On Saturday (Aug. 18) Duran Duran will perform a benefit concert in honor of their former guitarist Andy Taylor, who was diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer in 2018. The concert will take place at a more intimate venue, The Guild Theatre in Menlo Park, California, and benefit the UK charity The Cancer Awareness Trust. The charity will support a life-extending treatment for cancer patients like Taylor.
“We are heading to Northern California, to play many of the songs that we wrote together with our dear friend, Andy Taylor, to help him and others in their fight against prostate cancer,” said Le Bon in a statement. “It is the right thing to do.”
Drummer Roger Taylor added: “We would like to thank our fans and the organizers of this benefit who have given us the chance to help our longtime friend and colleague Andy Taylor. We have always described ourselves as a ‘band of brothers,’ and that has never been more true than in this very moment.”
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The band first revealed Taylor’s diagnosis during their speech when Duran Duran was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022.
In 1984, Andy and bassist John Taylor had brief hiatus from Duran Duran, and along with late Chic drummer Tony Thompson and Robert Palmer, formed the power group Power Station. The band released their self-titled debut in 1985 and follow up—their final album together—Living in Fear more than a decade later in 1996. In 2006, Taylor eventually parted ways with Duran Duran after recording the band’s 12th album, Red Carpet Massacre.
Duran Duran released their 15th album Future Past in 2021, followed by a deluxe version of the album in 2023, featuring 15 tracks, including the band’s cover of David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust song “Five Years.” The band also recently revealed that Andy will play on their forthcoming album.
Featuring a number of cover songs that inspired the band during their younger years, the album is being recorded by the band in London and Los Angeles with LeBon working with Andy at is home studio in Ibiza, Spain.
“As harsh as it is, it’s a death sentence,” said Andy Taylor in a 2023 interview. “So you sort of walk out of the hospital in a stunned silence, because … you’ve got to start from the fact that it’s a slow burn, so it’s not going to take you quickly.”
Taylor continued, “Music’s never had a greater value to me. One of the things that I learned early was, if you keep your mind active and you’re there and physically active, it really does [make a difference]. You’re carrying this grim reaper of a weight.”
Photo by John Swannell / High Rise PR
