Duran Duran gets Macabre in all the best ways at Baltimore show

The band celebrated Halloween with spooky tunes, and new songs one day after Simon Le Bon’s birthday

Eighties new wave juggernauts brought their quick East Coast jaunt to CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore on Monday night (Oct 28th).

Simon Le Bon is in the same fine vocal form this reporter found him in 2022. Still pairing his out-of-this-world vocals with a flashy stage presence, Le Bon wore a bright white blazer with metallic hot pants. Taking place just one day after his 66th birthday, the frontman teased that keyboardist Nick Rhodes “Invented Halloween seven centuries ago.”

Indeed, the specter of All Hallow’s Eve hung over the show. Duran Duran replaced the usual second song, “Wild Boys,” with the new song “Danse Macabre.” Animated skeletons appeared behind them. It’s the title track from their darkly themed new album, which dropped just two weeks ago.

Also keeping with Spooky Season, they played “Black Moonlight” while scenes of the seance-themes music video played behind them. And most fun of all: they mashed up “Lonely in Your Nightmare” with a covert of “Super Freak.”

Duran Duran also played their creepy-fun new single; a rendition of Electric Light Orchestra’s “Evil Woman”—complete with creaky door sound effect. It’s surprising how well this song fits Le Bon’s voice.

Of course, all the hits were present too. “Hungry Like a Wolf” came early, while “Rio” closed the night. Throughout the night, Roger Taylor and John Taylor kept the beat-heavy soundtrack thumping along. Rhodes used his synth and keys to maximum effect. Touring band members Simon Wilescroft on sax and Dominic Brown on bass round out the sound.

Upon reflection, nearly the entire setlist was different for this show full of rare songs. It makes one want to see more, wondering what they might pull out of their catalog on the rest of the tour.

Duran Duran can be fun and poppy, but they can also paint a picture that makes your spine tingle in the way Halloween should. Hungry Like a Werewolf, anyone?

 

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Matt Bailey
Matt Bailey

Matt Bailey is a media producer currently located in Washington, DC. He has worked as a writer, producer, and host in a variety of mediums including television news, podcasting, daytime television, and live entertainment. He joined The Music Universe in 2016. Since then, Bailey has traveled across the country to review hundreds of concerts and interview some of music's biggest hitmakers. Bailey truly believes in the unifying power of experiencing live music. To reach him, please email matt@themusicuniverse.com.