Duran Duran returned with a vengeance in 2015, releasing a new album, touring the U.S. and U.K., and raking in the awards. Here are the band's top moments from the past year:
Amazon.com
Bow to the 'Paper Gods'
Duran released "Paper Gods" in September, and the album would debut at No. 10 on the Billboard albums chart, the biggest chart entry for Duran since 1993's "The Wedding Album." The album also received some great reviews, mine among them, as I was honored to receive a digital copy from Warner Brothers weeks before its official release. Duran collected the Q ICON Award and an EMA Visionary Award following the "Paper Gods" success.
'Pressure Off' single and video
For the song "Pressure Off," released as a single in June, Nile Rodgers and Mark Ronson put a modern spin on Duran Duran, bringing in R&B's Janelle Monae to share the vocal with Simon Le Bon. Later in the year, the band followed up with a classy black and white video directed by Nick Egan. For every new face Duran brought into the fold, there were longtime collaborators like Rodgers, Ronson and Egan there to remind fans this was still classic Duran.
Amazon.com
New recording contract
Amidst all the excitement about the new music, Duran had once again signed to a major label, reuniting with its back catalog after learning that Warner Brothers UK had bought those rights. With that comes the exciting prospect that Warner could release some gems from the DD vault. There was another rerelease of the "Rio" album in 2015, but many fans are hoping to see rereleases of more recent albums like "The Wedding Album."
Photo by Christopher Windle
Tour dates in the U.S. and U.K.
Duran completed only a minitour of the United States in 2015, but the band made it count, playing high-profile festival dates and large venues such as Hollywood Bowl and Red Rocks Amphitheatre. I was there for the majesty of Red Rocks, and it was a show that topped all other Duran shows for someone who has seen the band 18 times in different iterations over the years. In the U.K., a pre-Christmas tour wowed fans. The band pulled out surprises such as "Only In Dreams," "Love Voodoo" and "New Moon On Monday."
More tour dates loom next year, as Duran brought the year to a close by announcing North American dates next spring and summer. Reviews of the St. Paul and Kansas City shows will be among those appearing here next year!
TFI Friday
'Save A Prayer' for Paris
One of the great moments of 2015 was Duran's response to a tragedy. After terrorists attacked Paris, including a concert by the band Eagles of Death Metal, fans rallied with a campaign to get the band's cover version of Duran's "Save A Prayer" to the top of the U.K. charts. As sales of the digital song climbed, Duran announced that all proceeds would go to charity. Now, when Duran plays the song in its live encore, Le Bon dedicates the track to the victims of the attacks.
