Set List - The Sold-out Memory of a Lifetime

May 14, 2008 began like any other day.  My mom left for work at 7:30a.m. and I did odds & ends around our apartment, taking in constant breaths of freedom following the heels of my very recent college graduation.  In the back of my mind, however, I anticipated this Wednesday to be anything but ordinary.  This Wednesday was in an anything but Ordinary World - I was going to my very first concert, with Duran Duran as headliner.

The day flew by and in a heartbeat, my mom was picking me up, then we were picking up my cousin and her friend from the train station in downtown Chicago, then we were heading to the theater just outside city limits.

Then we were there.  Rosemont Theater was like any other I had been to for musicals and play performances.  Nothing stood out. . .except for the instruments waiting on stage, and the buzzing energy floating through the atmosphere.  Nervous excitement engulfed me the second I sat in my seat - 12 rows to the right of the stage and in perfect line with the intimidatingly large speakers on the ceiling and floor.  Little did I know. . .

At 8:45p.m., an eruption of screams and cheers jumped to their feet.  A sold-out theater was making room for Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes, John Taylor, and Roger Taylor.  Duran Duran fit perfectly.  Here we go!

In the next two hours and fifteen minutes, I experienced inexplicable thrill that has yet to be matched.  Red Carpet Massacre songs, classic songs from albums past.  Visual spectacles.  Pure joy in the guys.  Pure fun in the audience.  Duran Duran live and just feet away from me!

There were but two things that stood out that night: the unity & common bond in ALL and the noise level.  My God the noise!  I literally felt my heart pound its way out of my chest every time Roger emphasized beats on his drums.  I was partially deaf with ringing in my ears the whole of the next day.  Yet, the noise level was part of the experience and I gladly soaked it in.

At 11:00p.m., the intensity of Rio and the concert night came to an end.  I did get to leave with rockin' memorabilia (program, shirt, posters, keychain).  My mom and I took my cousin and her friend home and eventually returned to our own apartment a couple hours later.  To be sure, I got no more than 30 minutes of sleep that night.

I danced away from that night with memories of a lifetime.  Although I was far from alone, May 14th, Rosemont Theater, and Duran Duran were mine.  I cannot wait to reclaim that feeling when the next tour commences.  I cannot wait for another sold-out memory.

Duran Duran, this blog site is in your honor.  Thank you more than you will ever know for the inspiration you have provided and the phenomenal impact you have had.  Just thank you.