BLONDIE- The Paramount-Huntington N.Y.

     Fall of 2011 is when the Paramount Theater opened it's doors. It has been around for a dozen years already and has fast become the premier venue on the north shore of Nassau County, Long Island. The place is nice. The town is nice, quaint, rustic. The theater is located on main street, New York Avenue, surrounded by dozens of outdoor restaurants, al fresco even, to choose from if you'd like to have a nice sit down dinner (fancy, tablecloths) before the show.

    The Spotlight Club at The Paramount is a fun, funky bar, with food, located directly next door. There is a stage with live music on weekends, they have cool art on the walls highlighting different artists, there's also a high-tech radio station where some of the musicians and rock stars go to do an interview before or after sound check. And most importantly they have a full bar and a scrumptious menu right here.

The fun, funky bar next door

    Capacity is 1500+. Website for the Paramount is right here. In addition to having concerts there is a vast array of other highly cultural events to select from; boxing matches, comedy nights, plays, International DJ's for dance nights, you name it.

    WBAB had a ticket contest giveaway, thank you again WBAB, and for the last 30-years, special shout-out to the morning show's Roger & JP, love you guys. My friend Shawn and I really enjoyed it all, the venue and Blondie. We took a train out from Manhattan because Debbie and the band are worth it. We left from Penn Station for a 75-minute ride. The time just flew by. 

    The train station is located on New York Avenue as well, only 1.5 miles from the theater. Cabs were in abundance waiting, but we opted to hoof it because the weather was perfect and we could smoke a cigarette before we get there. At the halfway point was a deli, we got beer and a new lighter. The walk was cool; hilly as it was the north shore, but not too hilly. We passed a rural cemetery. Shawn got spooked "What is this SAW shit you're dragging me out to?" "How much further is this place?" We kept walking. 

F*&% your walk. Get to the music. 

    We get into town, he's breathing easier now. Entry was a breeze. The staff was so super nice, very hospitable, everyone we came in contact with was. The showroom was beautiful and the music was grooving. Acoustics sounded terrific wherever you stood. This show was general admission standing but there were also rows of seats available, if anyone wanted to sit. You had your choice. You want to get up and dance, have at it. You want to sit and chill a bit, there's that option too. We take seats after the walk. 

    Blondie takes the stage. Half of the originals are still present. Some personnel changes have taken place along the way but for the most part, they're still together. There was Debbie and Chris Stein, the lead guitarist and Clem Burke, the drummer, all originals and then on bass was/is Leigh Foxx, who has been the bassist for 20-years now. On keyboards was/is Matt Katz-Bohen, who has been with them since the Squeezbox days (if you know, you know) and on rhythm guitar is a cat named Tommy Kessler, who moved to NYC in 2005 and has been hustling ever since and now here he is. They were all great together. First song to kick off the set was their debut single, from 1976, X Offender and it sounded terrific.

Since the beginning- Chris, Deborah & Clem

      Following that, Debbie had wrapped herself in a cape that read "F*&^ War" in various sizes all over the cape. She held her fist in the air. This was her protest song, she still has the rebel, punk spirit. 'Hanging On The Telephone' started playing. Watch that here if you'd like. 

    The show kept rolling on with a few more lesser known and a few more radio hits like 'The Tide is High' & 'Atomic'. She tossed the cape, this was their crowd. Everything they were doing, we were loving. She is 75 and coincidentally that is how long they performed for, 75-minutes. Most of the musicians are in their 70's and their energy level is still so great. 

Blondie-Now L-R Chris, Tommy, Leigh, Matt, Deborah & Clem

    The crowd really went ballistic when Blondie played 'Rapture'. 'Maria' followed. I remember when 'Maria' was released, in 1999. Blondie played the Today Show concert series at 30 Rock. I got up early and went over to the plaza to see that. And then they finished strong. Pounding out smash hit after hit first 'Heart Of Glass', then encoring with 'Call Me'. You knew the 80's arrived with that jam, from the soundtrack of the movie 'American Gigolo' starring Richard Gere. The finale was the ultimate stalker song 'One Way Or Another.' 

    Check out Blondie's website here for any upcoming tour info.      

Shawn & I, on the train back, with our tickets from WBAB. Walking passed the cemetery after midnight hit different. 

reUnion of the Snake- Madison Square Garden

    Duran Duran w/ Nile Rodgers and CHIC and a shout out to DJ Mad Marj

The Wild Boys themselves. 

     

Written by Mr. Rich 

Before the show, I meet Nancy, Jean & Kathy at The Motto on 24th St. We've known each other since middle school. We head to Tacombi, just across the avenue. 

Tacombi is a great mark your own menu Mexican restaurant. I probably saw Nancy 3-weeks ago, Jean, about 2/3-years? Covid timing. And Kathy 10 or more years ago. 

Si!, there were margaritas. We're a joyful troupe and share stuff and laugh and shake off whatever's in the shadows. Kathy offers "You can do it! and this is how," Jean offers wonderful enthusiasm and Nancy and I listen eagerly, having recently launched a business where Kathy has been successfully running one, or more, for a bit. The waitress takes our reunion photo, yes, we're that table for a moment and start walking to the Garden, MSG.

The Garden is Under Destruction so it's a sorry sight to enter. I mean DDuran shot on to the scene with Planet Earth and Girls on Film but their fame really started with glamorous videos from Antigua and Sri Lanka, and now we're walking through a construction site of blue plywood and scaffolding.

If you don't know scaffolding on a city level, it's a jungle gym with construction above you and it feels like a weight overhead, where anything could come folding down. Hence, the word fold should not be in the word scaffolding. 

But we made it, cell phone ticketing, security pass-thru and on to the escalators and the 226 section, which is a lot more escalators that you might expect. But I've been there before, many, many times. 

We take our seats and hang. Our personal reunion of school friends is complete but I let on that a friend of mine, Cindy, is going to be in 227, the section next to us. I just learned that the day before. We're entirely early, but DJ Mad Marj is great and we even wind up standing up and dancing to some of her selections. She knew her audience. Blondie, ...

It's during the DJ dancing that the row behind us is engaged. People do want to have fun. They share that they are from England. How cool! They're here at MSG and seeing their hometown boys. They're ecstatic that we're already dancing when they know they will be later. They are behind us though, so dance away. 

Nile Rodgers and Chic. These are the good times.

The lights dim and Nile Rodgers/Chic command the stage.

You know what you know of Chic and then you learn that Nile wrote/produced all these other songs that are part of the world music-scape. 'I'm Stepping Out', 'We Are Family', 'Let's Dance', 'Original Sin', 'Modern Love', 'Material Girl', 'Like A Virgin', 'Notorious', 'Get Lucky' and many, many more. 

They opened with the Chic Cheer to rouse the crowd and then kicked it off with 'Dance, Dance, Dance' (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah) and if that didn't get you on your feet, 'Everybody Dance' followed to make sure everybody was dancing. 'I Want Your Love' kept the disco-flashback enthusiasm going. The majority in attendance appeared old enough to know these songs and what, "Come on down to fifty-four" means. 

"Are you here?" I text Cindy, "I'm dancing, in the red shirt."

"I'm at the merch table."  

I was surprised she was missing Chic but I think they feed the music throughout the arena. 

CHIC Rodgers then launched into songs Nile had written/produced, starting with 'I'm Coming Out', made famous by Diana Ross. 

And the singing ladies! I'm going with Kimberly Davies and Audrey Martells (wiki search) I don't remember from the announcement and in the 226 section, not everything was crystal clear. But they took you there. By Took you there I mean that I leaned into Kathy to say, "Some people are born to sing and that's what an artist is, they just can't help it. They're great."

It was a joyous ride on Route '80s and then we took exit 2013 for 'Get Lucky' by Daft Punk, Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers.  

They circled back to Chic central after Bowie's 'Let's Dance' with 'Le Freak'. 'Good Times' closed out the NileChic set, leaving the crowd properly warmed up. Many in the band were from Manhattan, Bronx, Brooklyn and made plenty of noise regarding playing their home town in the most famous arena in the world, Madison Square Garden. 

Section 226

The lights came up, the usual commotion of heading to the bathroom or concession stand to drop $18 for a tall beer came into play while others were just finding their seats for the first time. 

The lights dim and the stage lights rise. 'Wild Boys' opens the show, backed with live screen projections mixed with tracking graphics. 'Hungry Like The Wolf' follows and so they've set everyone on their feet. Duran Duran was born of the video era. 

They are energetic, they move around and they let each other shine. Simon LeBon talks to the crowd, "When we were just kids in England, we dreamed of playing here, in New York City at Madison Square Garden and here we are. It's great to be back." 

Now, I'm not familiar with 'Invisible and Anniversary', but that did seem to settle things down until Nile Rodgers reunited with Duran Duran on stage for 'Notorious', which he produced. 

'A View To A Kill', had the telescopic iris from the Bond opening on the screens with a live high-contrast feed; Instead of Bond, you had Rhodes, Taylor, Taylor, Taylor and LeBon rocking their parts.

They continued to walk, strut and show their stuff, spanning their catalog with a surprise entry of 'White Lines' (Don't Do It) by Grand Master Flash & The Furious Five. The light show was ecstatic until it all went dark at the end only to bounce back with flashbulbs going off until, of course, 'Girls On Film', which closed out the set.

Obligatory waiting time for encore. 

'Save A Prayer', had all of the cell phone lights waving in the air, as encouraged, and the arena was happy to sing along. 

'Rio' closed out the show and everyone was happy until they got to the stairs to leave. It's a drag coming down from 226 but because of it, "Cindy," I call, seeing her enter the fray, going the other way. 

"Oh, hey." 

"Good to see you," but we had to keep walking. 

Which we do, Nancy, Kathy, Jean and myself walk 7th Avenue to 24th and bid adieu. 

Certainly a fun time, what with the reunion of friends and the Union of the Snake but I thought they could have cut a third out and have another band in there, maybe Howard Jones perhaps. 

The Next Day-

I texted my opinion to Cindy, "How'd you like the show? I thought a third of it..."

"It was fkng amazing. One of the best in the last 12 months." 

And there you have it, a casual observer and a fkng fan!

Duran Duran setlist

NileChic setlist