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| my ticket stub |
In 2005 I had already seen Duran Duran at Madison Square Garden, so when I mentioned to Don (my husband) that Eileen (my best friend) had suggested we go see them at Jones Beach I was met with the inevitable:
'Didn't you JUST see them?'
No matter how long the span between Duran Duran concerts, this is something he always wants to know.
Sometimes I have to answer:
'No, that was six YEARS ago'
THIS however was NOT one of those times.
But I told him how the show was going to be at Jones Beach and that it was on a Sunday night and that Eileen really wanted to go, and that tickets were only 40 bucks, and that even though I had just seen them in April, I was going anyway.
THIS was met with the inevitable:
'Do you have to see them every time they come to New York?'
to which I responded with the inevitable:
'Yes...yes I do'
Jones Beach Amphitheater is about a forty minute drive from my house, as opposed to the two hour train ride (in both directions) to and from New York City. Jones Beach is my preferred venue of choice in New York. Jones Beach Amphitheater is located on the Great South Bay side of the Fire Island which is a narrow stretch of beach that runs parallel to Long Island protecting it from the Atlantic Ocean. When the breeze comes off the Ocean it carries with it the faint salty smell of the water. In mid-summer the sun doesn't completely set til at least 9:00 pm and the first two songs of the headliner's set are usually played with pink and orange puffy clouds dotting the sky as the orange sun falls into the water.
it's beautiful.
Eileen came out from Queens to attend a party at my house on the Saturday before the concert. The next day, we hung out at my friend Melissa's house and played in the pool with the Don and the kids. After a quick, easy dinner of party left-overs, Eileen and I left for the show.
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| Jones Beach Amphiteater |
Amazingly there was no traffic as Eileen and I made our way to Jones Beach.
We got a great parking spot, and we walked ALL the way up to the new section of Jones Beach, and we took our seats.
This set was slightly different than the one they had played at Madison Square Garden back in April. When they played 'Sound of Thunder', I freaked.
I remember that 'What Happens Tomorrow' was a particularly great. Simon seemed so happy to have John Taylor back on stage with him and it came through in his performance. Another hi-light was 'Come Up and See Me (Make Me Smile)' nobody plays the guitar solo on that like Andy Taylor.
NOBODY.
They played so many great songs that night. So many songs from all over their career and that's what made it so memorable. Especially for a pair of best friends who one day in 1983 simultaneously discovered Duran Duran.
I have been to a LOT of Duran Duran concerts, and I have been to a lot of them with all different people. But there is something about seeing them with Eileen that is the best experience of all. As I was thinking about that, and enjoying the perfect summer evening, they played 'Nice'
Part of the chorus goes like this:
'There is nothing better Than being with you And I'm feeling so nice There is nowhere better Than here with you And it's feeling so nice'
I realized at that moment that no one else understands how much Duran Duran means to me than Eileen does. No one knows how the songs have made me cry and changed my life more than she does. So I reached over and gave her a great, big hug.
'What was THAT for?' she laughed.
'That was to thank you for being the only one who gets it, and to say thanks for wanting to come here tonight because there really is nothing better than being here with you'
She hugged me back and said 'You're the only one who gets it, for me too'
We danced and hugged and cried and jumped with joy for the rest of the evening.
Eileen has always been like a sister to me and as long as we still have Duran Duran in common, I imagine us going to see them for as long as they want to keep going out there.
And it will always be so 'Nice'
http://duranduran.wikia.com/wiki/Jones_Beach_2005
