This morning the world learned of David Bowie’s passing. Much like his most recent work, his illness was a secret, revealed only when in had to be. Two albums recorded in secret over the last couple of years. His final, released on January 8, his birthday, just 2 days before his death.
There is so much to say about David Bowie, his multifaceted career covered a lot of ground. I could talk about the musical discoveries, the highs and lows of his albums, or simply list off some of my favorite tracks. I grew up listening to David Bowie. His songs were on the radio often. “Rebel, Rebel”, “Heroes” and “Ziggy Stardust” were part of what I would hear on the radio, but it was 1983’s Let’s Dance album that threw him into the forefront of my musical consciousness. From there I would begin to explore more and more of his work.
It was 1990’s Sound + Vision tour when I first saw him perform live. I didn’t know if I would see him perform again, especially as this was billed as a sort of “farewell” concert to many of his songs, if not his solo career (see my earlier post on Tin Machine). My best friend had moved up to Seattle and was living on the couch in my apartment at the time while he looked for a place of his own. He was responsible for helping me explore a lot of David Bowie’s catalog and appreciate his influence. We were both eager to go and really enjoyed the show. It was a lengthy set of hits, and this is a show I have been meaning to write up a blog post about for a while, but now just isn’t the time.
When Tin Machine came to Seattle the following year I missed the concert due to finances, or work schedule, or maybe it sold out before I could get tickets. Whatever the case, I saw him next in 1995 when he toured with Nine Inch Nails. in support of his album Outside. Both this concert and the previous were held in the Tacoma Dome, a massive stadium that was the “go to” venue in the region at the time for large-scale concerts. What I found interesting was how this was a more stripped-down production. Both acts could have easily performed their sets in a much smaller venue.
“Scary Monsters” Live with Nine Inch Nails
1997 would be the last time I saw David Bowie live in support if his album Earthling. I won a radio contest getting tickets to the show but something happened and those tickets never materialized. Fortunately I had purchased tickets and saw the show. Held in a smaller venue, Seattle’s Paramount Theater, it was Bowie and his band on stage with little else. This set wound up being half material from Earthling and Outside and the other half hits, some of which I expected to never hear again after the Sound + Vision tour. Granted, some of these songs were performed in a different style than originally released and performed. Of the three concerts, this might be my favorite.
The next morning as a consolation contest winners were allowed into a private acoustic concert with David Bowie and guitarist Reeves Gabrels. They performed about 10 songs and we were not allowed to ask for autographs. I did get to say “Hello” to him. I was standing next to him for all of about 10 seconds while he checked his phone or something. Contest winners were sent an autographed picture, which I still have, packed away.
I never saw him again after that, but always stuck with whatever project he was doing. There is so much to his career, so many phases of his music career, not to mention his acting. I got to see him perform live four times, and each time was different. He was a true chameleon, an original, and the music world is much smaller for his passing.
