Duran Duran @ Caledonian Stadium 02/07/2022

I did feel a bit out of place when the hosts (Cat & Arlene from MFR 2 apparently) asked us to share our memories of the band on Twitter (#DDInverness) for them to read aloud. I had next to no memories of this band, though I have been familiar with a handful of their songs for a good number of years. I was one of the younger crowd members, as I would say most people were in their forties or fifties. Ewan Cameron was supposed to host the event but was sick and the girls were called last minute after a night out, so they pulled together an eighties-themed playlist at the last second. I don’t listen to the radio, so I don’t know who any of these presenters are. Cat said she had the honour of interviewing Simon Le Bon from his bedroom (a dream come true for her) and asked him how touring in the past differed to now. She said she couldn’t air some of his answers because they were too rude. Basically, he said he doesn’t get with as many women nowadays. When they exited the stage Cat said “Have some Primal Scream!” but Kate Bush played instead, which was funny. She obviously couldn’t remember which order they put the songs in.

The opening act was Jack Savoretti. He is a well-known musician but I didn’t know any of his songs. They were selling his t-shirts at the merch stall but I didn’t buy anything this time around. I am sure some people would have come just to see him. I enjoyed his performance and he did about ten songs altogether. He complimented the crowd and said he has never been so thankful for his fans and musicians like him didn’t receive a lot of support during lockdown. He sang a Summer-themed song (I forget what it was called) and joked it doesn’t feel much like Summer right now, with all the rain. A tiny bit of blue sky poked through the clouds by the time he had finished, which gave us a bit of hope for the rest of the evening. He told everyone Scotland feels like home to him and we have always made him feel welcome. He asked if there were any Italians in attendance and said we can all be Italian for the next song, ‘Io che non vivo senza te’ aka. ‘You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me’, which was a cover of a Dusty Springfield song he sang in his native tongue.

Duran Duran were great. There is something very likeable about them. They were full of good humour and had a lot of energy. Their music is very infectious and had almost everybody up on their feet. I especially liked Nick Rhodes on the keyboard, though I may be biased as I have a thing for pianos and keyboards. His whole stage persona is brilliant and he comes across as very mysterious. It was fun when he sang a few lines of one of the songs with a deep voice and straight face. I don’t like being seated as far back as I was, as I didn’t feel as invested as I could have otherwise. I can’t afford incredible tickets every time, or I would be knee-deep in debt.

Simon Le Bon said they have been around for a while and the crowd went wild. He said some people at this event may remember the first time they ever performed in Scotland. I don’t think they have done many concerts here, by the sound of it. He told us his name is Scottish but I don’t know if he was joking because it sounds foreign – maybe French? He was struggling to find a bit of the stage that wasn’t “wobbly or wet”, which I imagine wouldn’t have been an easy task. It must be stressful for performers in case they fall over or something. It happens. He found the patch of blue sky which he said was “big enough to make Savers trousers”. The weather was miserable and it must have been frustrating for fans who travelled from other countries. You would think we would have better weather in July, even if it is the Scottish Highlands. It’s a bit embarrassing that events here almost always get rained out.

I didn’t know all of the songs, so enjoyed their biggest hits the most by default. I was excited for ‘Notorious’ after hearing it on TV during the Queen’s jubilee concert not long before this. Simon gestured to the rain during ‘Hold Back The Rain’ and smirked, then introduced ‘The Reflex’ as “another family favourite” and didn’t keep us waiting too long for the encore because of the rain, which had started up again after easing off for only a few minutes. He said it wouldn’t be fair to keep people waiting “in this duff” but we must be used to it and we are strong people who are probably not even wearing underwear (because we’re Scottish and all wear kilts, I guess he was meaning). Everyone guessed the last song would be ‘Rio’, the obvious fan favourite. I messaged Paul before the encore, who was already waiting for me in his car in Longman somewhere. I asked if he could hear the concert from there out of curiosity (he wasn’t far away at all) and he couldn’t. That was really strange, after the rumours of people being able to hear Ed Sheeran and others from so many miles away. I guess it depends on the venue and the set-up the bands use. I am so happy I got to see them, even if the ticket was a bit pricey. I was considering selling my ticket when the rain wasn’t letting up but I probably wouldn’t have had any last minute takers anyway. We were watching ‘Big Hero 6’ shorts in Paul’s car and it was a lot cosier in there but the concert was worth braving the rain for, even if I had a cold!