DURAN DURAN GETS VISUAL

Published: Monday, January 16, 1989

DOUG ADRIANSON Herald Music Writer

British pop stars Duran Duran kept the focus on the visual Saturday at the Miami Arena, charging through eight years of hits in 90 minutes. Decked out in flashy silks and brocades, the video-wise band performed against a backdrop of shifting colors and images, with two lithe female dancer/singers complementing the moves of lead singer Simon LeBon.

The show included Duran Duran hits from 1981's Girls on Film to the current All She Wants Is, plus songs from Duran spinoff groups Power Station (Some Like It Hot) and Arcadia (Election Day). First came Big Thing, title song from the group's current album, with bassist John Taylor and keyboardist Nick Rhodes creating the grinding groove. Big hits The Reflex (1984) and Rio (1982) closed the show.

The young half-capacity crowd screamed for each new song, and watched in awe as the two dancers, backlit and silhouetted behind a giant screen, stripped off their '60s-bright minidresses and performed an erotic dance before putting on different costumes for the rest of the show. It was a creative touch -- and not out of character for Duran Duran, whose first video (Girls on Film) was banned from the then-new MTV for flashes of female nudity.

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