“Broadway, to us, has been a dream for quite a few years,” proclaimed Simon Le Bon,frontman for seminal new wavers Duran Duran, as he made his way intothe Ethel Barrymore Theater through a sea of paparazzi flashbulbs,reporters, and screaming fans Friday (Nov. 2), night two of their10-date run, sponsored by Citi. Celebrating the release of Red Carpet Massacre, their first album since 2004’s Astronaut,the group answered questions about the album, on which theycollaborated with Justin Timberlake and Timbaland. “[Working with them]was a real gift,” noted bassist John Taylor. “[Timbaland] is all thingsto all people.” Despite the band’s rocky past, Le Bon was extremelyexcited about the new production. “It’s funky, edgy, very modern,” heexplained. “We took a lot of risks with it. You know, Duran Duran is anexperimental group. We’ve never made the same album twice.”
Onceinside, the cobalt satin suited band performed that very album in itsentirety, followed by an eerie “Electroset” led by Nick Rhodes (and hisperfect eyeliner) on keys and synths, and Roger Taylor on electricdrums. As the opening riff to the hit “Notorious” rang out, the bandthrew off the suits and got the house pumping with a smattering ofessential Duran Duran tunes, including “Ordinary World,” and “A View toa Kill,” finishing with “Girls on Film” in a grand finale of strobelights. Unfortunately, neither, JT nor Timba made a surprise appearanceduring the show, but spotted in the audience shaking it along withSimon and crew was none other than Mary Kate Olsen, Moby, and DonaldTrump (plus his entire family) — not to forget a gaggle of squealingfans.
We asked: Duran Duran collaborated with Justin Timberlake and Timbaland on the forthcoming new album, Red Carpet Massacre. Who else would you like to see them collaborate with?
