They lit their torch and waved it for… Duran Duran

OKAY. So maybe those aren’t torches but lighted logos. At any rate, these die-hard fans (they waited at the airport, you know) rushed front and centre, and then were told by the ushers to head back to their seats.

We were told that the show was going to start late because Roger Taylor the drummer only flew in to Singapore 3-ish-pm yesterday. They eventually got to the Singapore Indoor Stadium at 7-ish-pm, which meant they had to forgo a full-on soundcheck.

But that didn’t matter because they sounded great the moment the gig started – in dramatic fashion, no less, with Duran Duran opting to begin with the sombre Before The Rain. The stage was awash with blue hues, as Simon Le Bon took his position at the front of the stage and sang the lyrics. All very drama.

After that, of course, all gloves were off as the band ran through a set that yielded crowd favourites – Planet Earth, The Reflex, Hungry Like The Wolf, Ordinary World, Rio, Girls On Film – as well as tracks from their latest effort, All You Need Is Now, including the title track and Girl Panic.

The sound was, remarkably for the Indoor Stadium, great. And the band was obviously fuelled by their fans’ adoration. Singer Simon Le Bon, looking a little heftier; John Taylor, lean and mean; Nick Rhodes, the wizard of the band; Roger Taylor, keeping the beat; and Dom Brown, who hit the notes with precision.

Sure, they didn’t play New Moon On Monday, nor my other favourite Save A Prayer, but they did play A View To A Kill. Although that song isn’t an iconic Duran song, I’ll always treasure it for a couple reasons: One, it was the theme song to that James Bond movie, and I love all the James Bond movies, even the Roger Moore ones, even the George Lazenby one, and the one with Mr Bean in it.

Two, it was the first Duran Duran single I bought with my own money. Sure, I’d heard their songs before – thanks to my sister, one of the many females who dreamed of being Mrs John Taylor (or was it Roger? Or Andy? Oh well…). And then, I’d stayed up late, way past curfew time, watching Live Aid on TV, and they played this song! Sure, Simon was a little off-key (especially singing the line “that fatal kiss is all we need” – called The Bum Note Heard Around The World). And yes, Duran broke up after the show, with the five of them never to play live again until 2003. Simon later recalled that it was the most embarrassing moment of his career.

But at the Indoor Stadium, it was note perfect.

By the time I left, with the melodies still ringing in my ears, it seemed that the Duran party would go on and on, even after the last notes faded off.