Can they recover from the 'Massacre'?

Duran Duran's "Red Carpet Massacre" tour is finally rolling into North America. The band today announced a 20-city leg of their current world tour.

Beginning on April 29 in Vancouver, the tour hits most of the usual big-city stops -- including Orlando and Boca Raton here in Florida (no Tampa Bay dates). It wraps up May 30-31 in New York, where they're scheduled to play in Central Park.

Tickets for all shows will go on sale to the public on March 15 at 10 a.m. Pre-sale and VIP packages -- available to members of Duran Duran's fan community -- go on sale March 12.

"These are going to be extremely exciting shows for us – taking a very different format to the last world tour we did in 2006," Simon LeBon said on the band's official website. "We have been working on completely different arrangements for some of the older material and will be integrating a lot of our latest record into the performances. We need to keep things fresh – not only for ourselves, but also for our audiences."

The "Red Carpet Massacre" album could use the promotional help. After a decent first week of sales in November, it fell quickly to the bottom and then out of the charts in both Britain and the United States. The album met with mixed reviews from critics, and the new material -- heavily modernized and reliant more on computers than instruments -- chased guitarist Andy Taylor from the band.

[AP photo]

Comments

[Marissa]

Steve, you'll hate me for this, but I, as you might recall, sided with Sean on this DD venture. I was against the collaboration of Timbaland and Timberlake, but I love my boys. I admit to listening to RIO more than RCM, but I'm not casting them aside for trying to rebuild and pull in a new audience.
LOVE THEM!

ps. How was TMBG?

[Bassnote]

I own RCM, but I only like a few songs. Collaborating with Timbaland & Timberlake (ack! Pa-TOOO!) was a huge mistake.

[specialkness]

I love Duran and probably always will but what a disaster this last adventure has been (at least in my opinion). My kids and I enjoyed Astronaut and loved seeing them in Germany on that tour (quite a different audience than when I saw them in the 80s in the US). I know they'd love to go see them again if they even come close to where I am now.

[Marissa]

I guess the upside to their touring is that the "Tims" aren't on stage with them.
Roger actually drums, John literally plays bass, Nick conjures up magic on the keyboards and synths, That Other Guy fills in for Andy (shame) and Simon works his vocals with an occasional shake of a tambourine.
On Comcast OnDemand I watched a studio live performance. Quite good, actually. Plus, with age the boys have become quite comfortable laughing at each other.

[Big Tex]

Add DD to that growing list of 80's artists that I loved 20 years ago, but don't have much use for them now. Also on the list: U2, REM, and INXS. I almost wish these groups would quit trying to reinvent themselves and rest on their laurels. I'm going to be fair and give the new Asia CD a chance before I give them consideration for the list, but they'd be the exception, not the rule.

[specialkness]

You never know with one of the Tims though Marissa, he might just show up some where along the way! Help up if he does!
I love the boys and if they come close we'll be going.

[Mirrorball Man]

"Chased Andy from the band"?? As I saw when he departed the first time and when he left very quickly after the reunion tour ended, Andy has always wanted to do his own thing and was not the biggest fan of collaboration with others. I dont think he left on his own terms, I'm pretty sure he was asked to leave by the rest of DD. The last thing DD needs at this point and time is conflicting personalities and a whiny , bitchy guitarist.
RCM is not as bad or as good as people are saying but I'm glad to see DD trying to still be current consistent and by definition have meaning to music to today.
I disagree with you Big Tex on U2 and DD ,as for REM,I haven't seen them try to redefine anything is some time and that is a shame because they are a great band or were, it really up to Stipe and company to make themselves noteworthy again.
As for Asia , good but not a great band to begin with I think these guys reformed because they are bored and literally have nothing to do or lose.
As for INXS , the novelty has worn off with the new lead vocalist and IMHO there is no such thing as INXS without Michael Hutchence ,stick a fork in them they're done.

MM