On 23 July 1983, English

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre and form of rock music characterized by a strong commercial appeal, with more emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than standard rock musi ...

band

Duran Duran Duran Duran () are an English pop rock band formed in Birmingham in 1978 by singer Stephen Duffy, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist/bassist John Taylor (bass guitarist), John Taylor. After several early changes, the band's line-up settled ...

staged an open air

benefit concert A benefit concert or charity concert is a type of musical benefit performance (e.g., concert, show, or gala) featuring musicians, comedians, or other performers that is held for a charitable purpose, often directed at a specific and immediate h ...

Villa Park Villa Park is a association football, football stadium in Aston, Birmingham, with a seating capacity of 42,918. It has been the home of Premier League club Aston Villa F.C., Aston Villa since 1897. The ground is less than a mile from both Witt ...

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

, England in front of over 18,000 people who paid £8.50 a ticket to raise money for Mencap. It was one of only two concerts that summer by the band, the other being on 20 July before the Prince and Princess of Wales at London's

Dominion Theatre The Dominion Theatre is a West End theatre and former cinema on Tottenham Court Road, close to St Giles Circus and Centre Point, in the London Borough of Camden. Planned as primarily a musical theatre, it opened in 1929, but the following ye ...

. Birmingham was chosen as the venue, as it was where the band members' first met and formed the group. The concert and subsequent shows in the area have always been regarded as a "homecoming". This event was particularly special to Roger Taylor as he once had ambitions to be

Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...

's goalkeeper and was a regular spectator at the ground.

Background

The show started at 6 PM when the host,

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...

presenter Peter Powell, introduced the opening act "Prince Charles and the City Beat Band", which was followed by

Robert Palmer Robert Allen Palmer (19 January 1949 – 26 September 2003) was an English singer and songwriter. He was known for his powerful and soulful voice, sartorial elegance and stylistic explorations, combining soul, funk, jazz, rock, pop, regga ...

who included the songs "

Johnny and Mary "Johnny and Mary" is a song written and originally performed by Robert Palmer. Palmer's version was recorded in 1980 at Compass Point Studios, New Providence, in the Bahamas. The song was featured on Palmer's album '' Clues'' (1980). "Johnny a ...

" and "

Some Guys Have All the Luck "Some Guys Have All the Luck" is a song written by Jeff Fortgang. It has been a top 40 hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 twice, as the original by the Persuaders in 1973 reaching No. 39. In 1982, it was covered by Robert Palmer, which was a hit ...

" in his performance. Friendships from this concert helped Palmer, in late 1984, to join members of Duran Duran as lead singer of the super group the Power Station. Finally, Duran Duran took to the stage at 20:40 hours beginning their opening song as two giant black curtains slid open revealing them on a brightly lit stage with a backdrop consisting of six inflatable Roman-style pillars designed by Henry Thompson. The band performed the following: # "

Is There Something I Should Know? "Is There Something I Should Know?" is the eighth single by the English pop rock band Duran Duran, released on 14 March 1983. The song was released as a stand-alone single and became the band's first UK number one record. It debuted in the num ...

" # "

Hungry Like the Wolf "Hungry Like the Wolf" is a song by English new wave band Duran Duran. Written by the band members, the song was produced by Colin Thurston for the group's second studio album, ''Rio'' (1982). The song was released on 4 May 1982 as the band's ...

" # "

Union of the Snake "Union of the Snake" is the ninth single by the English pop rock band Duran Duran, released on 17 October 1983. It was the lead single from the band's third album '' Seven and the Ragged Tiger'' (1983), and preceded its release by one month. It ...

" # "Lonely in Your Nightmare" # " New Religion" # "Night Boat" # "Friends of Mine" # "

Save a Prayer "Save a Prayer" is a song by the English new wave band Duran Duran, released on 9 August 1982 as the third single from their second album '' Rio'' (1982). It became Duran Duran's biggest hit (at the time) on the UK Singles Chart, reaching numb ...

" # "

Planet Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. This is enabled by Earth being an ocean world, the only one in the Solar System sustaining liquid surface water. Almost all of Earth's water is ...

" # " My Own Way" # "Hold Back the Rain" # "

Careless Memories "Careless Memories" is the second single by the English new wave band Duran Duran, released on 20 April 1981. It reached no. 37 in the UK and no. 60 in Australia. Content "Careless Memories" has been described as "a classic hybrid of Euro-dis ...

" # "

Rio Rio or Río is the Portuguese and Spanish word for "river". The word also exists in Italian, but is largely obsolete and used in a poetical or literary context to mean "stream". Rio, RIO or Río may also refer to: Places United States * Rio, Fl ...

" # "Fun Time" # "

Girls on Film "Girls on Film" is the third single by the English new wave band Duran Duran, released on 13 July 1981. It became Duran Duran's first top 10 hit on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number 5 in July 1981, and an international hit reaching the ...

" The concert finished at 22:00 hours with an after show "homecoming" party held at the city's

Rum Runner Rum-running, or bootlegging, is the illegal business of smuggling alcoholic beverages where such transportation is forbidden by law. The term ''rum-running'' is more commonly applied to smuggling over water; ''bootlegging'' is applied to smuggl ...

nightclub. The programme which consists of 11 glossy double sided flyers with pictures on each side housed in a white glossy folder cost £2.00.

Band line-up

Simon Le Bon Simon John Charles Le Bon (born 27 October 1958) is an English singer. He is best known as the lead vocalist and lyricist of the new wave band Duran Duran and its offshoot Arcadia. Le Bon has received three Ivor Novello Awards from the Briti ...

– vocals *

John Taylor John Taylor, Johnny Taylor or similar is the name of: Academics *John Taylor (Oxford), Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University, 1486–1487 * John Taylor (classical scholar) (1704–1766), English classical scholar *John Taylor (English publisher) ...

– bass guitar * Andy Taylor – guitar *

Nick Rhodes Nick Rhodes (born Nicholas James Bates; 8 June 1962) is an English keyboardist and producer, best known as a founding member and the keyboardist of the band Duran Duran. He has also been the only constant member of the group since their 1978 ...

– keyboards * Roger Taylor – drums

References

{{Duran Duran Duran Duran 1983 in England 1983 in British music Charity events in the United Kingdom July 1983 in the United Kingdom