Greatest David Bowie live performance?

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by LadyGrinningSoul, Jan 21, 2016.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. marc with a c

    marc with a c Forum Resident

    Location:
    Orlando, FL
    I was at that very show. Trust me when I say it's the holy grail of his live performances. The later ones, at least.

    Once people dig in and see what went down, it's going to be the one everyone is clamoring for. Heard rumors that it was pro-recorded too.
     
  2. onlyconnect

    onlyconnect The prose and the passion

    Location:
    Winchester, UK
    I was in Montreal at the time but didn't go, one of my lifetime regrets!

    Tim
     
    dennis the menace likes this.
  3. bhazen

    bhazen ANNOYING BEATLES FAN

    Location:
    Deepest suburbia
    I saw the Serious Moonlight show ('83?), with Peter Gabriel as support act. Not my fave era of his, in retrospect. I have the A Reality Tour DVD ... pretty killin'!

    What other Bowie tours are commonly available on DVD?
     
  4. windfall

    windfall Senior Member

    Location:
    UK
    I wonder if we will ever see more complete footage that the BBC shot for the Cracked Actor documentary in 1974. I always enjoy David Live but his voice is a little ragged and there is a nagging sense that the band is not firing on all cylinders - it's a familiar story that they were refused add-on pay for it being recorded for a live album and turning in a perfunctory performance as a consequence.

    I saw him in London on the Reality tour, having been a fan since 1982, and it was a great show. I really like the acoustic-heavy TV performances he did around the time of Hours...
     
  5. LadyGrinningSoul

    LadyGrinningSoul Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Yeah, i want to know this too. Is there a place where i can see the Tokyo 1990 show in good quality? Is it on DVD?
     
  6. Solace

    Solace Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brussels, Belgium
    I've heard that too about the band not giving it their all on David Live (I think the Tony Newman (?), the drummer, might have said that) but then I listen to it and think they sound superb.
     
    sound chaser likes this.
  7. Mother

    Mother Forum Resident

    Location:
    Melbourne
    "BLACKOUT"
    "RIGHT NOW!"

    "Gimme some direction."
    ..."I'm under Japanese influence and my honour's at stake!"..."Get me to my feet."

    Bowie at his brilliant best here

     
  8. Greg Smith

    Greg Smith Forum Resident

    I always liked the Wake Up performance with Arcade Fire....

    His Glasto set in 2000 was good.
     
  9. chacha

    chacha Forum Resident In Memoriam

    Location:
    mill valley CA USA
    Curious what kind of gig that was?
     
  10. gary191265

    gary191265 Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
  11. windfall

    windfall Senior Member

    Location:
    UK
    I tend to agree, but then I wonder... did they sound even better on other nights?!? Hard to tell from the tapes that circulate, all but LA are audience recordings, I believe.
     
  12. stepeanut

    stepeanut The gloves are off

    It was a multi-artist Xmas show, organised by Live 105 FM. It took place the same weekend as KROQ's Almost Acoustic Xmas, in Los Angeles, which I also attended.

    Rumour had it that Bowie had to be out of the country by midnight on 7 December, to avoid a heavy tax bill, so that is why the San Francisco performance was cut short. Regardless, it was six songs of pure energy, and all the seasoned Bowie watchers present that night agreed that it was a notch above his usual high standard.
     
    chacha likes this.
  13. gary191265

    gary191265 Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    I love this version of Scary Monsters from the Phoenix Festival...almost on the edge of chaos!
     
    Mister President and KariK like this.
  14. screechmartin

    screechmartin Senior Member

    Location:
    British Columbia

    How in God's name did you manage see him more than 73 times? You must have worked for him, right?

    I saw him 3 times and although I had no idea of what to make of it at the time I was most impressed by the opening night of the "Station to Station" tour in 1976 in Vancouver.

    My favourite recording is the show at the Beeb theatre in 2000: whenever Earl Slick was high in the mix David was on good form.

    I would love to see his 50th birthday show released.
     
  15. dead of night

    dead of night Senior Member

    Location:
    Northern Va, usa
    Bowie spent a lot of his life touring, didn't he?
     
    dino77 likes this.
  16. stepeanut

    stepeanut The gloves are off

    Not at all. Just a dedicated fan. There were others just as dedicated -- some more so -- as I.

    I can't remember exactly how many times I saw him, but it's right around 100, including TV recordings. However, no one person could do it all, and I'm envious that you got to see the Station to Station tour in Vancouver.

    The other two shows you mention I was at, and both hold very special memories for me. At the 50th birthday show, I was the only fan to gain access to the extended soundcheck on the afternoon of the show, including run-throughs with all of the guest artists. Seeing Bowie perform "Quicksand" with Robert Smith, in an empty Madison Square Garden, is a memory I'll never forget.
     
  17. windfall

    windfall Senior Member

    Location:
    UK
    Great energy and Bowie is excellent, but I'm not a fan of that style of guitar... seems to bear little relation to the song the band is playing! It's look at me flashiness, and it's actually all over the place with little regard for playing with any accuracy. YMMV!
     
    snowman872 likes this.
  18. gary191265

    gary191265 Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    That's pretty much what I love about it; how close it is to descending into pure chaos! :) That's why it's my favourite incarnation of his live band, there was something edgy about it that hadn't been present since The Spiders.
     
    KariK likes this.
  19. gary191265

    gary191265 Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
  20. longaway

    longaway Senior Member

    Location:
    Charlotte, NC, USA
    Sweet! I don't remember seeing any cameras, but it might have been at the other date. I'm a little fuzzy, honestly, on which night I saw him, but the one I didn't was, supposedly, a near three hour show.

    I can honestly say it was one of the best shows I've ever seen. I was so in awe, I didn't even try to push to the front. Simply amazing.

    Now, do you remember a lone scream when Gail started the first two notes to Under Pressure?
     
  21. quicksrt

    quicksrt Senior Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Exactly, that or to be in his presence the moment he broke through on the west coast at the Santa Monica Civic would be the best it ever got.

    I know people who were at Santa Monica and said it felt historic even at the time.

    I love the Ziggy Movie Soundtrack album, prefer the original mix on RCA clear vinyl or Ryko CD because it sounds grungier which in this case is a good thing.
     
  22. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    Hey, I shoulda been at 75! I was supposed to see 2 shows that got canceled: the 2000 Roseland show where he was sick, and the 2004 Miami show where a stagehand died.

    I got to those locations before I knew the shows were canceled.

    I also drove to Atlantic City in a snowstorm for the December 2003 show that got postponed - which I didn't know until I got to the casino! :help:

    Happily, the drive was just from Asbury Park, not from VA - I was in NJ already for a Bruce show! :)
     
    BlueSpeedway likes this.
  23. stepeanut

    stepeanut The gloves are off

    You can't count the ones that got away!

    I also had a ticket for the cancelled second night at Roseland in 2000. We ended up going to see Sonic Youth at Hammerstein Ballroom instead; cracking gig.

    I also had tickets for the Tibet House benefit in 2003, but didn't go for personal reasons -- something I later regretted.
     
  24. Tyler Chastain

    Tyler Chastain Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Orleans
    The Nassau Coliseum 76 show is one of my favorites. The CD version is pretty hard on the ears though. The vinyl that came with the STS box set sounds great though.

    And interesting fact that I learned last night: Tony Kaye, formerly of Yes, played keyboards on this tour!
     
  25. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    I'm counting the ones that got away - but I still should have gotten to 75! :)

    When I learned Roseland 2000 was canceled, I trotted back to MSG and went to see Springsteen instead. That's what we call a heck of a consolation prize! :D

    I had no concert backup plan in Miami 2004, but at least I was staying at the hotel where the show took place so I didn't have to go out of my way to get to/from the show...
     
    stepeanut likes this.
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page

molar-endocrine