Rockin' through H-town
Duran Duran settles down for a late-night feast at Max's Wine Dive and the fansgo wild
Cranking out a full-blown 90-minute concert works up an appetite, so it was no surprise that New Wave rockers Duran Duran were on the hunt for a late-night feeding after Wednesday's performance at Warehouse Live. With close friends John and Becca Cason Thrash as their guides, the entourage headed to Max's Wine Dive on Washington Avenue.
But before they departed the music venue, the popular musicians drifted into the smaller bar area for an unplanned meet-and-greet. Even after performing 17 songs, many from their new album "All You Need Is Now," Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes and John Taylor visited with stammering fans and posed for photos. CultureMap contributor Michael Clark reports that the sexy Le Bon rewarded every female who came his way with a hug.
Clark says of the concert, "There was a definite party vibe at Warehouse Live and the band seized on it. They played their famed (but rarely performed on this current tour so far) cover of Grandmaster Melle Mel's 'White Lines' that sent the crowd into a pogo-ing orbit. Midway through the night's final song, 'Girls on Film,' Le Bon vamped on an unexpected verse and chorus of Lady Gaga's 'Poker Face.' The crowd loved it."
Settling in at Max's infamous Table 20, the guys and the Thrashes were joined by John Taylor's wife, Gela Nash-Taylor, co-founder of Juicy Couture, Duran Duran manager Wendy Laister and Lindsey Love, who seemed to have made a rather favorable impression on Nick Rhodes since they were dinner partners at the Thrashes on Tuesday.
This was just the sort of heady group that inspires talented chef Michael Pellegrino. As a result, he left no dish from his new spring menu of gourmet comfort food in the kitchen. It was a masterful feast. Max's owner Jonathan Horowitz reports that the table just couldn't get enough of the "gator" beignets, southern fried chicken, grilled cheese and, Le Bon's favorite, Max's Kobe Beef burger.
We were told that the Twitterati were hyper active over this news and as word spread about Duran Duran at Max's, fans raced from all corners of the city. The band loved it, signing autographs and posing for photos before heading back to Hotel ZaZa, where they are bunking for their Houston stay.
And the rockers aren't done taking in H-Town's culinary treats yet. Taylor tweeted that he was at a restaurant where sauteed grasshoppers are served Thursday afternoon. That would be Hugo's. He later e-mailed Becca, now in Mexico City for art festivities, that he and Gela "loved" the place.
