made up for it near the end.
Logically, Duran Duran would be far more interesting indoors, but they pulled it off Sunday under the hot sun. They ended up being one of the best bands Alice has ever booked for Now & Zen, which, considering the band's long layoff, was a long shot at best.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tony Hicks is the Times pop music critic. Reach him at 925-952-2678 or thicks@cctimes.com.
Now & Zen Fest elevates Duran Duran to higher level
By Tony Hicks
CONTRA COSTA TIMES
THEY NO LONGER rule MTV and no longer go platinum automatically. They aren't the most desired group of men to the planet's teen-girl population anymore. Boyfriends and husbands probably don't even hate them anymore. They weren't even a very good live band in the '90s.
So what exactly does a re-formed Duran Duran have going for it nowadays, 18 years after the original lineup last performed together? Probably what they wanted all along: They have songs and musicianship, which they always had but was lost amid all those fancy clothes, hairdos and screaming girls. They also have the chemistry that made them such a huge deal 20 years ago.
The females still screamed Sunday during Duran Duran's headlining performance at the annual Now & Zen Fest, hosted by radio station KLLC-FM 97.3 (Alice). The show also featured Seal, Liz Phair and Maroon 5, but most of the overflowing crowd braved broiling temperatures at Golden Gate Park to see one of the greatest phenomenons of the '80s back together.
Yeah, the guys are still cute and all, in that good-looking dad kind of way. Yep, some underwear still flew toward the stage. But the crowd's reaction -- which did include three or four topless women riding high on men's shoulders -- was overall more of an appreciative type of screaming. Maybe it was '80s nostalgia, but it was more likely a tribute for a band that never really got its musical due.
We're not exactly talking about the Beatles here, but Duran Duran was always far more capable than critics surmised. They wrote incredible catchy songs and were above-average musicians, especially when it came to mixing genres including funk, rock and straight pop. Especially the pop. What was apparent Sunday was that band members, now in their 40s, can leave at least part of the female-generated hysteria behind. Like fog in the morning before the sun comes out, it just burned away. They looked healthy, they looked happy. And they sounded good.
Even the new material sounded pretty good, though there were some obvious speed bumps in an otherwise classic set of Duran Duran oldies. It's never easy in this day and age playing headlining sets in the afternoon. Crowds are used to nighttime special effects and light shows -- the shiny, spectacular frosting that generally goes with the musical cake. The strength of the annual Now & Zen Fest has always been in the event itself; a bright last gasp of summer before autumn sets in. People go regardless of who's playing, and they stay regardless of how they perform.
But Sunday was different. There was a serious buzz about the crowd. Not so much for Liz Phair, whose new, more commercial-sounding record is getting mixed reviews from old fans (many of whom have accused her of selling out). For all her talent, watching her do her new radio-friendly stuff wasn't much different than watching a Sheryl Crow show.
Seal had his moments. He's a great singer and has a loyal fan base. But like so many good musical acts of years past who come out to the park, with its festival-like atmosphere, he was rendered fairly average by the surroundings.
Duran Duran didn't do anything startling, since much of their strength is in the nostalgia factor. But when age helps strip away the hype, it's easy to see that these guys can play. Guitarist Andy Taylor -- absent from the band since its 1985 Live Aid appearance and from the music world, more or less, for the past decade -- came out blazing. He was always the band member who wanted to rock, and now he has the space to do it. Singer Simon Le Bon actually sang pretty well here and there, and bassist John Taylor showed the semi-funk skills that made his side projects so surprising. They tore through the oldies without a hitch: "Hungry Like the Wolf," "Planet Earth," "Undone" and "Ordinary World," (with great guitar work from Taylor, who didn't play on the original). The new material was so-so, though one song, "Virus," recovered from a plodding heavy guitar to shine toward the end with nice harmonies. "Save a Prayer" was the best song of the afternoon, re-enforcing the band's musical strengths.
Though the crowd seemed to be up for it, they could have skipped "The Wild Boys," with its piped-in chorus (that's what can happen when big-production '80s bands go on tour). But a big crowd sing-along during a seamless "Rio" made up for it near the end.
Logically, Duran Duran would be far more interesting indoors, but they pulled it off Sunday under the hot sun. They ended up being one of the best bands Alice has ever booked for Now & Zen, which, considering the band's long layoff, was a long shot at best.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tony Hicks is the Times pop music critic. Reach him at 925-952-2678 or thicks@cctimes.com.