Duran Duran put together a set last Halloween in Vegas for their 40th Anniversary Tour that tickled their fancy.
Fans at the Encore Theater on the Strip were treated by a wild show that included the Duranies covering The Stones, The Specials, Siouxsie Sue, and the Talking Heads, as well as darker versions of some of their hits.
Meanwhile the band were dressed in spooky outfits: singer Simon Le Bon as Jack the Ripper, bassist John Taylor as Goldilocks, and keyboard player Nick Rhodes as a zombie Abe Lincoln-guy, all on a slightly small stage as the Encore Theater only sits about 1,500.
“That evening inspired us to explore further and to make an album, using Halloween as the key theme," Rhodes said in a statement.
"The record metamorphosed through a pure, organic process, and not only was it made faster than anything since our debut album, it has also resulted in something none of us could have ever predicted. Emotion, mood, style and attitude have always been at the heart of Duran Duran’s DNA, we search for light in the darkness and darkness in the light, and I feel we have somehow managed to capture the essence of all of that in this project,” he said.
Duran Duran are no strangers to taking on risky covers. In their 1995 covers album, Thank You, they bravely took on "White Lines," "Lay Lady Lay," and "911 Is A Joke;" tunes that world away from "Hungry Like A Wolf."
So for them to bring "Ghost Town" to audiences isn't as wild as it may seem. Although Simon could turn it down a notch. It's a groove, not a warning.
Last Halloween the Brits ended the special show with a cover of the Talking Heads' "Psycho Killer," a tune that lends itself to tributes.
The question is, is Simon the right guy to walk in the shoes of David Byrne? Hopefully when the album was made they hung on to the backup singers who added a welcome layer to the mix.
A certain addition to the track will be the dynamic bassist Victoria De Angelis of Måneskin.
A couple years ago at the Global Citizens Live concert, her band covered Eilish's "Bury A Friend," intensely.
No one expects the sixtysomethings in Duran Duran to rage as hard as the wild Italian rockers, but there is a certain danger of using one of them on one track and then hoping everyone forgets about them on another track.
Duran Duran just concluded their Future Past Tour (no relation to the Iron Maiden tour of the same name that is currently happening) that took up most of their spring and summer.
Will they pop into Vegas for a few Halloween shows? Do they have other surprises? Join the Duran Duran email list to be the first to find out about shows featuring the forthcoming album.
