DURAN DURAN MIXES OLD AND NEW
ROGER CATLIN; Courant Rock Critic

As Duran Duran played the first show of its U.S. tour Wednesday, ``Hungry Like The Wolf'' rang from the Wolf Den Lounge at the Mohegan Sun casino.

``It's been a long time,'' Simon LeBon said, just a couple of songs into the free show at the circular casino bar. Bynow, he and keyboardist Nick Rhodes represent the only original members of the long-running band. Even with former Missing Persons guitarist Warren Cuccurullo being counted as a full member, maybe the band should just be called Duran these days.

Still, a lot of the nostalgic appeal of the '80s New Wave band comes from LeBon's adenoidal voice and the banks of synthesizers. Both were prominently employed, no matter what kind of fancy modern electronic noises they put on top.

In sparkly pants and a dress shirt with buttons that kept coming undone, LeBon has lost any signs of youthful chubbiness. With bangs, sideburns and more prominent cheekbones, he is on his way to looking like a character. ``Those of you with good winnings can clap,'' he said, mangling a famous declaration from John Lennon. ``The rest of you can rattle your gambling chips.''

It was an interesting crowd, older than the usual youthful following not just because it was an over-21 club, but also because the band's fans have aged, bringing with them their only slightly self-conscious enthusiasm for hits from earlier this decade, ``Come Undone'' and ``Ordinary World,'' and for the inevitable, show-closing ``Rio.''

Still, they crowded around the stage front and hugged the perimeter of the lounge, where the sightlines were much better than the sound. Because the band was out to sell a new album, ``Medazzaland,'' a lot of it was performed. Some of it dragged the show down, but other parts dressed it up with a sassy glam decadence.

``Big Bang Generation'' set the tone as LeBon entered the stage. So did the current single ``Electric Barbarella,'' a title that echoes the Roger Vadim movie that inspired the band's name nearly 20 years ago. (Duran Duran was the name of a character in ``Barbarella.'')

There was some rustiness. Cuccurullo was out of tune and out of synch on the dismal ``Michael (You've Got a Lot to Answer For).'' The youngish rhythm section backing what's now a trio was never introduced; Rhodes, dressed and acting like an undertaker, looked absolutely garish as he may or may not have been playing the keyboards. When female voices came on to sing along to ``Come Undone,'' it was clear how dependent the live show was on backing tapes and samples.

As for the casino setting, Duran Duran seemed to revel in it. And when it came time to play the band's theme from a James Bond movie, ``A View To A Kill,'' it seemed absolutely perfect.

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