As a way to comfort more than 100,000 disappointed fans and concert guests around Europe, the band announced Saturday on Twitter that their May 12th performance on Italian radio RDS was released as a free download on DuranDuran.com.

Tracks published:
- All You Need Is Now
- Blame It On The Machines
- Notorious
- Safe
- Save A Prayer
- Ordinary World
- Girl Panic
- View To A Kill
- Careless Memories

This is indeed a good “present”. Especially for the fans who – like us here at Latebar – worried a bit after hearing the initial live performances of the new album songs. To cut to the chase – We REALLY look forward to the AYNIN-tour now more than ever. Especially ‘Girl Panic!‘ works extremely well live, and played as tightly and snappy as on RDS, this will no doubt be four minutes of wild dancing and screaming for the dedicated fans. Here at Latebar we also found that the sligtly sharper edge of guitar and keys on ‘Blame The Machines‘ improves the already intense dance beat tremendously.

So… Simon Le Bon – get well soon. There’s an all night party all over Europe waiting for you!

On her ‘100 miles from Memphis‘-tour around the world, the now 48 year old Sheryl Crow (hard to believe, right) chose to do her only gig in Denmark at the venue Vaerket in Randers City, some 35 km north of Aarhus City.

And what a performance!!!

I’ve witnessed two earlier concerts with the tiny Missourian – one in 1996 and one in 1998. They where good!… This Saturday it was great.

With a steady tour through pop, rock, reggae, country, funk and heart-aching ballads the 10 musicians on stage kept their audience spellbound to the stage for 2 1/2 hours. One very elegantly orchestred set offered several climaxes the first already when first stroke of the second song began. ‘A change will do you good‘ was more than just a song – it was almost a theme of the night. Fans present to hear their favorite songs played as on the records were probably sadly disappointed.

However audience knowing records is only a poor copy of a good live performance might still be cheering in the streets of Randers. A set full of highlights from the heartaching and stunningly intense ‘Redemption Day‘ to the kick-off-the-roof-party 70′s monsterhit ‘I want you back‘ by Jackson Five.

In short words – This was by far the best Sheryl Crow gig so far.

The set looked like this:

Our Love is Fading
A Change
Eye to Eye
100 Miles from Memphis
Can’t Cry
Strong Enough
Summer Day
My Favorite Mistake
Redemption Day
Long Road Home
Sign Your Name (Terence Trent d’Arby)
Every Day is a Winding Road
Sideways (Citizen Cope)
Roses and Moonlighy
If it Makes You Happy
Soak up the Sun
Peaceful Feeling
*****************
All I wanna do
I want you back (Jackson Five)
I Shall Believe

Crew (I think – please correct if needed)

Doyle Bramhall II – Lead Guitar
Tommy Sims – Bass
Victor Indrizzo – Drums
Chris Bruce – Guitar
Jeff Babko – Keyboards
? – Saxophone
? – Trumpet
? – Backing Vocal
? – Backing Vocal

Co-owner of Jazzhus Montmartre Niels Lan Doky.

The “new” Montmartre is owned and run by the worldclass pianist Niels Lan Doky and his entrepreneur friend Rune Bech. It serves as a high-end restaurant with a more than above high-end jazz scene.

It is run as a non-profit business and survives only by the help of friendly and jazz-loving donations.

Many (I dare say ‘most’) international jazz stars in the 20th century has played Montmartre one or more times. Only the new and young talents and stars haven’t .. Yet!

From the heart – Niels and Rune, thanks, congrats and the very best of luck and good fortune.

Around the millenium the silence was suddenly broken. More and more bands appeared on stage from the more rural parts of Denmark. In Aarhus bands like Carpark North and singer Tina Dico splintered the silence and became instant hits, igniting a whole new era in Aarhus’ music history.

The next big shot from Aarhus City could likely be ‘Mixtune for Cully‘. With a mix of indie, americana and somewhat folk flavours, leadsinger Aage Hedensted writes and sings from heart to heart. Accompanied by cello player Jonas May he has created a sound so advanced yet clear and pure, it almost hurts to the bone from start to encore. I had a very hard time finding anything sounding just a little like Cully. The closest thing I could come up with is the Norwegian superband ‘The September When…‘. And then again, not at all.

Friday 29th of January 2010 Aage & Co. threw a teaser concert in the famous Aarhus City venue Musikcaféen – introducing to their increasing crowd of fans some new material. And to be ultrashort, it bodes really well for nascent stardom. A few “old” hit songs from the band’s debutalbum ‘We Know Where the Aircrafts Hide‘ in a perfect mix made a really nice evening more than excellent.

The well sorted set list included these pieces:

1. Open Your Arms
2. The Aircrafts
3. The Traveler
4. Feel The Great Heights
5. Daggers And Knives
6. We Are So Beautiful
7. Silent Part
8. For Emma
9. Strike Slow
—————-
10. Fire from A Known Patrol

It’s hard to point out a peak in friday night’s gig. But no doubt the heartaching ‘Strike Slow‘ blew the walls of the small venue to cosmic dust.

Songwriter and lead singer Aage Hedensted is polishing details on tunes for the next album, which will be anticipated with great expectations not only by their dedicated fans. The producer’s chair seems to be vacant still, which can be taken as a sign the band doesn’t want to put their material in the hands of just anybody.

If that in fact is the point, I fully support Mixtune for Cully. The significant profundity and impact their music may come to have in a not so distant future deserves the right people around it. We can wait while Cully makes it right!

Mixtune for Cully’s “Daggers and Knives”, recorded on the street Vestergade in Aarhus – on the exact same spot the video for the 1983 Gnags hit “Slingrer ned af Vestergade” was recorded.