Duran Duran Close BST Hyde Park in Style
Duran Duran Bring BST Hyde Park 2022 To A Electrifying End with Special Guest Nile Rodgers
★★★★★
After 3 weekends of sensational music, British music legends, Duran Duran, closed BST Hyde Park 2022. The band took to the Great Oak Stage on Sunday (10th July), as headliners who delivered a night of nostalgia and electric energy.
The band, which rose to fame in the 80s, performed a crowd-pleasing set list of 21 songs. With excellent staging, visuals and lighting, the production scale and atmosphere was spectacular – similar to the headlining show from The Rolling Stones last week. Duran Duran played at BST Hyde Park as part of the European leg of their tour, with the group continuing their tour the US in August.
Founded in 1978 Birmingham, Duran Duran have sold over 100 million records worldwide. With 18 US hit singles, 21 UK Top 20 tracks, the group continue to perform to huge audiences around the world. The four-man band continue to make new music, led by singer Simon Le Bon, keyboardist Nick Rhodes, bassist John Taylor and drummer Roger Taylor. Duran Duran have always moved with the times, innovating and reinventing the music scene. They released their 15th studio album, Future Past, in October 2021.
A highlight was Le Bon making the legendary Nile Rodgers an honorary band member for two tracks. As a long-time collaborator with Duran Duran, Rodgers performed hits Notorious and Pressure Off with the group. Their performance of Ordinary World was a poignant moment, dedicated to the people of Ukraine.
A fantastic finale consisted of the much-loved Save A Prayer and a lively rendition of Rio. The curtain call was met with a lengthy applause from thousands of fans, who had sung-along and danced the whole night away.
Nile Rodgers & CHIC had performed their own set before the headliners took to the stage. Nile Rodgers created CHIC with musician Bernard Edwards back in 1972. Since then, he has notched up over 500 million album sales and 75 million singles sales with the band and as a solo artist. Their dance-inducing one hour and 10-minute set included disco classics Good Times (CHIC) and We Are Family (Sister Sledge), as well as hits Let’s Dance (David Bowie) and Like a Virgin (Madonna) – all of which Rodgers produced.
Earlier performances also included Rozzi, a Nile Rodgers collaborator, who opened the Great Oak Stage with tracks from her Berry EP. Rozzi was followed by the unique sounds of Laura Mvula, who eagerly said: “This is a dream. I’ve never played Hyde Park. I’m just a girl from Birmingham.” Norwegian electro-pop singer-songwriter AURORA also took to the stage, performing her new single, The Devil Is Human.
Photo: Lou Morris
