Duran Duran at The O2 Belfast: worth the wait, but bring them back for Belsonic

Duran Duran | The O2 Belfast | Sunday 18 October 2026

Twenty-two years is a long time to wait for a return visit. After seeing Duran Duran at The O2 Belfast on Sunday night, our immediate thought was simple: please don’t leave it that long again.

The band last played Belfast on 7 April 2004, at the venue then known as the Odyssey Arena. More than two decades later, this return gave us plenty to love—and a very good reason to start campaigning for a Belsonic appearance.

From “Is There Something I Should Know?” and “The Wild Boys” to “Hungry Like the Wolf” and “The Reflex”, the setlist was packed with reasons to fall in love with this band all over again. There was room for “Only in Dreams”, “Winter Marches On” and “The Chauffeur”, too, alongside the familiar favourites.

They were so good. The pleasure of hearing these songs live goes beyond recognising a familiar tune. These are songs that take you straight back to a particular time in your life, then remind you why you have kept listening ever since.

For us, “Ordinary World” was a personal highlight. One of our all-time favourite songs, it carries that rare combination of sadness and uplift that never seems to lose its power. Some songs become part of your life, and getting to hear this one in Belfast was special.

“Come Undone” was another favourite. Its unhurried groove and unmistakable melody offer a different side of Duran Duran to the bright pop rush of “Rio”. Hearing both in the same evening reminds you how much range there is within their music.

And then there is “Save a Prayer”: a song with a melody that stays with you long after it finishes. Alongside “Ordinary World”, it was one of the songs we were especially glad to take away from the night.

“Rio”, meanwhile, is pure joy. There is something irresistible about it, even after all these years. It is exactly the kind of song that makes you picture a summer evening, an outdoor stage and thousands of people singing along.

Which brings us to Belsonic.

After this performance, we would love to see Duran Duran back in Belfast for a headline show at Belsonic. Imagine “Save a Prayer” in the evening air, “Ordinary World” carrying across the crowd and “Rio” turning the place into one enormous party. We would be there.

Sunday’s show left us wanting to do it all again. That is about the best recommendation we can give a concert.

Belsonic, can we make this happen? Belfast needs Duran Duran back—and we certainly don’t want to wait another 22 years.

Setlist

Running order supplied by the reviewer. Instrumental introductions are listed separately.

Introduction: Free to Love (symphonic instrumental version)

1. Is There Something I Should Know?
2. The Wild Boys

Instrumental interlude: The James Bond Theme (John Barry)

3. A View to a Kill
4. Hungry Like the Wolf
5. Evil Woman (Electric Light Orchestra cover)
6. Union of the Snake
7. The Reflex
8. Only in Dreams
9. Winter Marches On
10. Ordinary World
11. Come Undone
12. New Moon on Monday (“NEW MOON DARK PHASE” version)
13. The Chauffeur
14. Notorious
15. I Don’t Want Your Love
16. Free to Love
17. Planet Earth (preceded by band introductions)
18. White Lines (Don’t Don’t Do It) (Grandmaster Melle Mel cover)
19. (Reach Up for the) Sunrise
20. Girls on Film / Psycho Killer

Encore

21. Save a Prayer
22. Rio

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