Review: Duran Duran and Chic provide a fine finale to Cork summer series
Simon Le Bon, John Taylor, and Dominic Brown of Duran Duran in concert at Virgin Media Park (Musgrave Park) in Cork on Tuesday night. Picture: Eddie O'Hare
★★★★★
A brilliant double bill of Chic and Duran Duran brought the curtain down on this year’s series of summer gigs at Musgrave Park (Virgin Media Park) in Cork.
The 1970s disco-funksters might have seemed strange bedfellows for the 1980s popsters, but the common link here is Nile Rodgers. The American guitarist has both played with the British band, and produced some of their later hits.
is just one of many familiar tracks the mercurial Rodgers had a hand in beyond his Chic work. We heard a few more of those in Cork, including (David Bowie), (Madonna), and (Daft Punk).
But it’s those Chic classics the 72-year-old will be for ever associated with, and the likes of and sounded as fresh as ever in Musgrave Park. ‘I can’t kick this feeling when it hits!’
Fair play to Simon Le Bon and co for even taking the risk of following such an effervescent support act. But, in reality, it’s not like they had much to worry about. With 30 top 40 singles to draw from, they came with quite an arsenal.
And the Birmingham band were also playing to what felt very much like a home crowd in the southside rugby stadium. A surprisingly-mixed audience just about skewed female. Their reactions reminded just how impactful Duran Duran were in that formative era of the 1980s.
The lead singer, along with core members Nick Rhodes and John and Roger Taylor might have aged as much as the rest of us, but they obviously still have the power to stir a loin or two decades later. These days, they put the HRT in heartthrob.
Even those dedicated fans had probably forgotten just how many hits Duran Duran had.
The enthusiastic singalong started early in the set with , and continued for much of the 95-minute show before they departed with and .
Le Bon had done his research before coming to Cork. "Did you get your Beamish and your tripe’n’drisheen? Or is anybody hungry?" said the white-jacketed frontman by way of introduction to .
And while your cool mates probably scoffed at what felt a bit like a proto-boyband by the mid-1980s, a blast of second single (1981) reminds how they emerged from the new wave era, and could’ve been a moody synth outfit before they lurched to the centre.
Other highlights included , a tune that could’ve been a hit in any of the four decades of the band’s existence.
They even treated us to departures from their jukebox hits roster with decent workings of Melle Mel’s , by Talking Heads, and a stomping version of ELO’s .
Le Bon gave the crowd their own moment in the sun when he invited a rendition of . Musgrave Park gave it socks.
A concert full of nostalgia and reminders of youthful heydays, but also a great night out by any standards.
