Duran Duran
Saturday, 12. 7. 2025
Forte Arena, Pula, Sardinia, Italy
“Nick Rhodes, king of shoulder pads”
Fate sometimes takes strange paths. Last year, for my birthday present, I arranged to see Duran Duran in Pula after thirteen years, which went down on 30. 7. 2024 (Rockline report right here). This year, my wife and I headed off on vacation to Sardinia, near a little town called Pula, suspecting nothing. And lo and behold, driving along Poetto beach in Cagliari, that very same wife spotted a poster announcing a Duran Duran concert. A quick check with Uncle Google confirmed the gig was happening the day before we left. Where? At Forte Arena, a stone’s throw from our vacation digs near Pula. Coincidence? I don’t think so.
We went to check out the venue two days earlier, so we wouldn’t get lost or end up without a parking spot. A small valley with a gigantic stage at the end of it, and gray plastic chairs bolted to the ground in the pit. What? Everything happens for the first time at some point, and so did the first “seated” show of my career, if we don’t count acoustic stuff, of course.
On the day of the gig, the hot Sardinian sun took pity on us and hid behind fluffy little clouds, so there was no need to sweat too much. The number of chairs was capped at 5,000 and they were nicely, strategically spread across the meadow, so there was no crush at all. Same at the bar, the bathrooms and the merch stand. Neatly organized, everyone in line, just as befits a concert with a fanbase in their late middle years.
The band opened the same way as a year ago in Croatian Pula, with the gloomy Nightboat. Simon again seemed wiped out, this was the last show of a mini European tour with 16 dates. Later in the show it turned out the guys may have had a few drinks in the afternoon, because every single one of them slipped up with some uncharacteristic little mistake. Simon couldn’t get his vocals up to the highest notes, and the close-ups on the big screens showed slightly glassy eyes too. The sound was damn good for an open-air venue, though every little breeze did carry it off left or right, away from our ears.
To our relief, the chairs emptied already at the second song, the mega-hit The Wild Boys, and we all happily pushed toward the stage. All in all, the chairs weren’t a bad idea, during a less interesting song you could sit down in your spot and quietly sip a beer. The setlist was very similar to last year’s, but a few swaps managed to seriously wreck it, at least for me. The quartet of Friends of Mine, The Chauffeur, New Moon on Monday and Super Lonely Freak was replaced by Nite Runner / All She Wants Is and a totally unnecessary cover of Evil Woman by ELO. So two songs fewer and two “meh” songs instead of cult classics.
But because Italians, and Italian women especially, love Duran Duran (“Duraniče“), the energy was very good and the band floated through the setlist and took us through ballad territory with Ordinary World, Come Undone and of course the indispensable Save a Prayer. We got our hips moving with the punchy hits Hungry Like the Wolf, The Reflex and a grand finale with Rio.
The band was in a great mood, the smiles never left the guys’ lips. Nick shone again in a light pink outfit, earning the nickname from the subtitle from Simon. The Roger / John rhythm section kept the tempo elegantly. They visibly enjoy playing and singing, and the whole performance at times feels like a “jam” of four friends and their support crew. Once again I have to praise both backing vocalists, Rachael O’Connor and Anna Ross. The latter shone again in the duet with Simon on Come Undone, and Rachael got two spots where she could show off her impressive vocal chops.
It was a nice, easygoing little gig, a relaxed stroll through teenage memories, very welcome as the cap on a lovely vacation on beautiful Sardinia. One of my bigger unfulfilled music wishes is to see The Fab Five live, and I hope the hints come true and Andy (Taylor, the original guitarist) joins them for one last album together and the accompanying tour. Fingers crossed!
P.S. I missed Simon’s pink leather jacket, the fluorescent green one from this show didn’t pop quite as much.
Text: Igorac
Photos: Mateja
Setlist:
1. VELVET NEWTON (taped intro)
2. Night Boat
3. The Wild Boys
4. Hungry Like the Wolf
5. The James Bond Theme (by John Barry)
6. A View to a Kill
7. INVISIBLE
8. Notorious
9. Nite-Runner / All She Wants Is
10. Evil Woman (orig. ELO)
11. Careless Memories
12. Ordinary World
13. Come Undone
14. (Reach Up for the) Sunrise
15. Planet Earth
16. The Reflex
17. White Lines (Don’t Don’t Do It) (orig. Grandmaster Melle Mel)
18. Girls on Film / Psycho Killer (orig. Talking Heads) / Girls on Film
—encore—
19. Save a Prayer
20. Rio
