My Boyfriend’s Back

OK, technically he was never my boyfriend. But back in the 1980s, Simon Le Bon of Duran Duran was my one true love. So I couldn’t miss the chance to see the band playing last night at Bluesfest, an outdoor music festival in Ottawa. My current true love was gracious enough to go with me.

John, Simon and the new guitarist, Dom Brown.

We arrived an hour and a half early to get close to the stage, and spread out a blanket to sit on. Hubby got us a couple of ciders to drink while we waited. I noticed pretty much everyone gathering around us was over forty, but there were some younger people in the mix.

I was psyched when the band finally took the stage. They opened with a song from their new album, then launched into their classic hits – “Wild Boys,” “Hungry Like the Wolf,” “Come Undone,” “Notorious,” “The Reflex,” “Rio” – songs I still know by heart. We were so close, the vibrations from the music pounded through us, and we had a clear view of Simon as well as the bassist, John Taylor (the object of many a teen girl’s fantasies back in the ‘80s). Thirty years later, Simon still looked smokin’ hot, and his vocals were better than ever.

Half an hour into the concert, I regretted the cider I’d drunk before the show. I had to pee and could not hold it. We were packed in, so I had to push my way through the crowd back to the porta potties, and lost track of hubby after that. I ended up watching the rest of the show from somewhat farther back, but still enjoyed myself in a throng of dancing and singing fans. (Thankfully hubby and I had designated a spot to meet if we got separated and were able to reconnect afterwards.)

This is just slightly embarrassing.

The concert was a sweet trip back in time. The opening keyboard notes of “Save a Prayer” knocked thirty years away in an instant, and I was fourteen again. (Not that I enjoyed being fourteen the first time; my favourite music on my Walkman was the one thing that made high school tolerable.) I haven’t been to a concert in years (decades?), and it was the first time I’d seen the crowd hold up their cell phones instead of lighters during a slow song!

I realized I wasn’t young anymore when my feet and back ached by the end of the show (plus there was the bladder issue), I worried about damaging my hearing, and I really just wanted to crawl into bed. But it was totally awesome to see Duran Duran again, spend a bit of time with my first love Simon – and of course go home with my smokin’ hot hubby at the end of the night!