Up Close, Up Close to Duran Duran

“Do you want to touch where he stood?” shrieked Jennifer Neumann, 15, to a pal who had also made the trek from Orange County to the holy land of Hollywood.

The divine he in question was sexy Simon LeBon, lead singer of Duran Duran, which serenaded about 5,000 fans for 50 minutes Thursday afternoon during a hastily announced free concert in the Capitol Records parking lot. And though the English group’s star seems to have waned a bit, with the band perhaps no longer claiming the No. 1 spot in L.A. teen-agers’ hearts that it did a few years back, the appearance was greeted with the appropriate screaming and/or reverence from the faithful on hand.

In a town starved for good old-fashioned publicity stunts (the last rock one of any note was David Lee Roth looking a bit foolish hanging from a rope over the side of Tower Records), a free outdoor concert by a major attraction is a sure-fire bet.

But there are minuses for anyone involved: Lack of distance from the crowd and lack of the usual awe-inspiring lighting can make a star look positively mortal. These tend to be outweighed by the pluses: Assuming you don’t appear too mortal, the fans love your generosity and down-to-earth desire to get closer to the rank and file.

Which may be just what was deemed necessary for Duran Duran to recapture some of its former popular glory.

“They used to be on such a pedestal and now they’re coming down,” said Anna Peters, 18, of Pasadena. She and a friend had driven to San Francisco to see the band at the 1,000-seat Fillmore the previous night, and were hoping to somehow score tickets for a sold-out local appearance the next night at the 900-seat Cocoanut Grove.

“I was losing interest before because I wasn’t quite sure if I liked their new style and image, and because two members were gone,” continued Peters. “But the fact that they’re getting back to the club scene and getting more personal with fans is getting me back. It’s wonderful to see them in this close perspective.”

A number of fans on hand cited the group’s loss of two members (Andy Taylor and Roger Taylor), its temporary and perhaps confusing split-up to pursue side projects (the Power Station and Arcadia) and its move toward a funkier style as reasons why Duran Duran’s last album, “Notorious,” didn’t perform up to expectations.

“They were huge--being compared to the Beatles at one time,” noted Rhonda Fonder, a mother in her 30s, pushing an infant through the crowd in a carriage. “But when Roger left, it wasn’t like Duran Duran anymore. The fans felt it, and Duran didn’t realize they would.

“They may have killed off a lot of fans because their PR firms wouldn’t cooperate with teen fan magazines after a while,” added Fonder, who used to work for just such a magazine. “But each one needed to break away to see how he could use his individual talents, and they’ve gained a lot of respect showing they can do different kinds of music. People thought they were put together, like the Monkees. Time is showing that they’re really good musicians.”

Not all the changes have been so warmly received by fans.

“They used to look toy-gorgeous, but now (LeBon) is old and married,” said Jennifer Chu, 15, of Irvine, a fan since the fourth grade. “He’s kind of fat and doesn’t use as much energy on stage as he used to. But he’s still looking pretty good, and I’ll always love him.”

Indeed, the changes in LeBon inspired more talk among fans than the ballyhooed changes in sound claimed by the band.

A press release has LeBon exclaiming: “After six years of being a ‘toothpaste band,’ we want to be bad boys and stick our chins out. ‘Big Thing!’ is quite a rude-sounding album, which I love.” Nevertheless, like the new record, the Capitol set showed the band not charting a radically different course than it has since 1981 (not unless you count MIDI technology as “rude,” that is).

More fan talk was generated by LeBon’s casual, oversized clothing, round dark glasses and longer, stringier hair these days. Is he going for the Michael Hutchence (of INXS) look?

LIVE ACTION: Prince will be at the Los Angeles Sports Arena on Nov. 6. Tickets go on sale at 9 a.m. today through all Ticketmaster outlets. . . . Los Lobos will present a show of acoustic Mexican folk music Nov. 8 at the Pantages Theatre. Tickets on sale Sunday. . . . The Jerry Garcia Electric Band, with Grateful Dead-mate Bob Weir performing as a solo opening act, will be at the Wiltern Theatre Nov. 25-27.