I Saw BOWIE last night, or Why I heart Geeta...

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So I'm sitting at home last night, settling down to a Sunday night of Gilmore Girls Beginnings, when the phone rings. "Mary, it's Geeta. I have two tickets at cost to Bowie tonight. Can you be at the Beacon in half an hour?" Me: "Whaahh?!?!..." Out the door, catch a cab, hook up with Geeta just in time. I love hanging out with Geeta! She is more a fan-atic than I am! The show was the BEST! Our seats were front row balcony!! Viva Craiglist! Better living through ILx!

― Mary (Mary), Monday, 21 October 2002 13:04 (twenty-three years ago)

yay! did he play "starman?" and "under pressure"?

― jel -- (jel), Monday, 21 October 2002 13:14 (twenty-three years ago)

Yeah, he did play 'Starman'!

also I got interviewed by a VH1 camera crew before the show. And Lou Reed was in the front row headbanging to every song, esp. 'Ziggy Stardust', haha

― geeta, Monday, 21 October 2002 14:56 (twenty-three years ago)

Yeah, but was he singing along with all the songs?

― rosemary (rosemary), Monday, 21 October 2002 15:20 (twenty-three years ago)

(insofar as Lou Reed "sings," cough cough)

― M Matos (M Matos), Monday, 21 October 2002 15:20 (twenty-three years ago)

Be kind to the elderly, kids!

― David R. (popshots75`), Monday, 21 October 2002 15:48 (twenty-three years ago)

SO cool. I am envious and then some. Yay Geeta and Mary! :-)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 21 October 2002 16:15 (twenty-three years ago)

one year passes...

I'm going to see Bowie and the Dandy Warhols in Berlin 2NITE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

― Skottie, Monday, 3 November 2003 07:11 (twenty-two years ago)

Well, I saw him. And them. They, the Warhols, played an amazingly long 20 minute set, before the stage was broken down to get ready for Bowie. Maybe they were puppets. Dead, dead, dead.

Bowie, OTOH, played nearly 3 hours without a break. Ending with Ziggy. I was surprised at how unphysical he is. Lots of stamina, but not hopping around all the time like Mick or David Byrne. Also, surprised by how natural a singer he is.

The back up band was excellent, but the sound sytem in the hall in Berlin was incredibly muddy. A huge downer.

Given Bowie's endless catalog it's not surprising that I didn't know all the songs, esp. from the last 10 years or so. The old hits are still really vibrant and energetic. The newer stuff is sometimes interesting, sometimes boring, but never very compelling. But when he rocks, he rocks.

He also appears to be Dorian Gray. Getting younger all the time. More of a trophy concert than a musical experience, sadly. Still nice.

― Skottie, Monday, 3 November 2003 23:45 (twenty-two years ago)

Also, Bowie seemed to be an incredibly warm person. He introduced the band two or three times. Seemed to really appreciate that the audience was there and paying attention. "Next time we'll play a long show," he said leaving after 3 hours non-stop.

― Skottie, Monday, 3 November 2003 23:47 (twenty-two years ago)

Bowie IS incredibly nice in person. Thanks for the update, as I've not seen him play for more than 20 minutes at a time.

― Nichole Graham (Nichole Graham), Tuesday, 4 November 2003 01:29 (twenty-two years ago)

i hope geeta was dressed like she was for the nyc fap at this show.

― youn, Tuesday, 4 November 2003 01:51 (twenty-two years ago)

Good to hear he's really nice, Nichole. When the show was over, he and all the band, only six other people, linked arms for a group bow, like it was the cast of a play. A "we put on this show together" sort of gesture. Sometimes when you see a concert with a solo performer, you get the feeling that he/she will forget the names of the band members during the introductions because they're just pick-up players. Or, if it's a group, they're always feuding and don't want to acknowledge each other. I don't want to exaggerate it, but there was a feeling of warmth and gratitude about his demeanor. Also, he knew everyone wanted to hear hits, and didn't begrudge playing them, even though he played a lot of unfamiliar (at least to me) songs as well.

OTOH, there was also a workmanlike feeling about the show. I'm hear to do a job, this is how I make money, I'll give you good value for your entry fee, but this isn't about new creation. No new concept, no new personna, just a bunch of songs. But that's okay.

― Skottie, Tuesday, 4 November 2003 07:50 (twenty-two years ago)

hear=here

― Skottie, Tuesday, 4 November 2003 07:51 (twenty-two years ago)

I did think of going to that show, but was outraged that tickets were between 52 and 63 euros. Also, I might well have been thoroughly disheartened by 'this isn't about new creation', because in my adolescent memories Bowie is synonymous with new creation. If he's doing 'African Night Flight' on his next tour, I'm there, whatever the tickets cost.

― Momus (Momus), Tuesday, 4 November 2003 13:09 (twenty-two years ago)

(It has to be with a prepared piano on stage, though.)

― Momus (Momus), Tuesday, 4 November 2003 13:10 (twenty-two years ago)

He did do "Fantastic Voyage" a couple of days ago, so I think he might be trying to pull you back in, Momus. ;)

(he played it in an encore that started out with "Sound and Vision", "Be My Wife" and "Fantastic Voyage"! He should have done that in Rotterdam as well... ah well...)

― willem (willem), Tuesday, 4 November 2003 13:30 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah, the tickets were outrageous. Particularly annoying given the poor quality of the sound system. (He played Fantastic Voyage & Sound and Vision here too.)

I agree with Momus that the whole thing about Bowie is the new incarnation, not just of look but of sound, every so often. The nice long performance really underscored how much, or how many times, he's evolved. Interesting too to hear him play "Heroes" and "The Man Who Sold the World" and compare to the cover versions that, while reaching [possibly, not sure here] more ears, were/are SO INFERIOR.

In a strange way I respect his simply playing a dutiful, workmanlike, but spirited, concert of his songs--and a long one at that with lots of songs from all eras. On the other hand, I was hoping to see the next big thing.

Maybe the next big thing is just his incarnation as Bowie-uber-Businessman, with Bowie-bonds and the like. This concert would certainly make you want to buy the back catalog, if nothing else.

― Skottie, Tuesday, 4 November 2003 14:40 (twenty-two years ago)

What was he wearing? I wonder if his thighs are still as lovely as they once were.

― Madchen (Madchen), Tuesday, 4 November 2003 14:48 (twenty-two years ago)

He seemed to be wearing black jeans. When he first came out, he had on what looked to be a tailcoat made out of black denim. Kind of odd, but more the look of a Milan couture runway item ("who would ever wear that?" "WHy, D. Bowie, in concert, silly!"), than some kind of "costume." Maybe something that Iman picked out for him. "But David, dahling, everyone in Milan is wearing it this week. It was only 20,000 pounds" A few songs in, he took off the coat and had a sleeveless black t-shirt on. Something was written on it, but I couldn't read it. Later a long sleeved black t-shirt. Costumes were not the order of the night. But, he never left the stage for 3 hours, so there was no changing. He was in very good shape. Not part. muscular, but wiry and energetic. A tad dorky, which surprised me. And smiling all the time. He should have been at 50 - 60 eur per ticket of course. Can't speak to the thigh issue.

BUT IN RELATED NEWS, his bass player, a bald woman, appeared to be wearing the bottom half of an ostrich on her own bottom half.

― Skottie, Tuesday, 4 November 2003 14:55 (twenty-two years ago)

Berlin November 3rd 2003

01 Rebel Rebel
02 New Killer Star
03 Reality
04 Fame
05 Cactus
06 Afraid
07 China Girl
08 The Man Who Sold The World
09 Fall Dog Bombs The Moon
10 Hallo Spaceboy
11 Sunday
12 Under Pressure
13 Ashes To Ashes
14 The Motel
15 Loving The Alien
16 She'll Drive The Big Car
17 The Loneliest Guy
18 All The Young Dudes
19 Changes
20 Slip Away
21 Battle For Britain (The Letter)
22 I'm Afraid Of Americans
23 "Heroes"
24 Heathen (The Rays)

(Encore)
25 A New Career In A New Town
26 Bring Me The Disco King
27 Sound And Vision
28 Be My Wife
29 Fantastic Voyage
30 Five Years
31 Hang On To Yourself
32 Suffragette City
33 Ziggy Stardust

― Skottie, Tuesday, 4 November 2003 14:59 (twenty-two years ago)

I love Bowie's bassplayer, she's amazing.

(Were the Warhols as rubbish as they were the last time I saw them support Bowie? Sorry, I have to rub it in...)

― kate (kate), Tuesday, 4 November 2003 15:00 (twenty-two years ago)

They were pathetic. Beyond pathetic. I wasn't sure it was them at first, I had to read the spray painted labels on the amps. More like street buskers. And they played for max 20 minutes (I'm interpolating. The show was to start at 7:30. I came in at 8:00. Ten minutes later they were done. Thank god.

― Skottie, Tuesday, 4 November 2003 15:15 (twenty-two years ago)

I love Bowie's bassplayer, she's amazing.

Gail Ann Dorsey, yes? Always liked her. She did a pretty mean duet with Bowie on "Under Pressure" when I last saw him in 1995.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 4 November 2003 15:25 (twenty-two years ago)

Yup!

― Skottie, Tuesday, 4 November 2003 15:28 (twenty-two years ago)

Bowie loves her (voice) too! The smile on his face when she sang the Freddy Mercury solo-bit (in Rotterdam) went from one earlobe to the other. And from only 15 metres away, that was a great sight.

― willem (willem), Tuesday, 4 November 2003 15:40 (twenty-two years ago)

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