Universal Theme Park in Japan uses the Duran Duran song “Last Day on Earth” from the Pop Trash album to welcome visitors during the Grand Opening.

The band tours Russia for the first time in their career. The show from Moscow is broadcast live on television.

Duran Duran embarks on the Close Up tour of the USA, playing multiple nights in intimate venues. Their five-night stint at Chicago’s House of Blues break all records for their fastest sell out shows ever. The shows receive terrific reviews.

The film Donnie Darko with Jake Gyllenhaal uses the song “Notorious” for an extended sequence. The movie goes on to become a cult classic, with many devoted followers seeing the film over and over again and attending midnight screenings. The film is later re-released in 2004.

During a “Close Up” tour show in Anaheim, California, the first fully immersed video and audio recording of a rock concert is conducted. The live rock experience is captured using a unique 360-degree panoramic video and 10.2 channel audio recording system. This pioneering recording is coordinated by producer Jarrell Pair with audio/video researchers working with Dr. Tom Holman, famous for creating Lucasfilm’s THX audio standard.

The National Portrait Gallery in London showcases an exhibition of “Horst Portraits, 60 Years of Style”. Duran Duran is featured as part of this exhibit.

Unable to land the Space Shuttle Atlantis due to poor weather, NASA wakes the crew the next morning by playing Duran Duran’s “Hold Back the Rain” in an effort to ward off the bad weather. It works, and the shuttle lands safely at Cape Canaveral.

Duran Duran tours Japan in June for the first time since 1992. The Japanese dates are the last with guitarist Warren Cuccurullo. Warren Cuccurullo parts with the band to reform his group Missing Persons.

Nick Rhodes and Simon LeBon are reunited with the original three members of Duran Duran, Roger, Andy and John Taylor. They meet together in Europe in June to commence writing on a new album.