4/2 – MGM Grand at Foxwoods (Mashantucket, CT)
4/4 – Center Stage (Atlanta, GA)
4/6 – Warehouse (Houston, TX)
4/16 – The Fillmore (San Francisco, CA)
4/20 – Ogden Theatre (Denver, CO)
4/23 – House of Blues (Chicago, IL)
4/25 – Phoenix Concert Theatre (Toronto, ON)
Hopefully, some of you will be able to attend one or more of those shows. Right now, I plan on attending that Chicago show. It works out well for me in that it is a Saturday night. I also won’t be working the week before (my spring break) so I could make it a longer trip, if I want. Anyway, I’m anxious to hear if other people have plans on attending shows and which one(s).
I suspect that as these shows get closer, there will be an increased conversation about “meeting” the guys. Some fans will discuss among their friends and others might try to get information about how to find the guys from other fans. Discussions about past meetings may increase as people want to share their experiences and others will want to know what they were like. How long did you talk to them? Who was the kindest? Did you get a picture? These types of discussions are common place in Duranland for obvious reasons. I get it. Yet, interestingly enough, these types of discussions shift to be a bit more serious in that a debate about celebrity and fan expectations begin.
One side of this debate feels that once someone becomes a celebrity then that person knows and should understand that fans will want to come up to talk with them or to ask for an autograph or a picture. These interactions with the public comes with the territoryy, so goes the argument. The other side feels that the individual celebrity should have the right to privacy in public. So, where do I stand on this issue?
I have been lucky in that I have been able to see members of Duran Duran in public a few times. (Now, I’m not going to answer where or how.) Despite that fact, I have only spoken to them a few times. Why? The answer to that is simple. I do believe that they deserve personal space. Yes, they are famous. Did they want to be famous? I think they wanted to sell a lot of albums and make a lot of money. Maybe they did want people coming after them for autographs or pictures. Maybe they still do but I believe that they should be able to choose how and where. Yes, being “famous” is part of their job but do they work 24 hours a day/7 days a week? Does anyone? Should anyone? Doesn’t everyone deserve time off?
Let’s play out a scenario. Let’s say people find the hotel that Duran Duran is staying at. They show up after the show. The band had completed their job for the day in playing the show. They are now going back to the hotel to do whatever they want to do. Some members may want to go up and go to sleep. Others may want to stay at the hotel restaurant or bar. What should the fans do? I obviously can’t and won’t tell others how to behave. I can only tell you about what I’m comfortable doing and why. I have approached them and didn’t feel good about it. To me, it would be like someone approaching me about work when I’m at home or out with friends. It felt inappropriate. On the other hand, I had a situation when one of them has come up to me and talked to me. That moment is one of my best Duran moments because it was genuine.
Many people have complained that Duran is not very responsive when it comes to the fans. They have often seemed like they don’t want to interact with us fans (and I won’t argue that), but I wonder why that is. Is it because they are jerks? Maybe. I don’t know them. Is it because people bother them? Possible. It is hard to say. It is quite possibly a bit of both. For me, I wouldn’t want them to stop talking to us fans entirely and I worry that might happen if people don’t give them space. Therefore, I think it is important to show them respect. To get respect, you must give it, right? Maybe, I’m naive about how this all works. Maybe I should ask for more. I just always want to think about how I would want to be treated. If I was someone famous, I would want my space. I would want to know that I can hang out in public and not be bothered. Yes, some can argue that this is the trade off for being rich and successful. I disagree. They wanted to make music. Our role is to buy the music. If they want to interact with us in person, great, I’m all for it, but it should be on their terms.
-A
I'm a firm believer in timing… if an opportunity arises to talk to or interact with a member of DD and the time is right for them and it's not an encroachment on their space or privacy, then saying hello can be okay. While I do think the fame thing comes with having to cultivate, foster and communicate with a fan base, everyone deserves down time.. It must be exhausting to be looking over your shoulder constantly for who may be ready to accost you. I think having people falling all over themselves to talk to you all the time and having no anonimity must get old pretty quick.
I completely agree that the members of the band deserve personal space, and I seriously doubt if I would approach them if I happened to see them out and about somewhere, especially if they were with their families. Yes, they love their work, but it is still A JOB that they would like to have time off from. They do not LIVE for the fans, despite some fans who live for the band.
I've only talked to them in the context of an album-signing event in Chicago, so it was nothing prolonged, but it was nice to finally have that in-person contact. I did give John a scarf I'd knitted for him, which he pronounced “delicious!” so that naturally made me happy. (and I saw him wearing it the next night, after their concert!) I was over the moon.
I think it's fine to wait around for them at the venue after the concert, but I wouldn't stake out their hotel or follow them or anything like that. IMHO that's when you start crossing the line from fan to stalker and I don't want to be like that.
And another thing: people can't expect them to be in cheery, happy moods all the time. Everyone has a bad day, even your favorite pop star. If you're unfortunate enough to catch him on that bad day, you might walk away thinking he's a jerk, when really he's just got a headache or his kids are being a pain in the ass or he's just not in the mood. We're all “not in the mood” sometimes, but we who aren't famous aren't expected to be “on” 24/7.
(Oh, and yes, I'll be at the Chicago show on 4/23 too!)
Glad to hear that I'm not the only one who thinks this way!
@semibold-Was that CD signing in '07? If so, I was there! Very cool about the Chicago show! There definitely should be a meetup!
-A
Yes, that was the signing for RCM at Best Buy! I wouldn't stand outside in the cold for 5 hours for anyone else! (I can't believe it's been that long ago already.)
It was horribly cold that night, wasn't it?! Rhonda and I have a saying: All things Duran are worth it. ;D
-A
I'm sure that's why I saw John wearing the scarf I knit for him — he probably hadn't packed for 20 degree weather! Hey, whatever it takes.
I would LOOOOVE to meet them, as I still have not had a proper Nick hug, but at the same time, I always feel so weird about approaching celebrities unless I feel I have a reason. It took me a couple of drinks just to get a photo with Chris Hardwick (and thank God I talked to him because he almost gave me a job! LOL). I think you just have to watch them for a minute and sort of see the kind of mood they might be in and if they seem amenable, go for it.