Duran Duran, one of the most dominant and influential forces in English new wave and snythpop music history, graces the stage at Starlight Theatre on July 24. The huge announcement came on the heels of the band’s new album, “Paper Gods” (2015). After performing a few select dates last year around the release of its lead single “Pressure Off,” Birmingham’s sons announced a full-fledged North American tour in support of the record. It reached No. 10 on the Billboard 200 and No. 5 in the United Kingdom, and features such artists as Mr. Hudson, Nile Rodgers and Janelle Monáe.
Having formed in 1978, Duran Duran became a forerunner in the “Second British Invasion” of the United States with 21 Top 10 hit singles on the Hot 100, including the chart-topping songs “The Reflex” (1984) and “A View to a Kill” (1985). The band was hugely popular on MTV with its cutting-edge imagery plus professional directors and cinematographers with 35 mm film cameras—it was even one of the pioneers in live stadium video tech. In 1984, the group won two Grammy Awards, one for “Best Music Video, Short Form” and one for “Best Music Video, Long Form” respectively with “Girls on Film” (1981)/”Hungry Like the Wolf” (1982) and the “Duran Duran” (1981–1983) compilation. “Wild Boys” (1984) also brought home a Brit Award for Best Music Video in 1985.
BIGGEST U.S. HIT SINGLES IN THE 1980s
“Hungry Like the Wolf” (1982) [No. 3 Pop/No. 36 Dance/No. 1 Rock]
“Rio” (1982) [No. 14 Pop/No. 5 Rock]
“Is There Something I Should Know?” (1983) [No. 4 Pop/No. 34 Dance/No. 3 Rock]
“Union of the Snake” (1983) [No. 3 Pop/No. 33 Dance/No. 2 Rock]
“New Moon on Monday” (1984) [No. 10 Pop/No. 4 Rock]
“The Reflex” (1984) [No. 1 Pop/No. 15 Dance/No. 35 Dance]
“The Wild Boys” (1984) [No. 2 Pop/No. 27 Dance/No. 42 Dance]
“Save a Prayer” (1985) [No. 16 Pop]
“A View to a Kill” (1985) [No. 1 Pop/No. 42 Rock]
“Notorious” (1986) [No. 2 Pop/No. 26 Dance]
“Skin Trade” (1987) [No. 39 Pop]
“I Don’t Want Your Love” (1988) [No. 4 Pop/No. 1 Dance/No. 13 Rock]
“All She Wants Is” (1988) [No. 22 Pop/No. 1 Dance/No. 24 Rock]
Duran Duran’s tour is undoubtedly one of the biggest coming not only to Starlight Theatre, but to Kansas City this summer. With numerous staple hits of the decade and a classic member lineup, the band is certain to deliver an utterly nostalgic evening reminiscent of its early era. Rock-disco group and 10-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame members Chic feat. Nile Rodgers will open the show with a plethora of dance-savvy hits of its own. Tickets are available online and by phone through the venue box office, and each purchase is redeemable for a free copy of “Paper Gods” (2015).
DURAN DURAN “PAPER GODS” TOUR SETLIST (Subject to Change) | “Paper Gods,” “Hungry Like the Wolf,” “A View to a Kill,” “Come Undone,” “Last Night in the City,” “What Are the Chances?,” “Notorious” (w/ Nile Rodgers), “Pressure Off” (w/ Nile Rodgers), “Planet Earth (w/ Space Oddity by David Bowie snippet), “Ordinary World,” “I Don’t Want Your Love,” “White Lines (Don’t Don’t Do It)” (Grandmaster Flash & Melle Mel cover), “(Reach Up for the) Sunrise” (w/ New Moon on Monday snippet), “Danceophobia,” “Too Much Information,” “Girls on Film” and “The Wild Boys”; Encore – “Save a Prayer” (dedicated in memory of Prince) and “Rio”
Tickets for the show range from $35.95 to $185.95, and are available through the Starlight Theatre box office online, by phone and in person. The venue is located at 4600 Starlight Road in Kansas City, Missouri. Gates open at 6pm, show starts at 7pm.
