Duran Duran Concert Memories - The Eighth One (My Nick Rhodes Moment) - Radio City Music Hall - 10 March, 1989
FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012
As of 2011, I have been to 16 concerts in all. On the anniversaries of each, I try to recall them before they are lost to me forever.
When I heard that the ‘Big Electric Thing’ was coming back to New York I decided that this time I would only buy one ticket. I didn’t want to have to find someone to go with me, so I figured I would just go by myself. I don’t remember how I found out, but a few days before the concert I learned that a bunch of people I knew were all going. One of the people going was my friend Lou (see ‘The Seventh One’)
”You’re going too?”
”Oh yeah, they were so great last time, I figured what the hell”
”That’s funny. Do you want to ride into the city together?”
”Ok, we can have lunch first”
”That sounds great”
The day of the concert, I picked Lou up at his house and we drove into the City.
”Oh, I just found out that Grant knows what hotel they are staying at and he gave me the address”
”No shit!”
”Yeah, we’ll check it out after we eat”
When we got into the City, we drove around St. Marks Place, and looked for a place to park. It wasn’t easy to find a parking space, but I finally did (or so I thought) and we got out. We had lunch at Dojo and as we were walking back to my car, I saw a big yellow ticket on my windshield.
”Damn, what the hell is this?”
Lou pulled it out of my hand
”It looks like a parking ticket”
”I figured that. But why?”
Lou’s eyes skimmed down the length of the ticket
”It says here that you parked in a crosswalk”
I looked down at the road and I could see that the front bumper of my car was about 8 inches into the yellow of the crosswalk.
”This sucks. How much do I have to pay?”
Lou flipped the ticket over
”a hundred bucks”
”A HUNDRED BUCKS!”
(In 1989, this was a lot of money)
”Yup, that’s what it says $100.00”
I pulled the ticket out of Lou’s hand, and I stuffed it into my jacket pocket.
”Great, just what I need. Oh well, let’s go”
I don’t remember the name of the hotel, but it was very small, and it didn’t even really look like a hotel, it just looked like an apartment building. We were circ ling the block, looking for a parking space when Lou spotted Grant walking up 8th Avenue.
Lou rolled down the window and shouted to him,
”Hey Grant!!”
Grant stopped short, and started looking around. He had the funniest look on his face. It was a look like ‘Who the hell is calling my name out in the middle of new york City?’
I pulled over to the curb, and Lou jumped out.
They shook hands and Grant told us that the hotel the guys were staying at was just up the street, on the very next corner.
I turned off the car, and got out to read all the traffic signs. I couldn’t see anything that said I couldn’t park there. I asked the guys to read the signs too.
”It says no parking between on Sundays between 9:00am and 1:00pm” said Lou
”Are you sure?”
Grant read the sign too
”Yes, that’s what it says”
”OK, good. Because one parking ticket is enough for one day”
We locked up the car and left. We were only about three blocks away from Radio City Music Hall, and I couldn’t believe that we had:
A) Found Grant AND the Hotel
and
B) Found such great parking for free!
As we approached the Hotel, there were only about six other kids there. There was a doorman, and he did not look too happy that two MORE kids (i.e. Me and Lou) had just shown up.
I tried to ignore the steely glare of the Doorman, and we found out what the situation was. One of the other kids said,
”Nick Rhodes came out about 2 hours ago. He was going to meet his wife and her parents for dinner. Hopefully he will come back here, and not go directly to Radio City”
I don’t remember what time it actually was then, but I do recall that it was dark out, so maybe it was around 5:00.
We didn’t have to wait long.
All of a sudden there was movement down the block.
Heading directly at us, was Nick Rhodes.
I’ll never forget that he was wearing this gorgeous full-length red wool coat. He saw all of us, and he put his head down. It seemed as if he had sighed, ad then he increased his pace. As he was approaching the Doorman, he glanced up briefly. Nick’s shoulder brushed against mine, and he whispered,
”Excuse me”
I gulped, and nodded, and stepped out of his way. He smiled back at me and then……. he was gone.
“Wow, he’s so beautiful in person”
Lou laughed at me and said,
”Don’t let Simon hear you say that!”
”Ha ha, very funny”
We waited outside a while longer. Around 8:00 we left because the doorman told us that they wouldn’t come until we all left, anyway. It was probably a lie, but it was cold, and we were tired so we left and walked en masse to Radio City Music Hall.
When we got there we met up with the rest of our friends from Northport. There was a bunch of them, and even though they were spread out all over the place, none of them were sitting where I was. It was weird breaking from the group, and going to sit by myself.
My seat was in the second balcony, and it was the first time in a long time that I had not been close to the stage. It sucked. I mean, they were great seats and all, but compared to being on the floor, right in front, it was nowhere near the same. The show was great however, and the sound in Radio City is always good, so Duran sounded extra amazing that night.
That was the last time I ever went to a Duran Duran show alone, and it was also the last time I ever saw Duran Duran as a single person. BY the time I saw them again, it was 1993 and everything was different.
Everything.
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