Duran Duran's charity concert at Aston Villa football ground 1983
Encyclopedia
On 23 July 1983 Duran Duran
staged an open air benefit concert
at Villa Park
, Birmingham
, England
in front of 18,000 people who paid £8.50 a ticket to raise money for MENCAP
. It was one of only two concerts that summer by the band, the other being on 20 July before the Prince and Princess of Wales at London
's Dominion Theatre
.
Birmingham was chosen as the venue, as it was where the band members' first met and formed the group. The concert and subsequent shows in the area have always been regarded as a "homecoming". This event was particularly special to Roger Taylor as he once had ambitions to be Aston Villa's goalkeeper and was a regular spectator at the ground.
The show started at 6pm when the host, BBC Radio 1
presenter Peter Powell
, introduced the opening act "Prince Charles and the City Beat Band", which was followed by Robert Palmer who included the songs Johnny and Mary
and Some Guys Have All the Luck
in his performance. Friendships from this concert helped Palmer, in late 1984, to join members of Duran Duran as lead singer of the super group Power Station
.
took to the stage at 8.40pm, beginning their opening song as two giant black curtains slid open revealing them on a brightly lit stage with a backdrop consisting of six Roman-style pillars. The band performed the following:
The concert finished at 10pm with an after show "homecoming" party held at the city's Rum Runner
nightclub.
The programme which consists of 11 glossy double sided flyers with pictures on each side housed in a white glossy folder cost £2.00.
Duran Duran
Duran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...
staged an open air benefit concert
Benefit concert
A benefit concert or charity concert is a concert, show or gala featuring musicians, comedians, or other performers that is held for a charitable purpose, often directed at a specific and immediate humanitarian crisis. Such events raise both funds and public awareness to address the cause at...
at Villa Park
Villa Park
Villa Park may mean:United Kingdom* Villa Park, an association football stadium in Birmingham, EnglandUnited States* Villa Park, California, a small city in Orange County* Villa Park, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago in DuPage County...
, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in front of 18,000 people who paid £8.50 a ticket to raise money for MENCAP
Mencap
The Royal Mencap Society is a charity based in the UK that works with people with a learning disability.-Profile:Mencap is the UK's leading learning disability charity working with people with a learning disability and their families and carers...
. It was one of only two concerts that summer by the band, the other being on 20 July before the Prince and Princess of Wales at London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
's Dominion Theatre
Dominion Theatre
The Dominion Theatre is a West End theatre on Tottenham Court Road close to St Giles Circus and Centre Point Tower, in the London Borough of Camden.-History:...
.
Birmingham was chosen as the venue, as it was where the band members' first met and formed the group. The concert and subsequent shows in the area have always been regarded as a "homecoming". This event was particularly special to Roger Taylor as he once had ambitions to be Aston Villa's goalkeeper and was a regular spectator at the ground.
The show started at 6pm when the host, BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
presenter Peter Powell
Peter Powell (disc jockey)
Peter Powell is a former disc jockey, popular on BBC Radio 1 in the late 1970s and 1980s, who has a second career in talent management.-Early career:...
, introduced the opening act "Prince Charles and the City Beat Band", which was followed by Robert Palmer who included the songs Johnny and Mary
Johnny and Mary
"Johnny and Mary" is a song written by Robert Palmer and was recorded in 1980 at Compass Point Studios, New Providence, in the Bahamas. The song was featured on Palmer's album Clues . "Johnny and Mary" only went to #44 on the UK Singles Chart, but did reach #18 on Billboard's Club Play Singles chart...
and Some Guys Have All the Luck
Some Guys Have All the Luck
"Some Guys Have All the Luck" is a song written by Jeff Fortgang , which has been a Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 twice, first by The Persuaders in 1973 , then by Rod Stewart in 1984, whose version hit #10...
in his performance. Friendships from this concert helped Palmer, in late 1984, to join members of Duran Duran as lead singer of the super group Power Station
Power Station (band)
Power Station was a 1980s supergroup made up of singer Robert Palmer, former Chic drummer Tony Thompson, and Duran Duran members John Taylor and Andy Taylor . Bernard Edwards, also of Chic, was involved on the studio side as recording producer. For a short time he also functioned as Power...
.
Concert
Finally, Duran DuranDuran Duran
Duran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...
took to the stage at 8.40pm, beginning their opening song as two giant black curtains slid open revealing them on a brightly lit stage with a backdrop consisting of six Roman-style pillars. The band performed the following:
- Is There Something I Should Know?Is There Something I Should Know?"Is There Something I Should Know?" is the eighth single by Duran Duran, released on 19 March 1983.The song was released as a stand-alone single and became the band's first UK number one record. It debuted in the #1 position on the UK Singles Chart on 26 March 1983...
- Hungry Like The WolfHungry Like the Wolf"Hungry Like the Wolf" is a song by the British New Wave band Duran Duran. Written by the band members, the song was produced by Colin Thurston for the group's second studio album Rio . The song was released in May 1982 as the band's fifth single in the United Kingdom...
- Union Of The SnakeUnion of the Snake"Union of the Snake" is the ninth single by Duran Duran, released on 17 October 1983."Union of the Snake" was the lead single from the band's third album Seven and the Ragged Tiger and preceded its release by one month...
- Lonely In Your Nightmare
- New Religion
- Night Boat
- Friends Of Mine
- Save A PrayerSave A Prayer"Save a Prayer" is the sixth single by Duran Duran, released on 9 August 1982.The song was the third single from the band's second album Rio...
- Planet EarthPlanet Earth (song)"Planet Earth" is the debut single by the English pop rock band Duran Duran, released on 2 February 1981.It was an immediate hit in the band's native UK, reaching #12 on the UK Singles Chart on 21 February, and did even better in Australia, hitting #8 to become Duran Duran's first Top 10 hit...
- My Own Way
- Hold Back The Rain
- Careless MemoriesCareless Memories"Careless Memories" is the second single by Duran Duran, released on 20 April 1981.The band's debut single "Planet Earth" had been a Top 20 hit, so it was regarded as a major setback when "Careless Memories" stalled at #37 in the UK charts, particularly as it was to herald the June release of the...
- RioRio (song)"Rio" is the seventh single by Duran Duran, released on 1 November 1982.The song was the fourth, final, and title single lifted from the band's album of the same name, and was edited for its release...
- Fun Time
- Girls On FilmGirls on Film"Girls on Film" is the third single by Duran Duran, released on 13 July 1981.The single became Duran Duran's Top 10 breakthrough in the UK Singles Chart, peaking at Number 5 in August 1981...
The concert finished at 10pm with an after show "homecoming" party held at the city's Rum Runner
Rum Runner (nightclub)
The Rum Runner nightclub was opened on Broad Street, Birmingham in the city centre in 1964. It was demolished in 1987 to make way for the Hyatt Hotel....
nightclub.
The programme which consists of 11 glossy double sided flyers with pictures on each side housed in a white glossy folder cost £2.00.
Duran Duran band line-up
- Simon Le BonSimon Le BonSimon John Charles Le Bon is an English musician, best known as the lead singer, lyricist and musician of the band Duran Duran and its offshoot, Arcadia.-Early life:...
(vocals) - John Taylor (bass guitar)
- Andy TaylorAndy Taylor (guitarist)Andy Taylor is an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and record producer, best known as a member of Duran Duran and The Power Station....
(guitar) - Nick RhodesNick RhodesNick Rhodes is an English musician, is best known as the keyboardist of the pop rock band Duran Duran...
(keyboards) - Roger Taylor (drums)