Duran Duran “finally to Portugal and proved that “they still move”
Third day of Rock in Rio, which on the Mundo Stage also featured performances by Bush, a-ha and UB40, with 70,000 people at Parque da Bela Vista
“It’s great to be late back and come to Rock in Rio. We should have been here years ago, but something called covid came along and that’s what this show was about.” In an interview with TVI/CNN Portugal, John Taylor and Nick Rhodes guarantee that they didn’t notice time passing. The 43 years of the band that everyone talks about are just a mere number that could even be any other.
On their return to Portugal, which took place 17 years after the last concert – or as the two band members explained “has 15 + 2” (“Let’s stay for fifteen, the last two years are not our fault”), Duran Duran There is no lack of energy, hits much less, and over an hour and 45 minutes of concert per hour, “Esfome como os wolves” interacts with the Portuguese public.
What was arranged with “Wild Boys” and the sign I was expecting was a late night reminiscent of the 80s, so that was it. Accompanied by two women, Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes, John Taylor and Roger Taylor also brought songs from the new album (Future Past), such as the voices of “Give It All Up”, “Invisible”, “All of You” and “Tonight United”.
But, the highlight of the night happened with “Hungry Like The Wolf”, with the audience (in which many did not stop dancing), united in one voice and sang the verses of the 1982 song by Cidade do Rock.
John Taylor would rejoin the “Ordinary World”, music that the band started the Ukrainian people live an “unbelievable experience” four months ago. And if from here Simon’s hoarseness “Lisbon” (as he called himself in the concert), also the audience’s charm gained a new crescendo, culminating with an encore of classics: “Save a Prayer” and “Rio”.
“We have a message that we would like to convey as people: right now the people of Ukraine are having an unbelievable experience. We would like to dedicate the next song to the people of Ukraine. The song is about believing and hoping.” @Duran Duran
— Andreia Miranda (@mirandandreia) June 25, 2022
In an interview with CNN Portugal shortly after the concert, Ana Paula confesses that she is satisfied with what she saw on stage. “I came to see a-ha and Duran Duran. I really enjoyed seeing the gentlemen I met 40 years ago. The guys still move. I heard the songs I wanted to hear, none of them failed.”
About the two concerts she came to see, the Lisbon native says that “they are completely different things, completely different”. I think the best are in terms of different sobriety. “.
Rui Jesus, who attended the concert surrounded by one of his friends, says the best concert of the day was UB40 (we will go there), but that Duran Duran “lived up to expectations”.
“They answered. It was good and they responded. We expected to hear the old one and that was the Delesam. It was the first concert they played. UB-40 was the best It was the first time we came to the festival and it was worth it.”
Average ages? over 40
On social media, there were those who warned that this Saturday in Lisbon would smell like mothballs and there would be dust in the air. This would be the fault of the public that would be at Rock in Rio to watch the concerts, on a day when, in addition to Duran Duran, Bush, UB40 and a-ha also performed.
It was up to the band of Gavin Rossdale ass to open Pal Mundo, with rock and absence of hits expected by the fans to mark the settlement. The setlist started with a powerful “Kingdom”, still the crowd gathered in front of the stage and the heat invited to look in the few shadows of the City of Rock.
During just over 50 minutes of concert, the vocalist was enthusiastic about the audience, he even started an escape through Bela Vista Park (and had fans running from him), but the absence of songs like “Swallowed ” It left the feeling that something was missing this Saturday afternoon.
UB40 with Ali Campbell followed, in a swinging concert full of love and couples in love being shown on the festival’s giant screens.
With more than 40 years of existence, and successes throughout their career, the Birmingham band animated the end of scenes with ‘Red Red Wine’, ‘I Got You Babe’, ‘Please Don’t Make Me Cry’, ‘Homely Girl’ and ‘Can’t Help Falling In Love’. And love was all that was not lacking, neither in Ali Campbell’s voice, nor in the audience, who sang, danced and did not shy away from showing love in front of the cameras.
It’s not just “Take on Me” that make a-ha
Anyone who wanted to hear “Take on Me” had to wait (or hold on) for a 1h15 concert by the Norwegian band a-ha because the hit was the last to be sung.
“I’m sorry that this is the only song that people know. They have ten albums”, says one of the fans in the front row of the concert.
And as proof that there is more to it than “Take on Me”, the group founded in Oslo 40 years ago, and whose vocalist Morten Harket is, returned to Portugal for a growing concert that revisited several albums, in particular the first “Hunting High and Low”, from 1985.
“I want to hear from you!” Asks Morten Harket and the Rock City sings a-ha’s “Hunting High and Low” #RockinRioLisboa pic.twitter.com/atio2VxohI
— Andreia Miranda (@mirandandreia) June 25, 2022
In “Hunting High and Low”, the vocalist (who recovered from covid-19 a short time ago) even walked the pier of the stage to sing the chorus with the audience twice, in one of the highest moments of the show. This would already happen in the final songs: “The Living Daylights” and “Take on Me”.
Dolphins: the return
After the a-ha concert, in Galp Music Valley began the concert that marked (more or less) the return of the Delfins to the stage. The band that broke up in 2009, was ready to perform in 2020, but the pandemic caused the return to be postponed and would even happen before a performance in between. But, in an interview with CNN Portugal before the concert, Miguel Angelo and Fernando Cunha guarantee that this is the band’s great comeback from the 90s.
“The band stopped the activity, songs that continued behind, but which are the scenes that show the will of us from Miguel’s stage for a long time here and with the will”, said Angelo, vocalist of the band.
And proof of that was the front of the full stage, up the slope, to see the band’s “condensed hits” setlist (“It was very difficult to get the hits here today”, assures Fernando Cunha) as “Saber Amar “, “Lugar ao Sol”, “Nasce Selvagem” and even “A Canção do Engate”.
Rock in Rio Lisboa ends this Sunday with performances by HMB, Jason Derulo, Anitta and Post Malone.