Top five live shows of 2022

Duran Duran

Live music was back to a new abnormal in 2022: More bands returned to touring, but many did shorter stints with fewer stops. Among those was Duran Duran, who embarked on a 14-date North American tour as summer turned to fall. 

It's no surprise that the band leads our list of top live shows of the year. The new wave icons impressed the crowd in Fort Worth, Texas, on Aug. 30 with its biggest hits and a few "old friends." Duran leaned in to nostalgia, playing "Union of the Snake," "Friends of Mine," and "Careless Memories" back to back, a new holy trinity of its 2022 U.S. shows. But even the most time-worn songs, when performed live, restored all faith in this band. Read more: Duran Duran leans in to future, past in Fort Worth

Cy Curnin, right, and Jamie West Oram of
The Fixx. All photos by Christopher Windle

The Fixx 

The Fixx returned to Omaha on June 28 with its "Every Five Seconds" tour, treating fans to new and classic songs. The Fixx, with its socially conscious music, moved the audience lyrically as well as rhythmically with its show at the Waiting Room. Cy Curnin and the band were in top form as they showcased several tracks off the new album, which fit seamlessly with the band's slew of new wave hits. Read more: The Fixx dive deeper with new songs and classic hits

Mudhoney

Growing up in the grunge era, I never got to witness Mudhoney live, even though "Superfuzz Bigmuff" and "Mudhoney" were some of my favorite albums of the time, especially from the genre. But in 2022, Mudhoney made an unlikely stop in Omaha, playing the Slowdown in May. The band did not disappoint, playing classics like "In And Out of Grace," "Touch Me I'm Sick," Vortex of Lies," and set closer "Here Come Sickness." — Christopher Windle 

Boy Harsher

Boy Harsher has been an obsession of mine for years now. The electro-pop group’s sold-out show in Kansas City in July proved that many others are just as obsessed. Boy Harsher turned the recordBar into a pulsing dance club on a Monday night with songs like "Fate," "Modulations," "Morphine," and "Pain." And singer Jae Matthews encouraged the crowd to dance even more ("We make dance music, so dance!"). If you haven't yet, be sure to check out Boy Harsher. — Christopher Windle

 

Circle Jerks

Circle Jerks played Lawrence, Kansas, in March with 7 Seconds and Negative Approach opening — how could this combination not hit the top five? Negative Approach kicked off the show in full force, playing classics like "Fair Warning," "Live Your Life," and "Why Be Something That You're Not." Then 7 Seconds came out swinging with trademark songs like "Regress No Way," We're Going to Fight," and "Here's Your Warning." But the headliners were not going to be outdone. Circle Jerks played a 33-song set, including tracks from all six of the band's albums. The crowd, along with the Jerks, went bombastic throughout the set. The band played classics like "I Just Want Some Skank," "Wild in the Streets," "Moral Majority," "Red Tape"... I could keep going, but you get the gist. — Christopher Windle

Honorable mentions: 

Frontline Assembly at the recordBar (pictured), The Cult at the Admiral Omaha

Duran Duran’s top moments of 2022

More than four decades into its career, Duran Duran had a banner year in 2022. 

At times in between the band's highest points during the '80s and early '90s, and many times afterward, it was hard to believe that things might someday unfold like they did this past year. Duran is finishing 2022 as new inductees into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame — as well as the fan vote winners — headliners on stages around the world, and at last, the elder statesmen of new wave.

RRHOF

In the spring, Duran finally made the roster of nominees for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and it didn't take long for the band to soar to the top of the fan poll. Duran traded the lead a few times with rapper Eminem before pulling away for good. In the end, the band won with a commanding 934,880 votes. But the fan vote was just one piece of the puzzle. While good for publicity, it counted for little in the overall scheme of things. But no matter: Duran was indeed selected to be inducted in November. 

When the day finally arrived, the band opened the show, no less. Duran was inducted by actor Robert Downey Jr. and performed "Girls On Film," "Hungry Like the Wolf," and "Ordinary World." But something was missing: guitarist Andy Taylor, who had announced that he was planning to perform. (The sixth inductee, guitarist Warren Cuccurullo, never officially confirmed plans to be there.) But Taylor's news stole the show: He has stage four metastatic prostate cancer, and a setback prevented him from being there on the big night. Singer Simon Le Bon shared a heartfelt note from the guitarist. Later that evening, Le Bon returned to the stage for the show-closing jam with Dolly Parton.

DuranLive

Duran played some big shows in 2022: BST Hyde Park, the Queen's Jubilee, and the opening of the Commonwealth Games, to name a few. But the biggest show for me took place in Fort Worth, Texas, during the band's U.S. tour. The concert on Aug. 30 was a culmination of a more than six-year wait between live shows. The "Future Past" tour opener in Minnesota was how it was supposed to start. But that concert was canceled at the last minute due to storms, and the show at Dickie's Arena in Fort Worth turned out to be a totally worthwhile pivot. Two months later, the band mixed up its act big time with a Halloween-themed show in Las Vegas that received glowing reviews from fans, even ones left a bit jaded over the band's live set list.

Resurgence

More than anything in 2022, there was a feeling that Duran's time as a respected force in music had finally come. In the days leading up to the Rock Hall induction, the band had a concert film playing in theaters around the world and were on the cover of a publication on most major newstands, a special edition of Life magazine. Once again, it was a great time to be a Duranie.

The future

2023 is likely to include more live shows, the band's bread and butter. A brief tour of the U.K. is certain to be followed by more U.S. shows. Duran seems ready: The band will ring in the year in New York's Times Square as the main act for "New Year's Rockin' Eve."

At top, Duran Duran plays to a packed arena in Fort Worth, Texas. Photo by Christopher Windle

Film review: 'A Hollywood High' offers snapshot of Duran Duran's LA story

 “A Hollywood High,” now playing in select theaters worldwide, captures Duran Duran near the start of what would become a heady year for the band, and it arrives just in time for its biggest honor.

Tonight, Duran will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, a recognition that’s the pinnacle of many big moments. This year alone, Duran has toured the U.S. in support of the critically acclaimed “Future Past,” played a concert celebrating the royal Platinum Jubilee, headlined at Hyde Park, and opened the Commonwealth Games. Leading up to the rock hall honor, Duran handily won the fan vote.

But before all of this happened, Duran played an exclusive show on the rooftop of the Aster Hotel in Los Angeles, in March. The 12-song concert was filmed for a television release. It is ultimately being presented in movie theaters with a brief career synopsis focusing on the band’s ties to LA and its ongoing 40th anniversary celebration.

“A Hollywood High” is not a career-defining movie (and wasn’t sold as such). Neither was the last Duran film to play in theaters: the David Lynch-directed "Unstaged.” But “A Hollywood High” serves up an enjoyable appetizer before tonight’s main course.

The short documentary-like opening of the film touches on the band’s career highlights in LA: early shows at the Roxy, the infamous press conference as seen in “Sing Blue Silver,” its deal with Capitol Records, and its star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It even includes a shoutout to ex-guitarist Warren Cuccurullo, something that has been sadly missing from other recent documentaries on the band.

The concert features Duran in top form, playing an intimate show highlighting many newer songs and a few old hits. The visuals are at times stunning: the Capitol Records building illuminated in the colors of Ukraine’s flag, a neon sign flashing, “Fame is fleeting. Perfection is forever.” (“Just don't scratch the surface.”)

The show is bookended by two of the band's biggest hits: “A View to a Kill” and “Hungry Like the Wolf.” In between, it’s mostly a showcase of the singles off “Future Past.”

“Paper Gods” single “Pressure Off” feels fresh after a few years have past. “White Lines” proves it’s the crowd pleaser that just won’t go away. But “Ordinary World” is the highlight, with the blue-and-yellow backdrop that eight months later is sadly still timely.

One can hope Simon Le Bon sounds as good on the song tonight, which the band will inevitably play. A long-deserved honor will finally come to fruition, in Los Angeles, of all places. 

Duran Duran has been around for more than 40 years and is once again in the limelight. It’s time to celebrate.

Review: Duran Duran leans in to future, past in Fort Worth

 

As Duran Duran took the stage to the strains of "Velvet Newton" and launched into "The Wild Boys" in Texas on Aug. 30, it was a culmination of a more than six-year wait between live shows.

For me, the "Future Past" tour opener was how it was supposed to start. A week and a half prior, the ill-fated show in my home state of Minnesota was canceled at the last minute due to storms. The show at Dickie's Arena in Fort Worth was a pivot, and one that definitely proved to be worthwhile.

Chic opened the show masterfully, drawing the solidly numbered crowd to their spots in the 14,000-seat arena. Nile Rodgers and his band of skilled musicians put on a tour de force of Chic songs and assorted hits from the songwriter/superproducer's past. Everything from Diana Ross, Madonna, Bowie and Daft Punk was played. Rodgers always gets the party started for his brothers in Duran Duran.

Duran also rarely disappoints live, but there was something different this time. There seemed to be a new energy behind the band, now soon-to-be-inducted members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

"The Wild Boys" was a commanding burst of energy, aided by video-game like onscreen graphics in which the band members seemed to dance in and out of the fire. New graphics were also employed during "Hungry Like the Wolf" before the band played its first two songs off "Future Past." "Invisible" is always a solid live track, and “All of You" a pleasant add to the set list (though Simon Le Bon flubbed the first line of the chorus).

Le Bon sounded mostly in top form, only straining a bit on some high notes during "All of You" and "A View to a Kill." Le Bon, wearing a "Queen Sioux" T-shirt from Punk Masters and the beginnings of "Le Beard," was an energetic presence onstage. Between songs, he joked about how the neighboring city of Dallas was "booted and suited," while Fort Worth was more laid-back, though he was willing to give Dallas a shout-out later in the show.

Duran also played "Notorious," but this time without Rodgers, who joined the band onstage at prior shows. "Come Undone" was a showcase for backup singer Anna Ross, while Rachael O'Connor shined on the "Future Past" single "Give It All Up."

But the show really took off as Duran leaned in to nostalgia, playing a few "old friends" that compelled the crowd to dance and sing along. "Union of the Snake," "Friends of Mine" and the cracking "Careless Memories" may be the holy trinity of the "Future Past" tour. "Union" is a recent welcome addition to the set list, a song that's too often overlooked. "Friends of Mine" pointed to the band's upcoming Halloween shows in Las Vegas with clips from Hammer's "Dracula" playing on the screen above.

The band slowed things down with "Ordinary World" and a heartfelt dedication to the people of Ukraine. It was well-received in Fort Worth, where Duran seemingly could do no wrong with the audience, even when playing its newest and perhaps weakest single off "Future Past," "Tonight United."

"Planet Earth" led into "Hold Back the Rain" as images from Duran's early days flashed onscreen. The sound and vision brought fans back to when the Fab Five "were a gang, a SWAT team, best friends," as Nick Rhodes writes in the "Future Past" tour book. "Nothing seemed out of reach." 

As expected, Duran saved its biggest hits and a crowd-pleaser for last. "The Reflex" had the audience singing and dancing with abandon, and it made no difference that "White Lines" wasn't a Duran song. The band and an impressive Dom Brown made the song their own, on this night, at least.

"Girl on Film" closed the main set with a batch of fresh graphics and a segue into the Calvin Harris hit "Acceptable in the '80s." The encore of "Save a Prayer" and "Rio" delivered what the crowd wanted. Those songs may seem a bit stale to some diehard Duranies, but seeing them performed live restored faith in this band.

Over the past decade, Duran Duran has evolved into a Hall of Fame-caliber act whose music now belongs to a wider audience than the band enjoyed even during its heyday. Duran must continually straddle the line between its future and its past, its best-known songs and its fan favorites. The band manages to accomplish all that, and does it exceedingly well. See it, and believe it.

All photos by Christopher Windle

The Fixx dive deeper with new songs and classic hits in Omaha

The Fixx returned to the Waiting Room in Omaha on June 28 with its "Every Five Seconds" tour, treating fans to new and classic songs for the second time in just over seven months.

Frontman Cy Curnin and the band were in top form as they showcased several songs off the new album, "Every Five Seconds," which fit seamlessly with the band's slew of new wave hits.

Photo by Alexandra E. Andersen

Photo by Alexandra E. Andersen

The band opened with "Touch" and launched straight into a new song, "Take What You Want," before driving the crowd to dance and sing along to 1990s single "How Much Is Enough?"

The Fixx specializes in socially conscious music that moves the audience lyrically as well as rhythmically. On hits like "Stand Or Fall," Curnin speaks of "ugly scars" that divide a nation where "morale has hit rock bottom." The song's message is as timely as ever, and the music just as catchy. 

The band played five new songs in its 18-song setlist, the most classic-sounding being "Wake Up," which again mentions morale being down, this time in a "sleepy town."

"I heard somebody ran out," Curnin sings. "Somebody broke free / I hope they make it to tell them / We're suffocating and can't breathe."

Photo by Shannon Gunderson

Photo by Shannon Gunderson

The seemingly ageless Curnin delivers those poetic lyrics in an almost Shakespearian manner. And the band — the classic lineup of guitarist Jamie West-Oram, keyboardist Rupert Greenwall, drummer Adam Woods, and bassist Dan K. Brown — almost always lends a danceable groove to the oftentimes deep lyrics. 

The concert built as the band played its biggest hit, "One Thing Leads To Another." There were more hits to come — "Stand Or Fall," "Driven Out," and "Red Skies" — before the band returned for a dynamic encore.  Another new track, "Lonely As A Lighthouse," was followed by two more hits, "Saved By Zero" and "Secret Separation."

Photos above and at top by Christopher Windle

The Fixx shows no signs of slowing down in its 40-plus-year career. Though "Every Five Seconds" is the Fixx's first studio album in more than 10 years, the band is a touring mainstay, and its music remains relevant as well. 

"We still feel really honored to be together," Curnin recently told Forbes magazine. "We have so much unlived potential still that we're looking forward to keeping it going."

It means so much: Duran Duran is in at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

The wait is over: Duran Duran will finally be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year.

And at least one former member will be present at the ceremony: Andy Taylor, the guitarist has confirmed.

After passing the 25-year mark of eligibility more than 15 years ago, Duran scored its first nomination in February. The band then proceeded to dominate the fan vote, ultimately finishing with 934,880 votes, more than 250,000 ahead of second-place finisher Eminem.

On Nov. 5, Duran will join the hall along with Eminem, Pat Benatar, Eurythmics, Dolly Parton, Lionel Ritchie, and Carly Simon, along with others in the honorary award categories, including fellow performer nominee Judas Priest.

And now another wait begins: to see how Duran present themselves on the big night. Former guitarists Taylor and Warren Cuccurullo are to be inducted along with the core four Durans. 

In an interview with Rolling Stone, frontman Simon Le Bon said that he “already had a definite yes from Andy” and that “I'm pretty sure Warren will want to do it.” 

The original band will reunite “for one night only (& what a night it will be),” Taylor shared on social media. “I had a brief chat with SLB the other day, everyone is genuinely thrilled & excited.”

The band members will have to let any bygones be bygones on the night, but a performance from all six could be a big moment for Duran and its legacy.

And it's clear that the band members are elated about their pending induction.

After Duran's decisive win in the fan vote, keyboardist Nick Rhodes said that “it's a real thrill that we've won this vote and it will mean equally as much to us as if we make it through to the award.” 

Le Bon also weighed in on the massive outpouring from the fans. “I think it just kept the attention on us,” he told Rolling Stone. “I think that probably had some kind of sway when it came to the actual votes.” 

Indeed, the top five finishers in the fan vote will be inducted this year. Save for Eminem, the ceremony will definitely have an '80s flavor, with the other five nominees arguably having their biggest impact during that decade.

But it was Duran that ruled them all in the fan vote. The ceremony will be another chance to prove any doubters wrong.

The battle for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame fan vote: Duran Duran dominance, allegations of stolen votes and fan alliances

Duran Duran took the lead in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame fan vote, topping rapper Eminem a day after his high-profile Super Bowl halftime show performance, no less, and it didn't take long for things to get ugly.

After overcoming a 20,000-vote deficit, Duran fell behind again. Apparently, Eminem fans were starting to get angry (his music skews angry, after all). Some Duran fans reported being unable to log their daily votes after a list of emails was gleaned from a Facebook group. But Duranies rocked on: They started voting at 12:01 a.m. each day.

Then came the allegations against Duranies: that fans were forming alliances with the fan bases of acts like BTS, Taylor Swift, and One Direction. Twitter posts indicate there is a small movement to support a pop/rock band over a rapper for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, but it's unclear if Duranies played any role in encouraging those fan bases.

Now, Eminem fans, or "Stans," as they call themselves, are calling out Duran fans for using multiple email addresses to cast votes. But the rules seem clear: "Enter a valid email address" to "cast one ballot per day." Email addresses must be verified, a rule likely aimed at preventing bots from voting. Using more than a few different email addresses to vote daily is possible. However, the potential for one person to vote from multiple emails is likely why the fan vote counts for so little in the overall scheme of things.

If there's one thing that's clear, it's that Duranies are loyal. They ask their families, friends, and others to vote for the band daily. They remind their fellow fans to vote daily. 

The honor of even being nominated to the rock hall has been a long time coming: Duran has been eligible for several years. Duranies are going to make this nomination count, even if we play just a small role in its outcome.

The battle is moving past Eminem, though it was never about him. It's about showing the world how much Duran Duran matters. The next goal: getting the most votes. We're at nearly half a million with about two months to go. Let's continue to rock the vote: 

https://vote.rockhall.com/en/.

Duran Duran leads Rock & Roll Hall of Fame fan vote after scoring first nomination

Duran Duran has finally been nominated to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, more than 40 years after the band's debut album. 

And a sweet side note on Valentine’s Day: Duran has taken the lead in the fan vote.

Duran long ago crossed the 25-year threshold of eligibility, as it was deemed a "mascara" band, doomed to be passed over by the hall (something I wrote about in 2016). But times have changed. In addition to Duran's 2022 nomination, other overlooked '80s bands like Depeche Mode and the Cure have been inducted, along with Duran heroes Roxy Music, who Simon Le Bon and John Taylor inducted themselves. 

Duran has also continued to stay relevant, releasing a critically praised new album, “Future Past,” last year.

If Duran makes the cut as a first-time nominee, Le Bon, Taylor, Nick Rhodes, and Roger Taylor, as well as departed guitarists Andy Taylor and Warren Cuccurullo, are to be inducted, according to Rolling Stone magazine.

A turning of the tide at the rock hall may have taken place when Rolling Stone's Jann Wenner stepped aside as the hall's chairman and was replaced by MTV co-founder John Sykes. Since then, the influence of Duranies like Nile Rodgers and Rolling Stone's Rob Sheffield has also risen. 

Duran's "army of fans" is making a difference in the fan voting. After the band's nomination, Le Bon thanked fans from "around the world" for their unwavering support over four decades.

Fans can vote once a day, and their top five favorites will make up a fans' ballot that will count toward a vote in the overall contest.

Duranies, instead of feeling resignation over the band being passed over another year, are now speculating whether Andy Taylor and/or Cuccurullo will join their old bandmates if they are indeed inducted. But that may be a better discussion for another day. For now, Duranies can continue to make a small difference in the outcome by taking a moment each day to vote for their favorite band.

So keep voting, now until April 29, here.