See Duran Duran Pay Tribute to Apollo 11 Mission at Kennedy Space Center

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Duran Duran, a band that took its name from a science-fiction movie, celebrated one of the world’s greatest achievements in science this week by performing a concert at the Kennedy Space Center to commemorate 50 years since NASA launched Apollo 11 for the first successful voyage to the moon. Video from the event, which featured interstellar-themed imagery, shows frontman Simon Le Bon singing “The Universe Alone,” off 2015’s Paper Gods album. A swarm of “stars” swirls overhead while CGI stars flicker behind Le Bon and the 16-piece orchestra and 40-person choir accompanying him.

“The indelible impact of the moon landing has been one of Duran Duran’s main sources of inspiration,” keyboardist Nick Rhodes said in a statement. “In the last half-century, there have been very few events that have captured the world’s attention and united everyone in such a positive way. We are truly thrilled and honored to be a part of the 50-year celebration of the Apollo 11 mission, the performance tonight, at KSCVC where the launch took place.”

Profits from the concert benefited the Aldrin Family Foundation‘s STEAM education programs. The organization seeks to inspire a new generation of “space leaders.”

In a video interview last week, Le Bon spoke about how meeting Buzz Aldrin, the second man on the moon, inspired him. “To actually meet somebody who stepped on another celestial body than this one was incredible,” he said. “It was extraordinary. It’s amazing. He had a little laptop with him. He said, ‘I’ve got to play you guys this music. And he played us this song that went, ‘I want to go back to the moon.’ … It’s an incredible thing what he did. I also think it’s a tough thing to have your life defined by one single event.”

Courtesy Rolling Stone

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