Duran Duran

Duran Duran's attempt to contemporize its sound by collaborating with the likes of Justin Timberlake and Timbaland on last year's Red Carpet Massacre didn't quite pay off; both sales and critical reception were disappointing (and disappointed). The blokes from Birmingham should have known better: Considering the popularity of double-ought groups like the Killers, the Bravery, Metro Station and Carolina Liar, DD's high-fashion fusion of disco, glam-rock and art-pop — famously (and correctly) described by the band early on as "Chic meets the Sex Pistols" — is still plenty contemporary on its own. So while the beer and merch lines may swell during the inevitable Red Carpet tracks Friday night, rest assured Simon LeBon and company's hit parade will leave the audience hungry like the wolf for more. For some breezy preconcert reading, pick up former DD guitarist Andy Taylor's new memoir, Wild Boy: My Life in Duran Duran (Grand Central Publishing), in which Taylor — who left the band during its 2005 tour to deal with severe depression; he's better now — tells of, among other things, nearly dying after falling into a Sri Lankan lagoon/elephant privy while filming the "Hungry Like the Wolf" video.