By Bob Grossweiner and Jane Cohen
Eighties heartthrobs Duran Duran will showcase their forthcoming album “Red Carpet Massacre,” to be released on Nov. 13, with nine concerts on Broadway at the 1,096-capacity Barrymore Theater in New York. The group, with original members Simon LeBon, Nick Rhodes, John Taylor and Roger Taylor and others, will perform the album in its entirety, plus perform several of its hits, for over two hours each night: Nov. 1-3, 5-6, 8-10 and 12. These concerts will be the band’s first dates in support of their new release and marks the first time that any band has embarked on such an extended run on a Broadway stage.
Recorded in the UK and New York, the new album will feature Justin Timberlake, producer Timbaland and Nate ‘Danja’ Hills. “We have made an album that we are all really proud of, and we wanted to present it in a very unique way,” LeBon said in a statement. “Staging a run on Broadway is something that we’ve often talked about over the years, but the time has never seemed right until now. We started work on `Red Carpet Massacre’ in New York in September of last year, so it feels fitting to be launching it here, just down the road from the studio where we did those first sessions.”
Most of “Red Carpet Massacre,” the band’s first album since 2004’s “Astronaut,” was recorded in three sessions: the first with Timbaland, with a guest spot from Timberlake at the Manhattan Center Studios in New York; the second phase on the band’s home turf, Sphere Studios in Wandsworth, London over Christmas 2006, presided over by Hills and Jimmy Douglass; and the final burst at Metropolis Studios in West London, produced by Hills and Douglass in early 2007.
Duran Duran have sold more than 70 million records in a career that spans 29 years.
Tickets were released earlier today to Citi cardmembers, as part of a special Citi pre-sale, priced at $150, $125 and $75 (plus applicable service fees). A facilities fee of $1.50 will be added to the established price of each ticket. Citi cardmembers will also be offered access to purchase a limited number of special premium packages for the Nov. 2 show, which will include passes to a post-show VIP event. A portion of the proceeds from these packages will go to charity.
Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Saturday, Oct. 6 (same prices as above) through Telecharge.
Members of the Duran Duran Fan Community can purchase both exclusive VIP packages and tickets for every show.