Duran Duran – Minnesota State Fair Grandstand – August 31st, 2023

Lens on Music at the Fair by Patrick Dunn

Being a child of the ’80s, my most anticipated show on the Minnesota State Fair grandstand was without question Duran Duran. I’m sure many in attendance including me were at the show they had scheduled in Minnesota at the beginning of the Future Past tour, that ended up getting canceled due to weather. The show was not rescheduled at that time, so when it ended up being announced as part of the grandstand lineup for 2023, I was elated.

It turned out to be well worth the wait as it was a beautiful evening for an outdoor show and the substantial crowd was as wound up as I was. The stage setup was impressive with a giant split video screen center stage with a picture that seemed clearer than any I’d ever seen before. The music mix was excellent and Simon LeBon’s vocals cut through perfectly and sounded really good. They got the crowd rocking early with several big hits in Wild Boys, Hungry Like the Wolf, View to a Kill, and Notorious. Some of the other standouts were Is There Something I Should Know, Ordinary World, and The Reflex. The boys triumphantly closed the set out with Girls on Film and returned for a two song encore featuring Save a Prayer and Rio.

Adding dimension and value to the evening were supporting acts Bastille and the legendary Nile Rodgers and CHIC.