WITH DURAN DURAN, SHOW-STEALER D'ARBY
Monday, July 26, 1993

By Cheryl Squadrito, INQUIRER CORRESPONDENT

Those photogenic British popsters Duran Duran unraveled a sappy, less-than- adequate show at the Mann Music Center on Friday night. On tour promoting their new self-titled album, the early-'80s glamour boys relied more on their multilevel sci-fi stage than on their music.

Original band members singer Simon LeBon, lavender-coiffed keyboardist Nick Rhodes and flame-haired bassist John Taylor were augmented with two violinists and a cellist.

The show was self-indulgent, with Duran Duran playing slower arrangements of its popular singles - "Hungry Like the Wolf," "Girls on Film" and "Save a Prayer." But the crowd cheered relentlessly, the teenage fans experiencing romantic arrhythmia. The group's uneven performance did have a few high points - "The Reflex," ''The Chauffeur," and the encore "Wild Boys," with a shirtless LeBon running through the throbbing audience. The band boogied down with a groovy sing-along version of Grandmaster Flash's "White Lines." But stealing the show was the opening performance by Terence Trent D'Arby.

The artist couldn't stand still, grinding like a funky go-go dancer or a sensual Svengali enticing the chair-dancing audience to join him.

Whereas Duran Duran hopelessly used a high-tech set to try to help its show, D'Arby and his five-piece band won over the audience on performance alone. His soulful voice filled the Mann like an angelic choirboy turned butt- wiggling snake charmer. His hour-long set featured only a handful of songs from the new Symphony or Damn album, with an awe-inspiring version of "She Kissed Me," and the hook- laden "Do You Love Me Like You Say?" as well as two cover songs, the Miracles' "Who's Loving You" and the Rolling Stones' "Jumpin' Jack Flash."

Like a boundless ball of energy exploding on the stage, D'Arby ended the set with a toe-curling arrangement of "Sign Your Name," from his 1987 debut album.

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