Concert Reviews, Songs Beginning with D

This page is for reviews of concerts people have seen during the 80s and reviews of tours that more recently focus on vintage 80s groups (like Depeche Mode or Bow Wow Wow, etc.). The first reviews here are from the old message board, so they might look a little familar. Hope no one minds me reformatting their original messages.

This page currently edited by: No one. Past editor: Vapor Trails, Banasy



"Daryl Hall & John Oates w/ Todd Rundgren" / August 22, 2002
I took a friend of mine to see H&O at the Tower City Ampitheatre in Cleveland. The show itself was a blast. Todd Rundgren was the opening act and had the crowd eating out of his hand. H&O opened with "Adult Education" and went right from that to a stunning, AWESOME "Out of Touch", my favorite H&O song of all time. A memorable moment was an improvised, almost gospelish rendition of "Everytime You Go Away" (a #1 for Paul Young), as well as a sleek, smooth "She's Gone". They went on to play "Say It Isn't So", "Sara Smile", "One on One" and the recent "Do It For Love" but the crowd didn't really go full throttle until "I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)". At the time of the "No Can Do" sax solo, the whole crowd was on cloud nine. They ended their solo set with (what else): "Maneater"! They brought Todd Rundgren back out for the encore, which went "Wait For Me", "Can We Still Be Friends", "Kiss On My List", "Rich Girl" and "Summertime". Onservations: For a man in his mid-50s, the tall, blond Daryl Hall is GORGEOUS!! Neither my friend or I could take our eyes off him. *sigh* And John Oates is SHORT! He can't be taller than 5'2 or 5'3 and that's a generous estimate. Daryl Hall was the dominant singer through the whole show, although John did sing a song from his new solo CD. Todd Rundgren looks like a combination of Alice Cooper and Ozzy, with half black, half-blond bleached long hair and dark glasses like Ozzy's. A fight between two drunk guys in the row behind us occured during "Say It Isn't So", and were led away by 3 security guards. I was disappointed that H&O didn't sing "Private Eyes", "Lovin' Feeling", "Did It In A Minute" or "You Make My Dreams", but I was REALLY disappointed that Daryl Hall stiffed about 15 of us waiting by the tour bus for autographs after the show. But the show itself was great and a lot of fun, and was worth the $$$.
Review by: Monika
"David Lee Roth" / June & July, 1999
This summer, I was lucky enough to get to see (and meet) the MIGHTY DAVID LEE ROTH BAND live in both Massachusetts and New York. for all classic Van Halen fans - who rocked the 80's with albums like Fair Warning ("Unchained"), Diver Down ("Oh, Pretty Woman", "Dancin' in the Streets") and 1984 ("Jump", "Panama", "Hot For Teacher") - and as asolo artist with Eat Em And Smile ("Yankee Rose"), Skyscraper ("Just Like Paradise" ) and Crazy From the Heat ("Just a Giggolo", "California Girls")- please let me assure you, Diamond Dave still puts on the most incredible kickass performance - bar none !!! his jumps, kicks and splits - as well as his amazing vocal ability, quick wit and mezmerizing sex appeal - are just as icrediblw now as they ever were in the 1980's ! any classic Van Halen fan will certainly not be dissappointed - it is well worth every penny =o) ......
Review by: Lisa
"David Lee Roth" / July 17, 1999
I saw David Lee Roth at the Reunion Arena in Dallas, TX on July 17, 1999. He performed mostly old *original* Van Halen material and totally rocked! It was a dream come true to see him doing the old stuff, the whole crowd loved it. They didn't know what to think. He was opening for Bad Company and blew them away! Everybody was on their feet screaming by the end of his show. Rock on Dave!!!!!
Review by: Jeff Sanford
"Def Leppard" / December 1987
This was a defining moment in my life. This was during the "Hysteria" tour, and till this date, I've never seen such an amazing show. The band sounded like nothing I've ever heard before. Not many bands can exceed their recorded sound live, but Def definately did. Technically, they were at the top of their game, and definately the best sounding band of the time!
Review by: Jim
"Def Leppard" / October 1988
The best concert I have ever been to! They give their all. I seeing Rick drumming was amazing. The sound was so great compared to Bon Jovi, Motley Crue and Poison. Van Halen's sound comes in a close second. But they rocked! And still are rocking!
Review by: Melinda
"Depeche Mode" / July 21. 2001
I had been dreaming of seeing depeche mode live for several years and finally got my chance. It was worth the wait! Despite the fact that people around us weren't overly enthused, my two best friends and I had massive amounts of fun... they played lots of new stuff as well as the older stuff, when they ended with "Never Let Me Down Again" I only wished they could do the whole set over. It was AMAZING!
Review by: Jenni
"Depeche Mode" / May 14, 2006
There was only one word for this concert: OUTRAGEOUS!!! Dave was in top form - ruling the stage like 2 20 year old. Martin actually seemed to be enjoying himself - having a good time! The music was right on the money - audio was perfect - not too loud or distorted - perfect bass pitch, everything. Everyone was on his or her feet from the moment the band took command of the stage and NEVER sat down! Average age of the concertgoer? I would say 38. There were people in the audience as young as 17 and as old as 58 and everyone was rocking. Depeche Mode played their music from "Just Can't Get Enough" right through "Precious" from the "Playing the Angel" CD which is what the tour is named after. Honestly, the fans could NOT get enough and they came out for a 5 song encore and ended the set after 11:00PM giving back all of the love being sent out to them and it was plenty!!! I am ready to go to the Borgata in Atlantic City and see them again this Saturday night. Guess I didn't get enough either after 25 years of being an avid fan.
Review by: Liz Fontana
"Depeche Mode" / November 5 1998
I went to see Depeche Mode at the Sky Dome in Toronto during their Singles 86-98 tour. The show was great although I was pretty far back. The sound was really good and they had the most incredible power over the crowd you could possibly imagine, it reminded me of when they played the Rosebowl in Pasedena (but our crowd was a bit smaller) They almost sold out the place, I could barely see any empty seats. During Never Let Me Down Again everyone had their lighters out and were swaying their arms back and forth to the beat of the music, it was almost religious.
Review by: Marissa
"Depeche Mode" / July 1990
I was 19 years old, Depeche Mode was at Red Rocks Ampitheatre, the best place to see a concert! There was a HORRIBLE hail storm that day, shortly before I headed up to Red Rocks. The storm destroyed the windshield in my car, but my friends (DM diehards like me) and I still drove my car up to the concert anyway. We were going to go come hell or high water! So glad we did. With all the dark clouds swirling around the city that day, the sky cleared over Red Rocks and I saw the BEST Depeche Mode concert ever. I have seen them 6 times and the Violator tour was by far their very best.
Review by: Gretchen Ronfeldt
"Depeche Mode with OMD" / 1986
I just happened to be travelling through AZ when this concert came to town. The most memorable moment to me was that after the preponderance of keyboards, a guitar {an actual instrument!} was brought on stage. The crowd went nuts!
Review by: geniuswaitress
"Devo" / December 31, 1981
Well, the Spudboys were playing the Warfield Theatre in San Francisco twice that evening, and did they ever deliver. The show began without an opener, (as per the usual with Devo) with "Time Out for Fun." The place went ape as the video accompaniment(which would follow for half the show,) synched up with the group.There they were, Devo, in full black attire, offset with the white Spudring uniform accessory. They went through the entire Oh,No! It's Devo! album score, lipsyncing all the way, in time with the full length videos behind them, cramping the stage.(It's all part of what Devo would call 'the show.') At the end of "DeepSleep," the place got really bright, and from behind the video screen was the silhouette of Alan Meyers' drum kit, with Alans' shadow plainly wearing the now famous "flower pot" Energy Dome. People relly started to lose it..the screen went up...and here, at last, was Devo REALLY live. They played it all, including an appearance by Spazz Attack for the "Satisfaction" part of the show. "Secret Agent Man," "Smart Patrol" you name it, they rocked. A side note...the best thing about this and every Devo show is that you got to see the very cutting edge of technology...light, sound, visuals....the very real techno-future that has come to pass, and that Devo themselves had warned us against becoming slaves to.....Intellectual property infringement, Mr. Cameron? Jerry made a snide comment to end the show, and that was it.
Review by: Steve Stroppiana
"Duran Duran" / Worcester Centrum March 15, 1984
My girlfriend at the time and her college dorm roommate were able to get four tickets for one of the two sold out shows at the Worcester Centrum. (Worcester is about 30 miles west of Boston. The Worcester Centrum was a new stadium, opened in 1982. For the next 13 years, until The Boston Fleet Center opened, very few, if any bands touring the Boston area went to the old, non air conditioned, poor sounding Boston Garden. You had to drive down the Mass Pike to Worcester.) Now I was not a big fan of Duran Duran, but my girlfriend and her roommate (like very virtually every girl in America at the time) LOVED them, so that means Iâ€TMm going. They had just won two Grammyâ€TMs for their videos and Princess Diana had named them as her favorite band. Not to mention it seemed every third video on MTV (when MTV actually played videos all the time) was Duran Duran. If nothing else they were POPULAR. I rolled a couple of joints to take with me to the show figuring Iâ€TMd enjoy it more with a bit of a buzz. Every concert I had been to had always featured major ganja usage. Unfortunately, when we got to the show, the two major categories of the audience were 13 year old girls and their parents! I took my seat surrounded by pre-teens, young teens and their parents. Iâ€TMm not smoking anything tonight and will just have to watch the show in an unadultered state. They played all their major hits (Hungry Like the Wolf, Girls on Film, New Moon on Monday etc) but what I really remember is the constant scream from 10,000 plus pre-pubescent voices! The funny thing is, 23 years later, I actually like their music a lot. I had more respect for them after John and Andy Taylor showcased their talents in Power Station (with Robert Palmer). They were a great 80â€TMs band (maybe THE 80â€TMs band) and I always turn up the volume when one of their songs comes on now.
Review by: Ray
"Duran Duran" / 2/11/05
This was by far the best Duran Duran concert Ive seen since the early 80's when i was only old enough to watch them on MTV. Now that they are touring as the original band everything came together with the same energy, style and grace as before in a time when so much has changed. My wife and I had a really great time listening to their early hits as well as their new material. Right from the beginning I became emotional because that same morning my 3 year old daughter was singing their new sunrise song. Mind you she is only 3 so the only other songs she knows are twinkle twinkle little star and the wheels on the bus. If you grew up listening to Duran Duran im sure there are a lot of memories their music can conjure up. And if you just want to listen to a band that is going to make you feel good inside this is a concert you would not want to miss for who knows, as their new song goes, whats going to happen tomorrow.
Review by: Raymond Chevalier
"Duran Duran" / June 2000
This was the second time that I have seen Duran live. My husband actually took me to see them the first time a couple of years ago. They were wonderful. They played all the oldies but goodies and some new stuff from 'Pop Trash'. My only complaint is that Warren was still in the band at that time and not my precious Andy. I am sooo excited that the Fab Five are reuniting and it will be my dream come true to see them live. I have been a fan since 1980 at the tender age of 7. I have grown up on the durans and still love them to this day. To see the Wild Boys with all five ORIGINAL, (esp Andy! )members is going to be excellent and well worth the wait. Always a Duranie, Krista
Review by: kRISTA
"Duran Duran" / July 1982
Must have been 120 degrees inside the Detroit club called Clutch Cargo's, but that didn't stop Simon LeBon from strolling onstage wearing a trench coat -- hey, style is important, right? They opened with "Rio" which had just been released, and closed with "Careless Memories." It was a no-frills, pre-MTV fame, show that was packed with great songs. The club was tiny, the crowd was large, the tickets were $9.00 !
Review by: Bill Hammons
"Duran Duran" / August 13, 2000
OMG!!! At 28 my lifelong dream of seeing the band I worshipped in my middle school years came true!!! My brother was able to get me free tickets and they were appearing at the I.C Light Ampitheatre in Pittsburgh, Pa. It was a fairly small place so ALL the seats were good!! (I am going to guess we were maybe 25-30 ft from the stage!) They were INCREDIBLE!! As usual, Nick's talents are unmatched, and Simon sounded fantastic!! They did quite a bit of "old" stuff as well as "middle" stuff. (I believe there are 3 stages of DD. The origional 5 is "old", when they rejoined w/out Roger and Andy that is "middle" and now "new". LOL!) They played for and hour and a half and walked off stage, lingering on the side. The crowd was going NUTS!! Screaming, clapping..etc. They came out and did a 15 minute encore and walked off again. The crowd was STILL going nuts!! They came out again and we started chanting "Re-flex, Re-flex" but they sang "Pop Trash" in honor of Andy Warhol. HOWEVER, when that song was over, we began chanting again and they finally broke into The Reflex!! I danced, I sang, I flashed back to the good ol' days!! I still get breathless thinking about it!!!
Review by: Katrina
"Duran Duran" / November, 2003
The ultimate reunion! The original "Fab Five" (Simon, John, Nick, Andy AND Roger) together again to promote their upcoming album ("Astronaut", which rocks, IMHO). The closest I'd come to seeing them before was the "Strange Behavior" tour in 1987 after Andy and Roger had left. It was amazing to see all five of the guys, especially after almost twenty years. They sounded awesome, Simon's voice was still incredible, and the talent of the band as a whole and the guys individually still floors me. Nearly two solid hours of nothing but great music - my feet hurt for the next two days from nonstop dancing! I'm hoping they do another tour now that the album is actually out, and that they come my way again. I'm not afraid to say that I was a teenage Duranie... these days I'm a thirty-something Duranie!
Review by: Tirya
"Duran Duran" / August 9, 2000
Only the second Duran Duran concert I've ever been to, seeing these guys makes me regret not having forced my parents to bring me to some when I was younger. I was standing right by the stage in front of my favorite member (Nick Rhodes), and when you're close up you can really appreciate all the band is doing. Simon was in absolute top form - he's still dancing like a maniac, being overly theatrical, and of course driving all the females insane!!! I personally think his voice is in the best shapes it's been for years. With a note in Girls On Film as an example: Every other time I've seen/heard a live performance of this, there's always one note that Simon never fails to crack his voice horribly on. But this year, not only can he hit that note totally smooth, but he's holding it for three times as long as it's originally held! Just little things like that made me fill up with pride. :) Their bassist for a couple years now, Wes Wehmiller, is definitely living up to John Taylor. I never thought I'd be able to say that! And Nick, of course... this man is growing more beautiful and talented with age! It's so delightful to see Duran Duran sticking with the music scene. They've still got a lot to give.
Review by: Caitrin
"Duran Duran" / 2/10/84
I saw this wonderful band when they were at the height of their career. This was right after Blue Moon on Monday came out. I was 14 and they were and still are my favorite band. My friends mom went and stood in line and got us 6th row tickets. Well, there were two girls there, on the front row, showing off their autographs and when the lights went down, my friends and I rushed the stage and ended up on the front row right in front of my sweetie, John Taylor. Of course the girls were pissed. Tough! It was wonderful. I was about 10 feet from them and toward the end, Simon had a towel, wiped his face and gave it to John. When he was finished, he knelt down and tossed it to me! Yep, I still have it. I got to see them 3 more times in my life. One was 10 years later on my 24th birthday. All were great! But the first one was the best. Looking forward to see the old members together. They are the best!
Review by: Cindy Archer
"Duran Duran" / July 25, 2000
OMG!!! I couldn't have asked for a better night! They were absolutely WONDERFUL!! I have been a DD fan since I was born but only recently have my parents thought I was old enough to go to a concert. I chose DD as my first and boy did I make a right choice!(I was determined it was gonna be U2 but...oh well) I was in the 3rd row in front of Nick Rhodes and he flashed me (I think it was me:) the most beautiful smile! The songs were great..old as well as new..however I do miss John, Roger,and Andy (whom I have never gotten the honor of seeing)I hope they continue making great albums and you better believe this 16 year old will come and see them any time!!
Review by: Michelle Franks
"Duran Duran" / August, 1999
Duran Duran, the quintessential 80s band has proven to be more than a memory. The concert was out of sight! The band, even without some previous members, was incredible. In a sold out concert center, Duran Duran had a wonderful setlist, which consisted of old and new songs. It was going to be a great night when the band first came out... they were theatrical and it was a wonderful surprise! Duran Duran opened the show with "Girls on Film" and continued forth. It was a flawless performance and everyone had a great time!! The concert, as a whole, was musical perfection! Thank you, Duran Duran, for such a great show!! Please come back to New Jersey anytime!! We'd love to host you again!
Review by: Kerry


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