Revisiting my youth...

For those of you who know me pretty well, you know that back in high school, I was a HUGE Duran Duran fan.. a 'Duranie', if you will. Yes, my friends and I were in love with the band. Most of our world revolved around them, and they hung the stars! We were lucky enough to get to see them in concert during their 'Seven and the Ragged Tiger' tour, at what once was, the Capitol Center. It was an awesome concert, and even back then, got great reviews from the critics. We had a blast.

Well, many years have past since that day, but we won't count them. The band split up, and recently reunited, cut more albums, and are touring once again (minus one guitar player). When I found out that they were coming back to this area, my desire to see them again got the best of me, and so tickets were bought, plans were made, and excitement created.

Last night was the big night! I would finally get to see Duran Duran once more! This time would be different though. This time I'm all grown up (questionable), and would be sitting MUCH closer than I did back in the 80's. I cannot express how excited I was for this concert. So much, in fact, I gave myself a headache just before we left! Thankfully, Advil worked it's magic.

So Heidi picked me up just after 6pm last night. Two of her friends, Pam and Christina, were also going. They're fun girls, so I knew it would be a blast. We decided to 'tailgate' in the parking lot before the show, and brought cheese, crackers, pasta salad, and wine. We partied in the lot, while listening to DD tunes on the ipod.

We finally made it inside the venue, making a mad dash to the bathrooms. Guess we just can't hold it like we used to! Just after our much needed bathroom break, we got this picture taken by a fellow DD fan.
Next, we headed over to the Tshirt counter to check out the loot. Steve had told me to go ahead and get myself a Tshirt. Well, once I saw the prices, I changed my mind. The cheapest Tshirt was $45! That's CRAZY! So, we decided to skip the Tshirts, and headed over to the beer counter!
We figured our Tshirt money was much better spent on beer! :)

On our way into the actual seating area, we passed a stand for California Tortilla. They had some free giveaways, including Pop-Tarts! Yes, you read that right.. Pop Tarts! Apparently, today is National Pop Tart Day! Pam and Christina ended up taking a full case of pop tarts (hey, they were free)! I decided against taking one, purely because I didn't want to carry the box around. Regretting it today though! Let's just say it wasn't easy carrying around that box of tarts, and trying to not spill your beer! lol

Okay, so we finally made it to our seats. Our smoozing the young security guards was unsuccessful in landing us backstage, or with seats closer to the stage. However, this did not deter Pam. She was on a mission. We made our way to our seats, which I have to say, were quite good. The view was much better than many years ago, when the guys looked like ants on the stage. The opening act was still performing... True Vegas, was their name. They were okay. I might probe into finding some of their tunes to listen to. I didn't really pay much attention last night. I was ready for Duran Duran!

We hung out for a while, waiting for the band, drinking our beer. Finally, the moment came. The lights in the house dimmed. The stage went black, then red. The crowd (including all of us) screamed. It was time. Duran Duran was only moments away. Suddenly, there they were! Whoo Hooo!














They played a mix of songs... lots of oldies, and some new ones, as well. I have to say that the crowd would go nuts when they played the older songs, and I really wish they had more of them in the song line up. Nevertheless, the energy of the band was great. Just like in their younger years. We had a great time singing along, and dancing... so much fun. Pam continued to work it, and all her efforts finally paid off. She was able to get a guard to let Christina and I go down to the front during the encore!!







































Here's my fav... John!

What a great night! Thanks ladies :)