Did you ever think you would learn about respect for your customers at a rock concert? Let me tell you about it.

In November 2003 I attended a Duran Duran concert at the Warner Theater in Washington, DC. The original lineup of the band had reunited after nearly twenty years, and they were playing smaller theaters to test the waters of this reunion.

A minute or so into the second song, one of guitarist Andy Taylor’s Vox modeling amps broke down. Singer Simon Le Bon told the audience, “We have a full-blown catastrophe here, and we need to fix it. We want to give you the best show possible so we will stop the show for a little while and fix the amplifier.” Simon went on, “We will turn the house music back on, and by the way, the bar is open. Please have a drink on us while we sort this out.”

This is the respect for the audience that I alluded to at the start of this post. Instead of slogging through what could have been a mediocre show with a blown-out guitar amplifier (after more than 30 years of playing on the road that is something I wouldn’t do), they admitted they had a problem and stopped the show to fix it. While they were hunkered down in repair mode, they made sure the audience still had a good time. Simon took the stage periodically to provide updates and tell jokes. Who knew that this dynamic frontman was also a stand-up comedian?!? After nearly an hour they fixed the amplifier and resumed the show. They played longer than their standard set and with an enthusiasm that was contagious.

Lessons learned: Duran Duran not only put on a phenomenal show, they gave a clinic in customer service – respect your audience, admit when you’ve done something wrong, fix it, keep the audience engaged, and come back with your best.

Even though I had been a fan for 22 years, their performance that night and their respect for their fans confirmed that I would be a Durannie for life.