On This Day 28/04/2004 Duran Duran

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On this day, 28 April 2004, 80’s pop band Duran Duran played Cardiff International Arena on their Reunion tour.

Duran Duran celebrated their homecoming to the UK on their Reunion tour with fourteen stadium dates in April 2004, including five sold-out nights at Wembley Arena. The British press, traditionally hostile to the band, accorded the shows some very warm reviews. Duran Duran brought along band Goldfrapp and the Scissor Sisters as alternating opening acts for this tour. The last two shows were filmed, resulting in the concert DVD Duran Duran: Live from London which was released in November.

Formed in Birmingham in 1978 by singer Stephen Duffy, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist/bassist John Taylor. With the addition of bassist Simon Colley and drummer Roger Taylor the following year, the band went through numerous personnel changes before May 1980, when they settled on their most famous line-up by adding guitarist Andy Taylor and lead vocalist Simon Le Bon.

According to Billboard, Duran Duran have sold over 100 million records. They achieved 30 top 40 singles in the UK Singles Chart (14 of them top 10) and 21 top 40 singles in the US Billboard Hot 100. The band have won numerous awards throughout their career: two Brit Awards including the 2004 award for Outstanding Contribution to Music, two Grammy Awards, an MTV Video Music Award for Lifetime Achievement and a Video Visionary Award from the MTV Europe Music Awards. They were also awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The band were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022.

Setlist

(Reach Up for the) Sunrise

Hungry Like the Wolf

Is There Something I Should Know?

Union of the Snake

Come Undone

A View to a Kill

What Happens Tomorrow

The Chauffeur

Planet Earth

I Don't Want Your Love

Tiger Tiger

Night Boat

Beautiful Colours

Ordinary World

Save a Prayer

Notorious

The Reflex

Careless Memories

The Wild Boys

Encore:

White Lines (Don't Don't Do It)

(Grandmaster Melle Mel cover)

Girls on Film

Rio

On This Day 28/04/2004 Duran Duran

Images may be subject to copyright

On this day, 28 April 2004, legendary rock/pop band Duran Duran played Cardiff International Arena as part of the Reunion Tour with support provided by American band Scissor Sisters.

Duran Duran celebrated their homecoming to the UK with fourteen stadium dates in April 2004, including five sold-out nights at Wembley Arena. The British press, traditionally hostile to the band, accorded the shows some very warm reviews.

Duran Duran brought along band Goldfrapp and the Scissor Sisters as alternating opening acts for this tour.

The last two shows were filmed, resulting in the concert DVD Duran Duran: Live from London which was released in November.

Finally, with more than thirty-five songs completed, the band signed a two-album contract with Epic Records in June, and completed the new album, now entitled Astronaut.

The album was released in October 2004 and entered the UK charts at number 3 and the US charts at number 17. The first single was "(Reach Up for the) Sunrise", which reached number 1 on the Billboard US Dance chart in November and peaked at number 5 on the UK Singles Chart, Duran Duran's highest chart position since "A View to a Kill" in 1985.

Setlist:

"(Reach Up for The) Sunrise"

"Hungry Like the Wolf"

"Is There Something I Should Know?"

"Union of the Snake"

"Come Undone"

"A View to a Kill"

"What Happens Tomorrow"

"New Religion"

"Planet Earth"

"I Don't Want Your Love"

"Tiger Tiger"

"The Chauffeur"

"Beautiful Colours"

"Ordinary World"

"Save A Prayer"

"Notorious"

"The Reflex"

"Careless Memories"

"The Wild Boys"

Encore:

"White Lines"

"Girls on Film"

"Rio"

On this day 18/11/1980 - Duran Duran/Hazel O'Connor

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On this day, 18 November 1980, Birmingham’s New Romantics Duran Duran, played Cardiff’s Top Rank filling the support slot for Hazel O’Connor.

While on tour with O’Connor, a bidding war erupted between Phonogram and EMI to sign Duran Duran; the band eventually sign with EMI records, persuaded by A&R man Dave Ambrose, who had signed The Sex Pistols and Kate Bush.

John Taylor and Nick Rhodes formed Duran Duran in Birmingham, England, in 1978, where they became the resident band at the city's Rum Runner nightclub. They were doing jobs at the club, John working the door and Nick deejaying for £10 a night. They began rehearsing and regularly playing at the venue. There were many nearby nightclubs where bands such as the Sex Pistols and the Clash played gigs; the most significant was called Barbarella's. They went on to name the band after "Dr. Durand Durand", Milo O'Shea's character from the sci-fi film Barbarella.

The band's first album, Duran Duran, was released on the EMI label in 1981. The first single, "Planet Earth", reached the United Kingdom's top 20 at number 12. A follow-up, "Careless Memories", stalled at Number 37. However, it was their third single, "Girls on Film", that attracted the most attention. The song went to Number 5 in the UK.