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| From the 2002 Heathen Tour in London |
1976 ISOLAR I Vancouver Rehearsals
Unfortunately the closest we will ever get (as of now) to a full recording of the ISOLAR I concert, this rehearsal footage is a treat to watch. The ISOLAR I tour had a perfect setlist and was Bowie's last "character" concert as he played the Thin White Duke. Truly, the world is a lesser place for not having an official, remastered version of this. But there are gems in here where Bowie completely forgets his own lyrics to "Five Years" and when he jams out in a drug-induced haze to "Sister Midnight". Also, it's really cool to get an in-depth look at Bowie's rehearsal process.
1978 ISOLAR II Breman Performance
A wonderful contrast to the ISOLAR I tour, this performance shows not only a cleaned-up, healthier-looking Bowie, but also the first time Bowie performed as himself since his breakthrough as Ziggy Stardust in 1972. It has some wonderful moments like the performances of "'Heroes'" and "Alabama Song", not to mention a more fun, lively, colourful set design in comparison to the severe monochromatic taste of the Thin White Duke.
1987 Glass Spider Tour Sydney Performance
The much-maligned Glass Spider Tour is wonderfully preserved in full, and I urge you to keep an open mind when watching the footage. Truly, this is Bowie at the height of his "rockstar" phase in the 1980s and the show itself is the spiritual successor to the 1974 Diamond Dogs Tour (he even had the same choreographer for both). I love this performance of "Bang Bang", the encore number "I Wanna Be Your Dog", the theatricality of the entire vaudeville-esque acts, and ultimately everything about this tour. Bowie's Never Let Me Down era will always be a personal favourite of mine, no matter what the critics say, although the full reasons for why is a post for another day. This article, however, does an excellent job defending this tour and why I love it so.
1990 Sound + Vision Tour Tokyo Performance
It was billed as the last tour Bowie would ever perform his "Greatest Hits" at, (although turned out to be not quite true), Sound+Vision is the "nostalgic Bowie" tour that we all deserved. For the setlist, Bowie put together a mix of songs voted on by fans in different countries and his personal old favourites. For a man committed to always looking forward, it's a nice change of pace to see him embrace the full catalogue of his past, even if it's simply to shake off the pressure of matching long-gone "Golden Years". The encore of "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide" is everything I could ever want in a tour, and the monochromatic design is pleasantly reminiscent of ISOLAR I. Indeed, it makes sense that this would share similar visual elements as both Sound+Vision and ISOLAR I came after large-scale productions with over-blown budgets and theatrical elements.
1996 The Bridge School Benefit Concert in California
Although not a part of any of his official tours, this entirely acoustic performance at the Bridge School Benefit Concert is a gem. Everything about this is amazing - from Bowie's laid-back banter with the audience and his fellow performers to his laid-back performance itself (attaching a bottlecap on the bottom of his boot for the "percussion"), the entire experience feels more like watching a half-hour long jam session of a young musician who "just loves music" rather than an old seasoned pro. Except, because it's Bowie, you get both the energy and enthusiasm of the "up-and-coming artist" mixed with some extreme talent and experience of an "old-seasoned-pro" in a truly memorable performance. In particular, the rendition of "Let's Dance" and "The Man Who Sold the World" are the most Top Notch of all his performances.
1996 Outside Tour St. Goarshausen Performance
A true gift to us all, the Outside Tour shows Bowie at his finest. A harsh, grunge, jungle rock sound with inspired performances of both old and new hits, this tour is not for the feint of heart. His suggestive lyrics and movements on stage make this concert feel more like sex pretending to be rock 'n' roll more than any other of his concerts (and that in itself is an achievement, considering how sexy he's made some of his tours). The renditions of "Andy Warhol" and "The Voyeur of Utter Destruction (As Beauty)" are some of the finest, and the entire performance itself makes you want to revisit the genius that is the 1. Outside album as soon as the final notes for "All the Young Dudes" finish.
2002 Heathen Tour Montreux
His penultimate tour, this performance shows an artist in his prime, comfortable with his performance, his music, his band, his audience, and himself. It's a Bowie that genuinely seems to be having a good time with friends, unlike some of the more structured performances of past tours (along with the weariness of touring). I love his easy-going banter with the audience and his bandmates, it's reminiscent of his Bridge School Benefit performance, but on an official tour. Not to mention the costumes once again reflect his extremely classy monochromatic tours of old. The performances of "Starman", "I've Been Waiting For You", "Stay", and "Heathen" are truly worth watching the entire concert (aside from, you know, the fact that it's Bowie).
Bonus: 2002 Heathen Tour Montreux
Perhaps it's cheating a little bit, since this performance is from the same Jazz Festival, but instead of a traditional concert with a variety of songs in the setlist, this one is Bowie performing live the entirety of his 1977 masterpiece, Low. One of my Top 10 favourite albums of all time, seeing him revisit this masterpiece live, almost thirty years later, gives me chills. It's everything I could possibly want in a Bowie performance, and it makes me wish that he did every album of his live (although I did eventually get - almost - the entirety of my favourite album, Station to Station performed live throughout the decades). My favourite piece of this performance is his rendition of "A New Career in a New Town". It's just absolutely lovely and charming in all the best ways, and it makes you realise why he later chose to sample it for his final song "I Can't Give Everything Away" from ★.
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