Duran Duran’s concert to mark the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing will feature "300 swarming drones".
Simon Le Bon and co will perform in front of the spacecraft which landed the first two people on the Moon, late Commander Neil Armstrong and lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin, at the Kennedy Space Center’s Rocket Garden in Florida tonight (16.07.19) to mark the special milestone.
The new wave band’s keyboardist Nick Rhodes has revealed they had to seek special permission from NASA to use the unmanned aircrafts in such close proximity to their airspace.
Nick told the Daily Star newspaper’s Wired column: "At the start of the show, 300 drones will rise up and move around in swarms.
"It’s one of he most beautiful things I’ve ever seen.
"We had to go through all sorts of bureaucracy for this concert.
"NASA don’t normally allow anything to fly over their airspace, let alone 300 swarming drones!"
It’s only fitting that Duran Duran – completed by John Taylor and Roger Taylor – have landed the gig, as their 1981 debut single was titled ‘Planet Earth’.
The set will feature that and ‘New Moon on Monday’ , plus a cover of The Police’s ‘Walking On The Moon’.
The group’s Kennedy Center show will go towards Buzz’s Aldrin Family Foundation – which "strives to cultivate the next generation of space leaders, entrepreneurs and explorers who will extend human habitation beyond the Earth to the Moon and Mars."
The concert won’t be short of special effects, with the art duo Studio Drift on board to choreograph the drone light show.
Whilst DJ Evalicious will open the anniversary performance.
Tickets are priced at an eye-watering $300.
Meanwhile, the band are working on their first album since 2015’s ‘Paper Gods’, which they hope to release by spring 2020.
The ‘Girls on Film’ hitmakers have tapped Mark Ronson to produce and Lykke Li and Blur’s Graham Coxon will also be featured.
Nick said: "Rather than copy our previous styles, we say, ‘What would we do if we were a new band today?’
"Of course there will be some similarities – Simon’s voice is very identifiable and we like to have one foot on the dancefloor with some songs.
"We hope to have a new single out early next year and late spring is realistic for the album."
Duran Duran will have ‘300 swarming drones’ at Apollo 11 Moon landing gig
