JUST ASK WORSHIPERS AT SUNRISE: DURAN DURAN CAN DO NO WRONG
Published: Friday, July 16, 1993

LEONARD PITTS Jr. Herald Pop Music Critic

For those who crowded Sunrise Musical Theatre last night, the Duran Duran concert was first and foremost an exercise in nostalgia, in reliving a time long gone -- a grander, more beneficent day now shrouded in the mists of history. Of course, since nostalgia, like everything else, is served up instant these days, the long-ago time in question is the mid- 1980s. That, of course, is when Duranmania ruled the continent, prompted overheated hypewriters to shout breathless comparisons to the Beatles and other bands whose shoes the double Duran are not fit to shine.

God cursed the day when rock and dance mated and produced this thin, pretentious, overrated offspring. But then, last night wasn't for us unbelieving infidels, was it?

It was for the hardcore Duran believers -- and there were enough to sell out the Sunrise both last night and tonight. Duran fans came only to party with their heroes, and those heroes obliged, turning in a set that was as crisply efficient as a new IBM.

Of course, to judge from the thunderous ovation they got for the simple act of walking onto the stage, it was clear the Duran guys wouldn't exactly have to work their tails off to put this crowd in pocket. For the most part, they didn't -- eschewing musical challenge and personable stage patter to concentrate on delivering compact, economical renditions of such mid-'80s radio anthems as Planet Earth and A View to a Kill. Their take on Hungry like the Wolf was especially languid, although they finally worked it up to a crushing fury at the end.

The band seemed somewhat more engaged on newer material, particularly on Come Undone from the new self-titled CD. That song was one of the few where they left conservative proficiency behind to extend themselves and explore rhythm and melody in ways the studio doesn't allow.

It should be mentioned that the sound was overloud and inconsistent throughout the set, sometimes losing the vocals under the music. It should further be mentioned that none of this mattered a whit to the aforementioned Duran believers.

They were on their feet from Song 1, Note 1, and proceeded to stay there for the rest of the show, cranking their fists, chanting encouragement and generally dancing themselves into a stupor. Whatever it was Duran had, for this crowd it was more than enough.

Terence Trent D'Arby, he of the jagged saw-toothed voice and the outsized ego, opened with an overlong set that limped far past its emotional peak. But he had his moments, particularly on a couple of classics: Who's Lovin' You and Jumpin' Jack Flash.

Duran Duran and Terence Trent D'Arby perform at 8 tonight at Sunrise Musical Theatre, 5555 NW 95th Ave., Sunrise. The show is SOLD OUT.

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