'80S ICONS STILL HAVE IT

Long Beach Press Telegram

By Lyn Jensen, Special to the Press-Telegram

Duran Duran was once hyped as the "new Beatles" and "Band of the '80s," remember? After nearly a decade of changing musical directions and band members, the rock group so identified with the MTV video era has found new Life. The band has its best-received album this decade with "Medazzaland" and is weathering the loss of founding member John Taylor. After several years' absence from the public eye, Duran Duran brought its new sound and lineup to the Universal Amphitheater on Tuesday.

However, with the exception of the new single, "Electric Barbarella," the new music wasn't what got the Duranies, as fans are known, screaming and dancing. It was MTV-era classics "Hungry Like the Wolf," "Rio" and the finale, "Girls on Film." The 90 minute set was arranged to showcase such party pieces, leaving out some of DD's darker works. Duran Duran has endured to become retro, and showed themselves Tuesday evening to be a goodtime dance band, countering critics who contend they're all video and no performance. Intriguing frontman Simon Le Bon looked and sounded as good as he did in the '80s. He turned "Friends of Mine," which dates from the band's pre-MTV days, into a surprise highlight.

One of the longtime distinctions of Duran Duran's sound is the combination of synthesizers and guitars. With current membership reduced to a trio, Nick Rhodes' keyboards at times overpowered Warren Cuccurullo's guitar. However, nonmembers Steve Alexander (on drums) and Wes Wehmiller (on bass) provided a gritty, grungelike rhythm section.

"Medazzaland" may fall short as a comeback album -- they'll have to take more risks to match the adventurous nature of their '80s hits -- but this performance proved Duran Duran is still relevant.