We made it. The end is near. The closing of the year is upon us. It would be foolish to imagine waking up Friday and having all the anxiety of 2020 suddenly be a distant memory. From politics to pandemic, there is still some dark days ahead but I have a case of future nostalgia as we ready the proverbial ball to drop on 2020.
Future nostalgia? Yes, I stole that from Dua Lipa. I promise, this is the last time (this year) I remind you to buy her album. It was one of several pop albums that found a way to feel timeless in a year that felt like it might not ever end. I love the term because I keep looking ahead for the day when I can stand in a crowded arena celebrating the nostalgic artists I still enjoy. I crave that experience and while I don’t think I’ve ever taken music for granted, I plan to embrace live shows even more once the venues open again.
The first New Year’s Eve I truly remember was in 1982 because I convinced my parents I should stay up until midnight so I could watch Duran Duran on MTV. The babysitter was a teenage neighbor named Gary who drove the coolest white Pontiac Fiero. The car had speakers in the seats and he drove me around the block once so I could hear a Duran Duran cassette! Being only nine, staying up was a huge deal and I remember struggling to keep my eyes open.
I don’t think I’ve watched the NYE show from 1982 since that night. Wow! The band sounds so visceral and raw. There is a hunger in the performance. A little taste of fame was on their tongues and they wanted more. It’s also fun to see the band trying to “sell” the audience on the new single – something about a wolf! Sounds promising.
There is refreshingly little production. At the time, it probably seemed larger than life to me but it’s just a young rock-n-roll band trying to conquer the world. And they did a few years later. And I would grow-up forever fascinated by watching bands play live noticing every little change in cadence to a lyric or how a song is arranged. All these years later, not much has changed. Here’s to 2021 – a new Duran Duran album and more live shows!
Stay safe, friends.