Wake Up Monday - Special Edition

On May 14, 2008, five days after college graduation, my mother and I celebrated with tickets 15 rows back on the far right side of the venue.  This concert was my first ever.  I did not know what to expect...until the opening act came on.  The drums sounded like a fighter jet passing over the building at a very low level.  The electric guitar was indeed electric.  We were relatively close to the speakers...of course, everyone was relatively close to a speaker.  I lost the ability to hear by the end of the night.  My heart pounded out of my chest with every tap of the drum kit.  The opening act set the tone for what to expect when...everyone jumped to their feet when the one and only Duran Duran walked on stage.

Stage lights, audience cameras, action.

The band was touring for Red Carpet Massacre, so some of the songs were from the album.  Some were songs I had not listened to in quite some time and so forgot the lyrics.  Some were classics.

At the halfway point, they left the stage and I remember asking my mom if the concert was over.  This experience was my first, so I truly did not know. 

Keyboards were quickly set up on stage for Simon, Nick, John, and Roger to play for some of the songs.  I remember Simon once saying how much he disliked playing the piano (documentary option following the 2005 Live from London DVD), so seeing him at a keyboard was rather ironic.  "Last Chance On the Stairway" was one of the keyboard-featured songs.  I only heard this song once and was not a personal favorite.

I was rather keen on Nick at the time and was in straight line vision with him.  I was able, though, to get decent camera shots of all the members. 

Goodies!  A T-shirt, posters, key ring, flip-through book.

I wrote down every song in exact order the next day so I would never forget the set list or the concert memories.

I chose to feature "Red Carpet Massacre" and "The Valley" today for two reasons -

1.  "Red Carpet Massacre" following the title of the album.
2.  "The Valley" is a personal all time favorite.

And so on this Wake Up Monday, I choose to turn up the volume to Duran Duran concert memories.