July 8, 2012
Since Duran Duran's 1980s heyday, the British band has been racking up the hits while quietly honing its live act.
The band's best-known live effort, 1984's "Arena," was a huge hit, but it failed to show the band's true live prowess.
In contrast, in the new concert film "A Diamond In The Mind," Duran is at its finest.
Filmed at the MEN Arena in Manchester, England, on Dec. 16, the concert had its premiere on Facebook on Sunday afternoon.
The streaming video quality was not as great as what is featured on the Blu-ray, available in the United States on Tuesday, and some of the band's Facebook friends experienced technical problems with buffering and other issues while watching the concert.
But it was apparent from the digital premiere that the set list for "Diamond" is tight and blistering.
It includes most of the band's hits from its three-decade career, as well as borrows heavily from critically acclaimed 2011 album "All You Need Is Now."
Standout tracks include "A View To A Kill," "Girl Panic!" "Careless Memories," "Ordinary World" and "(Reach Up For The) Sunrise."
The band is pure energy 30 years into its career and with four out five original members. The Taylors, John and Roger, get into a funky groove on bass and drums. Nick Rhodes snaps photos from behind the keyboards, dressed in New Romantic finery. Singer Simon Le Bon owns the stage in sequined pants, his voice better than ever after last summer's vocal scare. But as diehard Duranies can attest, Le Bon does sound that good live.
"Arena" hit "The Wild Boys" includes an extra dose of energy in the form of giant Duran heads on the video screen and a seamless segue into Franky Goes To Hollywood's "Relax."
The transcendent "The Man Who Stole A Leopard" is the highlight. Le Bon sounds amazing, backup singer Anna Ross upstages Kelis and a newsreader wraps everything up on the screen overhead. The performance does the recorded track, a fan favorite, justice.
Taylor, Taylor, Rhodes and Le Bon also answered fans' questions after the premiere. Topics included the live show, fashion and how working again with "AYNIN" producer Mark Ronson already is in the cards - more proof Duran will keep putting out high-quality work like "Diamond."
Since Duran Duran's 1980s heyday, the British band has been racking up the hits while quietly honing its live act.
The band's best-known live effort, 1984's "Arena," was a huge hit, but it failed to show the band's true live prowess.
In contrast, in the new concert film "A Diamond In The Mind," Duran is at its finest.
Filmed at the MEN Arena in Manchester, England, on Dec. 16, the concert had its premiere on Facebook on Sunday afternoon.
The streaming video quality was not as great as what is featured on the Blu-ray, available in the United States on Tuesday, and some of the band's Facebook friends experienced technical problems with buffering and other issues while watching the concert.
But it was apparent from the digital premiere that the set list for "Diamond" is tight and blistering.
It includes most of the band's hits from its three-decade career, as well as borrows heavily from critically acclaimed 2011 album "All You Need Is Now."
Standout tracks include "A View To A Kill," "Girl Panic!" "Careless Memories," "Ordinary World" and "(Reach Up For The) Sunrise."
The band is pure energy 30 years into its career and with four out five original members. The Taylors, John and Roger, get into a funky groove on bass and drums. Nick Rhodes snaps photos from behind the keyboards, dressed in New Romantic finery. Singer Simon Le Bon owns the stage in sequined pants, his voice better than ever after last summer's vocal scare. But as diehard Duranies can attest, Le Bon does sound that good live.
"Arena" hit "The Wild Boys" includes an extra dose of energy in the form of giant Duran heads on the video screen and a seamless segue into Franky Goes To Hollywood's "Relax."
The transcendent "The Man Who Stole A Leopard" is the highlight. Le Bon sounds amazing, backup singer Anna Ross upstages Kelis and a newsreader wraps everything up on the screen overhead. The performance does the recorded track, a fan favorite, justice.
Taylor, Taylor, Rhodes and Le Bon also answered fans' questions after the premiere. Topics included the live show, fashion and how working again with "AYNIN" producer Mark Ronson already is in the cards - more proof Duran will keep putting out high-quality work like "Diamond."
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