Please, Please Tell Me Now

It's a blazing hot Monday afternoon in Los Angeles. I'm just back from a fantastic chicken dinner at Knott's Chicken Dinner restaurant. I know, I couldn't believe it was called exactly that either. But it was good. Patty and I went to lunch with our good friend Jim (who recommended the place). The first time Jim had the chicken dinner was 1943 when he was in the service. Slightly more expensive now, but just as delicious.

This past week, I got in some good 80's concert-going. I even wore the double-polos at Patty's request. With special thanks to our friend Jen, we saw Duran Duran on Saturday at the Pacific Amp. It's been 25 years since the first time I saw D2, and 5 years since the last. The show was lots of fun, even though Simon Le Bon was suffering from whatever is going around. By the start of the encore he was spent, but he got through it. Duran Duran began the set with "Wild Boys" and hit highlights like "Hold Back The Rain," "Planet Earth," "Rio" and "Notorious." They avoided anything from Seven & The Ragged Tiger and instead did several songs from their latest Red Carpet Massacre.

I was only disappointed that they didn't perform anything from their upcoming disc, Duran Duran Hearts Mark Ronson. It's an amazing band that can put on a 100 minute show and not perform 3 of their biggest hits ("Is There Something I Should Know," "Hungry Like The Wolf" & "The Reflex"). They did throw in rarities like "Skin Trade," Arcadia's "Election Day" and "Do You Believe In Shame?"

The encore began with Nick Rhodes and the new guitarist doing a medley of James Bond themes which led into a great arrangement of "A View To A Kill" Simon returning to the stage in a white tuxedo. They ended with "Girls On Film/Le Freak." A natural confluence since John Taylor, and Duran Duran in general, owes much to Chic and Bernard Edward's bass playing. John even referenced "Billie Jean" during the band intros. He is one funky Brit.

Two nights previous was the Regeneration Tour 2009 stop at the Gibson Amphitheatre. Hadn't stood next to the stage at that venue in a mighty long time. ABC were the headliners and as usual they put on an entertaining show. They even snuck in a new song "Ride" from their latest LP, Traffic. I could tell Martin was pleased I knew the words. ABC's set relied heavily on Lexicon of Love. No complaints about that. Didn't get to catch up with Mr. Fry after the show. My band had worked up his song "Only The Best Will Do" for the CityWalk show. But it was cut due to time constraints. I did get to chat up ABC's lead guitar player, Matt Backer. We traded CDs. Turns out we have several mutual friends. Very cool dude.

Also on the bill were Cutting Crew and Terri Nunn from Berlin. We had seen Terri before, but Thursday night she was in rare form. She whipped the hometown crowd into a frenzy with "The Metro" and the megasmash "Take My Breath Away" from Top Gun.

The most intriguing band of the evening were Wang Chung. I saw Wang Chung at Grad Nite '87 in Orlando. They were on a bill with Oran "Juice" Jones and Run-DMC. This was Wang Chung's first tour of the States in 20 years. They played a rousing set that included "Dance Hall Days" a stripped down version of "To Live and Die In L.A." and their top 10 "Let's Go" and "Everybody Have Fun Tonight." Yes, everybody wang-chunged. I got to meet Nick and Jack (aka Wang Chung) backstage and talk to them about the show and 1987. They were enthusiastic during our conversation and told me they were working on new material and what they had been up to the past 20 years. I 'fessed up to having shouted out "Hypnotize Me" during their set. Nick laughed and Jack said he'd liked to have performed it. When Mosaic came out my senior year in high school, I loved blasting side A from the cassette deck in my '76 Chevy Nova. Yeah, I was cool like that.

I must admit, I really geeked out backstage when I saw Micky Dolenz from the Monkees. Just the day before, I told Patty that when I was a kid, I used to think it would be cool to live in the Monkees' house and play music with them. Of course, I had to say hello and get a photo with Micky. I told Patty with Michael passing that life is too short to not show appreciation for artists you like (nor to ask for a picture). If they say no, that's on them. But musicians and their art have a profound affect on our culture and selves, whether you want to admit it or not.

Which leads me back to Duran Duran. Even when a band doesn't play your favorite tunes, there's much to love about what they are doing. The energy and good will they are sharing. Any opportunity to see the Durans, I will take. You never know how many times you'll get a live experience with artists you love. When I was 13, Duran Duran were the Beatles, Michael was Elvis. I'm not opening a debate, because that was my world. So, if a 13 year old tells me that the Jonas Brothers are the Beatles and Miley is Elvis... OK. Art is always subjective. Long live Duran Duran.

Finally, the new issue of SPIN with the 25 anniversary report on Purple Rain and the Rolling Stone commemorative for Michael are worth the price of admission. Get them now.

Peace & Disco Beats