By Maria Pownall for the Daily Times

Duran Duran has been bringing their special combination of pop, funk and disco to fans around the world for over 40 years.

Over these four decades, the band has reinvented themselves countless times, with members leaving, forming side projects, releasing solo records, and eventually returning to the fold.

Duran Duran began their rise in the early ’80s as New Romantic pioneers who tapped into the British New Wave. Soon their unique sound and intriguing looks landed them in heavy rotation on MTV, where they starred in lavish music videos filmed in exotic locations around the world.

As their popularity grew, they became known as the “Fab Five”, but were often overlooked by music critics.

The band has continued to push forward determinedly creatively, with the support of its committed fan community. In the early 1990s, Duran Duran experienced a critical revival and has since enjoyed a steady rise in artistic acclaim, culminating in their induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022.

The band is currently on tour in support of their 16th studio album “Danse Macabre”.

The album is the perfect soundtrack for the Halloween season, a collection of original material, moody reinterpretations of deep cuts, and darker covers by artists like the Rolling Stones, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Specials, and Billie Eilish.

On October 26, the band brought its spooky, neon-filled energy to the Borgata Event Center in Atlantic City.

Approximately 2,400 fans were ready to sing and dance to the songs that are the soundtrack to their lives, decked out in band t-shirts, fan-made clothing and ’80s-inspired Halloween costumes.

When the first notes of “Velvet Newton” came from the speakers, teenagers, moms, dads — yes, it’s great that dads love Duran Duran now — and card-carrying members of the AARP crowd rose from their seats and began cheering.

When the band emerged from the shadows, fans eager to harken back to a simpler time when bedroom walls were covered in Duran swung into action.
Duran posters and loyalty were measured by who had the best collection of the band’s 12-inch UK import remixes on vinyl.

As expected, Duran Duran had hit after hit with classics like “The Wild Boys”, “Hungry Like the Wolf”, “A View to a Kill”, “Notorious” and “Planet Earth”.

Although singer Simon Le Bon dropped the lyrics towards the end of “The Reflex”, the crowd didn’t seem to care because enjoying the unexpected is exactly the essence of a Duran Duran concert.

Fans happily filled the gap, singing the tune in unison but slightly out of tune.

Midway through the set, backing singer Anna Ross stepped to the front of the stage for a duet of ’90s “Come Undone.” Always a highlight of the concert, Ross’ powerful voice rose with the deep sense of longing that makes the ballad so intense and moving.

A few songs later, Le Bon dedicated the slower, contemplative “Ordinary World” to people around the world struggling to live in peace.

More moody tracks from “Danse Macabre” stood out throughout the show, including reimagined versions of “Night Boat” and “New Moon on Monday.”

The band has also covered songs such as Cerrone’s “Supernature”, Siouxsie and the Banshees’ “Spellbound”, the Rolling Stones’ “Paint it Black”, Classics IV’s “Spooky”, and their current single, ELO’s “Spellbound” . Bad Woman.”

Duran Duran concerts are a feast for the eyes as well as the ears, as the band has always been at the forefront of visual media.

The stage show featured haunting graphics of menacing vampires, witches and supernatural spirits, heightening the Halloween atmosphere.

These were often mixed with reimagined iconic footage from some of the videos that established them as MTV pioneers, such as “The Wild Boys,” “Union of the Snake” and “Come Undone.”

As the set approached its finale, Le Bon told the crowd that keyboardist Nick Rhodes wanted to take our picture. Rhodes grabbed her camera and put the audience in focus, but die-hard fans knew the repeated clicks of the flash meant only one thing: the slinky, sexy dance club anthem “Girls on Film” was only seconds away.

Two minutes later, the song quickly morphed into Talking Heads’ “Psycho Killer” as frenzied fans chanted the iconic “you better run, run, run, run, run, run” chorus.

After the band left the stage, the crowd began singing “Happy Birthday” to Le Bon, who turned 66 the next day. “Happy Birthday” signs, shirts and hats were everywhere as fans eagerly awaited celebrations of the singer whose voice and poetic, personal lyrics continue to move both their hearts and their feet.

The band’s encore featured a rendition of their hit “Save a Prayer,” complete with hundreds of swinging phone flashlights illuminating the arena.

Crowd favorite “Rio” closed the show, all saxophones and inspired imagery from Patrick Nagel, who made the song an instant classic in 1982.

The band members delivered an energetic, engaging 90-minute show as they playfully interacted with each other on stage or called on the audience to sing, cheer or clap.

Le Bon’s showmanship expertly oscillated between silly and serious depending on the mood of each song.

Keyboard genius Nick Rhodes, the self-proclaimed “dark synth lord,” manipulated the keys with unparalleled mastery. The rhythm section was bolstered by Roger Taylor’s ever-reliable drumming and bassist John Taylor’s intuitive ability to work the stage with equal parts business purpose and boyish charm.

Rounding out the band was Dom Brown, who has been the band’s lead guitarist for the past 20 years and brings an equal amount of intensity and passion to every song in the band’s extensive catalogue.

Fans at the Borgata came to celebrate Halloween and left with more treats than they bargained for, including a night full of priceless but not careless memories.