Duran Duran Concerts Setlist

Duran Duran is an English new wave and rock band. They were formed in 1978 in Birmingham, United Kingdom. The founding members were keyboardist and vocalist Nick Rhodes (born in 1962 in Birmingham, UK), lead vocalist and drummer Stephen Duffy (1960, Birmingham, UK), and bassist John Taylor (1960, Solihull, UK).

The three boys from Birmingham were all in their teens when they founded their new band “Duran Duran”. They named it after a character from the 1968 science fiction movie “Barbarella”, Dr. Durand Durand. The very first live Duran Duran concert was played in April 1979 at the Birmingham Polytechnic college. Soon thereafter, they got to open for the established new wave band “Fashion”. Andy Wickett joined as the new lead vocalist, taking over for Duffy; as well as drummer Roger Taylor, and lead guitarist Alan Curtis. The same year, they produced their first demo tape (after which Wickett left the band). Also, they became regular performers at the Birmingham nightclub called “Rum Runner”, while also working in the bar.

Their big break came in 1980, when they were discovered by the industry while going on a Duran Duran concert tour, opening for singer Hazal O’Connor. They ended up being signed by EMI Records, the same label that carried The Beatles. Their self-titled debut album, the new wave record “Duran Duran”, came out in June 1981. At this point, Simon Le Bon was the lead singer of the band already who has remained with them to this day. The album became a massive hit, peaking at the #3 spot on the OCC chart in the UK, while also reaching the #24 spot on the Top Rock Albums chart by Billboard over in the US. The standout track on the record was “Girls on Film”.

Duran Duran released 2 more studio albums in the next 2 years, both with great success. However, their next 3 LP’s from 1986, 1988, and 1990 failed to meet expectations in terms of sales, largely due to an embarrassingly bad performance at Live Aid 1985. Their second self-titled album, “Duran Duran” from February 1993, also known as “The Wedding Album”, was what propelled the band back to standout mainstream success. They have released 8 more studio albums since, thus they have 15 in total. The best selling one among them is “Seven and the Ragged Tiger” from November 1983, which sold 2.950 million copies worldwide. Meanwhile, the latest new Duran Duran album came out in October 2021, with the title “Future Past”.

The biggest hits in the Duran Duran setlist to date are “Save a Prayer” (1982), “The Wild Boys” (1984), “Come Undone” (1993), and “Ordinary World” (also 1993). After many changes, the band’s current line-up is made up of lead vocalist Simon Le Bon, keyboardist and backing vocalist Nick Rhodes, bassist John Taylor, and drummer Roger Taylor (no relation). With over 100 million records sold, Duran Duran is one of the best selling musical artists in the world.