Set List - Music Performance Comparison

Welcome to the new Set List edition of Music Performance Comparison!  Every Wednesday I will compare musical performances from covering acts to original renditions.  In the end, you decide which is better by leaving a comment at the  end of the post.

With that said, today's launch edition is Duran Duran's take on "Walking On The Moon" live at the Kennedy Space Center versus The Police original version.

My take away -

I will always prefer The Police.  The notes Sting hit were effortless and natural to the lyrics.  The guitar and bass kept the beat going when there was vocal downtime.  The Police owned "Walking On The Moon."

On the other hand, from one British band to another, Duran Duran's intro aesthetics were impressive and intriguing.  The performance though...a great deal of effort to honor The Police.  I didn't really feel that Duran Duran owned the song in their unique way.  The instrumental felt slow.  I adore Nick Rhodes and his genius ability behind the technical aspects of music, but keyboards were not original to the song.  

Simon Le Bon exhibits true vocal talent in songs original to Duran Duran, both live and recorded.  Yet in the "Walking On The Moon" rendition, there is a striking difference between him and Sting.  The notes Simon knew he had to hit to match Sting did not seem natural to notes he is normally excellent at.

Alas, this is my opinion.

What do you think?