Last week I was fortunate enough to be selected as one of Duran Duran‘s official VIP bloggers at their Unstaged (presented by American Express) performance at downtown Los Angeles’ famed Mayan Theater, and it was truly a magical night from start to finish! First we were treated to a tasty dinner as rehearsals were still taking place on stage, then our small group was escorted to the blogger’s lounge where I was able to use my laptop to tweet during the show, complete with WiFi and drinks! The band put on an amazing show, a mix of old and new material (from their new thirteenth studio album All You Need Is Now) and the entire show was streamed on VEVO, all under the guidance of legendary director, David Lynch! Special guests dropped by to perform with the band, including Beth Ditto, Kelis, cutie Mark Ronson (who produced their new album which has garnered tons of good buzz), and Gerard Way (from My Chemical Romance).
After the show, we made our way to the after party, which was super fun and I got to chat with a couple of celebs including Marilyn Manson, Samantha Ronson (and her brother Mark) and Kelis! In case you missed the show, all the videos are available on their VEVO page, I seriously love how David Lynch added his own unique visual touch to each and every song! Below are two of my favorite performances, their classic track Notorious (with Beth Ditto) and The Man Who Stole a Leopard (off the new album with Kelis). I must give thanks to my pal Sasha who totally hooked me up, it was one of the best events I’ve ever covered for PopBytes. Now I can check off ‘see Duran Duran live’ on my bucket list!
ALL YOU NEED IS NOW
BEING FOLLOWED
PLANET EARTH Featuring Gerard Way
FRIENDS OF MINE
NOTORIOUS Featuring Beth Ditto
BLAME THE MACHINES
HUNGRY LIKE THE WOLF
SAFE (IN THE HEAT OF THE MOMENT)
LEAVE A LIGHT ON Featuring Mark Ronson + Strings
ORDINARY WORLD Strings
THE MAN WHO STOLE A LEOPARD Featuring Kelis + Strings
GIRL PANIC! Featuring Mark Ronson
CARELESS MEMORIES
(REACH UP FOR THE) SUNRISE
RIO
* * * *
COME UNDONE Featuring Kelis + Strings
BOND MEDLEY into A VIEW TO A KILL Strings + Mark Ronson
GIRLS ON FILM
