Duran Duran coming to Minnesota State Fair in 2023 after storms canceled a 2022 gig

The first grandstand concert announced for 2023 will also feature openers Bastille and Nile Rodgers' Chic.

February 8, 2023 at 5:12PM
Duran Duran performs in Times Square for the New Year’s Eve celebration on Dec. 31, 2022, in New York. (Ben Hider, Associated Press/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

After bad weather canceled its Treasure Island Casino Amphitheater concert just before showtime last summer, Duran Duran is staying committed to playing an outdoor gig in Minnesota this summer — this time at a location within city limits.

The new Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees will perform at the Minnesota State Fair grandstand on Aug. 31, a Thursday night show also featuring producer/guitar hero Niles Rodgers with Chic as well as younger synth-pop stars Bastille for opening acts.

Tickets go on sale next Thursday, Feb. 16, at 10 a.m. via etix.com or by calling 800-514-3849. Prices range from $77-$197. This is the first concert announced in the State Fair's 2023 grandstand lineup, with 10 more to come.

That gig at Treasure Island was to be Duran Duran's tour kickoff last summer, and there was extra buzz for it after the announcement of the group's pending induction into the Rock Hall: "It's the closest you can get to rock 'n' roll knighthood," singer Simon Le Bon said in an interview before the show.

Alas, fans had to seek shelter inside the casino when storms kicked up around showtime, and the concert was eventually called off. The rest of the tour was well received, with set lists featuring songs from the 2021 album, "Future Past," as well as biggest hits "Hungry Like the Wolf," "Rio" and "Ordinary World". The last three they also performed at the hall of fame induction ceremony in November.

about the writer

Chris Riemenschneider

Critic / Reporter

Chris Riemenschneider has been covering the Twin Cities music scene since 2001, long enough for Prince to shout him out during "Play That Funky Music (White Boy)." The St. Paul native authored the book "First Avenue: Minnesota's Mainroom" and previously worked as a music critic at the Austin American-Statesman in Texas.

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