Puyallup, WA – June 11, 2015 – A British invasion is slated to hit the Washington State Fair on Sept. 23 with a concert by English rock band, Duran Duran. They were a highly successful band in the 1980s, and have a strong and loyal following to this day, thanks to hit songs, “”Rio,” “Hungry Like the Wolf,” “A View to Kill,” “Save A Prayer,” and “Girls on Film.” They have placed 14 singles in the Top 10 of the UK Singles Chart, and 21 songs on the Billboard Hot 100, reportedly having sold more than 120 million records.
The Duran Duran with special guest Chic featuring Nile Rodgers concert on Sept. 23 is part of the Washington State Fair’s 2015 Columbia Bank Concert Series. Tickets will go on sale Friday, June 19 at 10 a.m. Tickets are $100 – Golden Circle, $80 and $60, and include Fair gate admission. Tickets will be available on the Fair website, https://www.thefair.com/fun/details/duran-duran or by phone (888) 559-FAIR (3247) daily, 7 a.m. – 8 p.m. PDT. Tickets can also be purchased in person at the Washington State Fair’s Box Office at 9th Ave SW and Meridian Street on Saturdays, 10 a.m – 2 p.m. Online orders are subject to standard processing fees, and a $2 per ticket service fee will be charged for on-site purchases.
Duran Duran
The band formed in Birmingham, England in 1978, consisting of keyboardist Nick Rhodes and bassist John Taylor, and later adding drummer Roger Taylor, and finally guitarist Andy Taylor and Lead Vocalist Simon Le Bon. While the group has never disbanded, the line-up has changed over the years. In the early7 2000s the original five members reunited, causing talk among the band’s fans and the music media. Andy Taylor then left again in mid-2006, and Dom Brown took his place.
Their debut album, Duran Duran was released in 1981 and reached No. 3 on the UK charts and sold over 2.5 million copies. Their third single, “Girls on Film” went to No. 5 on the charts. At that point they decided to tour in the U.S., and were instantly accepted by their American fans. Next came album Rio, which were complimented by videos filmed in Sri Lanka and Antigua for hits “Hungry Like the Wolf,” Save a Prayer,” and “Rio.”
The third album, Seven and the Ragged Tiger brought single “Union of the Snake” to No. 1 in UK, while single “New Moon on Monday” hit No. 1 in the U.S. By 1984 Duran Duran had it superstar status, and by the next year their vision for the future was no longer shared.
In the height of their popularity the band created videos that then went on the new music video channel, MTV. Duran Duran was one of the first bands to have videos shot by professional directors using 35 mm film movie cameras. This offered a highly professional look at that time By 1984 they were the early innovators of video technology, using large video screens in their live stadium shows, which brought the stage action closer to the audience seated further away.
In total, the band has created 13 studio albums, with another slated for 2015. The band has received two Grammy Awards, two BRIT Awards including the Outstanding Contribution to Music, and an MTV Video Music Award for Lifetime Achievement. They also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. For more information, visit www.DuranDuran.com
Chic
In 1976 guitarist Nile Rogers and bassist Bernard Edwards formed the group, Chic. This American band is known for many successfulsongs, including, “Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah),” and “Everybody Dance” in 1977, “Le Freak” and “I Want Your Love” in 1978; and in 1979 “Good Times” and “My Forbidden Lover.” Chic looked at themselves as a rock band for the disco movement “that made good on hippie peace, love and freedom.”
