Duran Duran/Orson
M.E.N. Arena, Manchester, Sunday 18th December 2005

Setlist:
Friends Of Mine
Planet Earth
Astronaut
Union Of The Snake
Come Undone
Instant Karma
Sound Of Thunder
Hold Back The Rain
Reflex
Point Of No Return
Ordinary World
Skin Trade
Notorious
Nice
Electric Barbarella
Save A Prayer
Girls On Film
(Reach Up For The) Sunrise
Rio
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**Fatal Kiss**
A View To A Kill
Wild Boys

Firstly, Orson were signed 10 days before this tour in a bidding war won by Mercury Records. Good luck with that, on the basis of tonight, only Maroon 5's fans will like em. That's not a good thing.

Now, DD's stage is different, and on the strength of the opening, we're in for a different set. The stage is backed by five mini video-screens and the now familiar video "shower-curtain".

Kinda unfamilarly starting the set with obscure first album track Friends Of Mine, there's a lot of obscure oldies in just for the fans tonight.

Thankfully, there's also a liberal sprinkling of stuff from latest album, Astronaut, including my personal favourite, Nice.

After scoring a big thumbs up for the wonderfully obscure medley Sound Of Thunder/Hold Back The Rain, they also get a bizarre double-take for resurrecting duff-single Electric Barbarella. This is a minor quibble.

Save A Prayer is a highlight, with the audience taking the complete first half of the song on it's own.

Fatal Kiss is a symphonic piece from the James Bond film which serves as an intro to View To A Kill, backed by naked silhouetted bond girls playing random classical instruments on the video screens. The main song is backed, normally by the video of Liz Hurley undressing.

The big bangs (literally) are saved for final song, Wild Boys, huge pyro loads and flames shoot up in the air to bring the gig to a spectacutlar close.

2nd time in two years for me, and they've still got it. Great set, glad it was different, shame about the support.

8.5/10

My Duran Duran pics

I saw them in 2004 with Scissor Sisters supporting, twas a fantastic gig

You weren't at Shefflied wwere you? That was the gig I went to last year.

That was a Scissor Sisters support (the earlier gigs in the tour were Goldfrapp - who I would have preferred to have seen), that said, I arrived too late to catch SS (I don't like em anyways), but DD were awesome that night too!

No I was at Cardiff, saw them in Plymouth a few years back when it was just Simon and Nick so to see the full line up was awesome for me It was full of ladies of a certain age like me lol. Unfortunately because of the time of year and money I was unable to see them this time but next time......