Part 2: 1995-2007
Updated DEcember., 2007
14. Great Woods - 9/16/95: Two nights later, pretty much same scene, as the legions of NIN fans start to leave mid-way through Bowie's set. I had a great time that night with my friend Frank as we sat in the 12th row seats that I had slept out all night for. Again, the 4 song set with Bowie and NIN was the highlight of this daring double bill.
15. Avalon, Boston - 9/13/96: Bowie drops the cold distant exterior of just a year ago, and plays one of his 4 "Ballroom" tour shows to a wild crowd at a packed 1,000 capacity club. This introduces us to the Earthling coat plus a few songs from that soon to be released album. An amazing show, the highlight of which (and there were many) may have been the version of Aladdin Sane as Bowie sat on a chair making gestures at Reeves while Mike Garsons recreated the magic of the crazed keyboards part of this classic.
Just a tremendous show which by the way had sold out in like 3 MINUTES - another one which required sleeping out at a Mall parking lot on Cape Cod for tickets, but I would not have missed this one for anything.
16. Madison Square Garden - 1/9/97: The 50th Birthday show and another trip to New York. The Birthday show was simply phenomenal. As we walked out someone said "Who's better than Bowie? No one." Kind of sums it all up. Every song was the best song of the night for this one.
17. Orpheum Theater - 9/30/97: The first of two sold out nights at Boston's great 4,000 seater. Another night of sleeping out for tickets got me a 7th row seat for this incredible show. Harder rocking than the following night, with a version of White Light White Heat that just beat you up. GREAT show.
18. Orpheum Theater - 10/1/97: Prior to this show I hung out in Boston all day, hoping maybe I'd catch Bowie at a Picasso exhibit (nope) then around the hotels (nope) and then finally went to the Orpheum around 3:00. I finally saw Reeves walking up the alley (Boston guy that he is) and gave him my Earthling CD to sign - and the God Damn pen won't work!! Reeves got a Sharpie off someone and gave a great signature and he was really cool. I said "You were awesome last night" and he said "thanks a lot" and went inside.
More anxious waiting. Then finally the van pulls up, and out comes the band and there's David! "David, a quick signature??" He stopped, took my Earthling CD, and ... The God Damn F'in Pen won't work!! Somebody get me a Pen! There's a lesson here kids - ALWAYS have a Sharpie. We did manage to get a pen, and so I have this big black Reeves signature next to a Bowie97 in pen! Still a cherished memory as this was the one time where there wasn't a rush or a crowd really and I was able to say "David I just want to tell you I think you're the greatest artist of our time, and thank you so much" that sort of blubbering that I'm sure he hears all the time, but it was just a great moment. Then the show that night was great too, leaning more toward the experiemental drum and bass parts of the Earthling tour. The Adventures in Cyberspace CD boot from this show is excellent and well worth it. Here are the set lists for the two nights at the Orpheum, plus my autographed Earthling CD.
19. Radio City Music Hall, NYC - 10/15/97: I would have to rate this one as the SECOND best Bowie show, after Station to Station. This was the GQ Awards, which had the whole award thing beforehand, and lots of gowns and tuxes which slowly filtered out during the course of DB's show. And it was going along just fine - my seats were toward the back. Then all of a sudden, he broke into Fashion, and the crowd - the Bowie FANS - just came alive and started rushing down the aisles. I turned to my brother and said, "I'll see you later" and I rushed down front. At the end of that song Bowie says "Where did YOU all come from?" You could tell he was really happy and the last part of that show was the BEST! VH-1 showed part of this and you can see me for all of 3 seconds during Little Wonder, dancing away, grabbing part of the eye balloon ("Animals!"). Little Wonder that night (and Stay) may be my greatest single rock and roll moment ever. Then, during Moonage Daydream, the crowd was just going so nuts, people started climbing up on the stage (one guy sang a verse with David) and it was really insane - they finally had to come and rush David off the stage. So much for a jaded New York crowd. Intense.
20. Berklee Graduation - 5/7-8/99: To read my full report of attending the graduation ceremony where David was awarded a doctorate from the esteemed music college and gave the commencment speech, Click here.
21. Conan O'Brien, NYC - 11/16/99: David and band performed Thursday's Child and a rocking version of Cracked Actor before a wild crowd at the NBC studios in New York. To read more and to see pictures of the post-show "autograph frenzy" Click here
22. Roseland Ballroom, NYC - 6/16/00: First of what should have been three sold out shows, but turned out to be two, as Bowie sung his heart out so much this night that the following evening had to be cancelled. A great time, finally meeting many B'Neters, and a very solid show. Highlights included the opening Wild Is The Wind, the surprise of This Is Not America, a near religious All the Young Dudes, and the return of Ziggy Stardust! To see the set list for this and Monday's show, plus my review, Click here.
23. Roseland Ballroom, NYC - 6/19/00: After Saturday's dissapointing no-show, the packed ballroom of BowieNet members from all over the world was anxious to see a show of any kind. Bowie responded by putting on a tour-de-force that will long be remembered. Although he guarded his voice at times (and quite understandably) the show was an emotional and musical triumph, with the band also picking it up a notch from Friday, with a looser, harder hitting performance. To see pictures of the show and the weekend's festivities, Click here.
24. Carnegie Hall, NYC - 2/26/2001: Bowie performed "Heroes" and "Silly Boy Blue" as part of a benefit show for the Tibet House. He also joined in with the entire cast of performers for the evening for the finale of Patti Smith's "People Got the Power." Go here for pictures of the show, the set list, pictures of Bowie, Moby, Patti Smith going into the show and more!
25. Madison Square Garden, NYC - 10/20/2001: Bowie opened The Concert for New York all-star benefit for the fire fighters and other victims of the Sept. 11th twin towers tragedy. He began with a simple, moving version of the Simon and Garfunkle song, America, and then launched into a tremendous version of "Heroes" which set the tone for the evening. Go here for my report, including some pictures, of this amazing evening.
26. Carnegie Hall, NYC - 2/22/2002: Bowie performed I Would Be Your Slave (from the upcoming Heathen CD) and an "orchestral" version of Space Oddity at this year's Tibet House benefit. He also joined in again at the finale of Patti Smith's People Have the Power. Sadly, he did not show up to the benefit dinner myself and several other BNeters paid some DEcent money to attend, but it was still a fun time. Go here for some pictures of the show, including some exclusive shots of Bowie entering Carnegie Hall for the soundcheck.
27. MTV Rock and Comedy Concert, Battery Park, NYC - May 10, 2002: MTV sponsored show as part of the Tribeca Film Festival. Other performers included The Counting Crows, Wyclef Jean, Robin Williams, Jimmy Fallon and Sheryl Crow. Great time - Bowie was excellent. I was able to get a front row spot. Bowie (looking great in a red leather shirt and brown jeans) did China Girl, Slow Burn and Afraid (both getting their stage debut), Let's Dance and then a really heavy I'm Afraid of Americans (which I had seen them do at soundcheck). A small part of IAOA was shown later on MTV.
28. Top of the Pops Taping - Astoria Studios, Queens, NY - June 2, 2002:
An amazing day, as only 50 lucky members of BowieNet had the opportunity to see Bowie and his band perform 8 songs as part of a TV taping for the popular British music TV show. Go here for some great pics and the full story.
29. David Letterman Taping - Ed Sullivan Theatre, NYC - June 10, 2002:
Bowie and the band performed Slow Burn and David chatted with Letterman briefly in this fun but quickie show. DB wore this great white suit with tire tracks all over it. Nice appetizer for the main event the following evening.
30. Roseland Ballroom, BowieNet Show , NYC - June 11, 2002: A masterful performance as Bowie plays all of Low, then DEbuts all of Heathen, then comes back in the red coat for the knock-out punch of Hallo Spaceboy, Ashes to Ashes, Fashion and I'm Afraid of Americans. David Bowie again leaves us dancing and smiling in the aisles and clamoring for more. Brilliant.
31. A&E Live by Request, Sony Studios, NYC - June 17, 2002: I was one of the lucky few dozen people from BowieNet who got into this TV taping. Bowie and the band performed 15 songs - mainly some of his greatest hits and a handful of songs from the Heathen CD.
32. Last Call With Carson Daly, NBC Studios, NYC - Aug. 1, 2002: Bowie did a quick but fun interview with MTV duDE Carson, and then he and the band performed hot versions of Everyone Says Hi and Cactus.
33. Area 2, Tweeter Center, Mansfield, MA - Aug. 3, 2002: Bowie played a stunning set as part of Moby's Area 2 tour. Clint Eastwood cowboy songs, herbal lobsters - you had to be there. GREAT show - really fun time. Moby was also great - dancing on the lawn to his set was a highlight of the summer.
34. Marathon Tour -Staten Island, NY -Music Hall at Snug Harbor -Oct. 11, 2002: On a rain-drenched night, Bowie kicked off his mini "Marathon tour" to a sold-out crowd of just a few hundred on Staten Island. Not an easy place to get to, but proved to be well worth it. Excellent show. I was able to get to the front row for this thrilling performance - Earl Slick was especially good. A fun time partying with all the BowieNeters as usual. A very special night.
35. Marathon Tour, Orpheum Theatre, Boston - Oct. 23, 2002: I'm still kicking myself for not sticking around NY to see the second Marathon show in Brooklyn (the one time he did Bewlay Brothers in the States), but I did catch the last show of this 7-date tour in my home-town of Boston. A solid show, and he did The Alabama Song which was a treat.
36. Tibet House Benefit Carnegie Hall, NY - Feb. 28, 2003: Bowie sang Heathen (The Rays) an acoustic version of Loving the Alien, and Waterloo Sunset with Ray Davies of the Kinks as well as joining in on this year's finale of a Ziggy Marley led version Get Up Stand Up. Good stuff.
37. "Reality Tour" warm-up, The Chance, Poughkeepsie, NY - Aug. 19, 2003:
Bowie played a scorcher of a set to kick off his 2003/4 "Reality Tour" at a small club in upstate New York.
38/39. The Point, Dublin, Ireland - Nov. 22 & 23, 2003: I maDE the trip "over the pond" to see Bowie's last 5 shows of the European leg of his Reality tour. A GREAT time. The first two Dublin shows (which were filmed for a hopfeul DVD) were my faves of the 5. The 1st show I was really close, and plus as it was the 1st show it was very exciting. Then the next night he played a marathon, 35-song set, just short of three hours. Both show were brilliant.
Go here for some pics I took of the first show.
40/41. Wembley Arena, London, England - Nov. 25 & 26, 2003: The first night I thought was a bit lacking - the crowd, Bowie, the set list - all of if just did not have any spark to it. The second night at Wembley though was quite good as he changed the set around quite a bit (She'll Drive the Big Car into the Jean Genie being highlights for me), and then seeing the Suffragette City/Ziggy Stardust finale in London from the 6th row was quite a thrill. Great parties with all the BowieNeters after both shows. Awesome time.
42. SECC, Glasgow, Scotland - Nov. 28, 2003: The good news is that I got right in front of the stage. The bad news is I had to battle knucklehead vikings the entire night to keep that spot. "You're in Glasgooo...should have been here for Tin Machine." Anyway, a great, high energy show - and I got a hand slap from Bowie during Suffragette City which maDE it all worthwhile. Thus enDEd a tiring - 5 shows (6 including seeing Dylan in London), 5 countries (including a day trip to Paris!), 7 days - exciting week I will always remember.
43. The Bell Centre, Montreal, Canada - Dec. 13, 2003: After postponing 5 shows due to fighting the flu, Bowie finally kicked off his N. American tour with a 23 song set in Montreal. Sort of last minute I maDE the journey to sit in the 10th row to this one. A very solid show, with DB showing little if any signs of being ill. Snow storm from hell driving back to Boston resulted in a nearly 8 hour nightmarish drive, but it was well worth it.
44. Mohegan Sun Arena, CT. - Dec. 16, 2003: Bowie finished the current leg of his Reality tour with a really, really good show at this casino arena mid-way between Boston and NYC. Sadly, I had to miss the New York show this time, but I was very happy with this show as his voice was magnificent. This show will have to tiDE me over until Vegas/Phoenix in 2004, and the rescheduled Boston show, now set for March 30, 2004.
45. The Joint, Las Vegas, NV - Jan. 30, 2004: A highly anticipated show, and the start of an amazing week out west. Not one of the better shows as it turns out - only 22 songs, but still an EXCELLENT time. Vegas baby!
46. The Dodge Theatre, Phoenix, AZ - Feb. 5, 2004: After a week seeing some amazing sights in the great Southwest - Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Bisbee, Tucson, etc. - I maDE my way back to civilization to catch the show at the Dodge. Hot show, nice venue. Finally got to hear Looking For Water.
47. The Joint, Las Vegas, NV - Feb. 6, 2004: Back to Vegas baby for the last leg of this incredible adventure. The second night at the Joint was much better than the first, with Bowie in seemingly much better spirits.
48. The Fleet Center, Boston, MA - March 30, 2004: Finally get to see the Reality tour on my home turf. This was a solid show - and I got to see him do Blue Jean. 4th row center tix were good, but it was about to get even better!
49. Pepsi Colisee, Quebec City, Canada - April 4, 2004: AMAZING show. A bunch of us drove up from Boston and had a great time visiting Quebec City - very charming. And to top it off, we had front row seats, and so we were IHL (In His Lap). I thought it could not get better than this - but then it did!
50. The Saenger Theatre, New Orleans, LA - April 30, 2004: Sort of a last minute DEcision to be totally DEcaDEnt, and boy did it pay off! Got to see the entire band and then Bowie (!) enter the venue! Got his autograph and he chatted with us for a few minutes, so it was VERY exciting. Then the show was simply incredible. 31 songs, almost 3 hours - playing until about midnight in this really nice, small theatre. It was rocking. Plus he did a mind boggling version of the song The Supermen. Openers The Polyphonic Spree joined him for a great version of Slip Away (a fave on this tour). My 14th show of the tour, and I have to say the best. Jazzfest and partying in New Orleans for the rest of the weekend was just the icing on the cake.
51. Ford Pavilion, Scranton, PA - May 27, 2004: 3rd row seats at the one outdoor shed that I saw the Reality tour on, thanks to friend Caroline. Really good show and a lot of fun with BNeters SVP, Mandn and others. First time hearing (on this tour anyway) the recently adDEd Station to Station. Superb.
52/53. The Borgata, Atlantic City, NY - May 29&30, 2004: Two wild nights at the Borgata casino. First night was the better of the two, with Diamond Dogs making its tour DEbut. We also got a rare performance of the Bewlay Brothers. Emotional highlight was when Bowie DEdicated Heathen by saying "this one's for Jim" - a reference to AC BNeter Floidoip.? Very moving. A real fun weekend, DEspite the nearly 9 hour drive back to Boston.
54. Verizon Wireless, Manchester, NH - June 1, 2004: A real good show, marred only slightly by a bounce-back echo from the rear of the arena. Excellent version of Sister Midnight, and Battle for Britain. The usual great time with BNeters including 1slickfan from Cal., and Rte66Gal all the way from Texas.
55. Mohegan Sun, Uncasville, CT - June 2, 2004: Fifth show in a week, and sadly my last show of the Reality tour. But it was a good one, as we took it all in one last time from the front row. The opening animation sequence going into Rebel Rebel. All the many moments throughout the show that maDE this such a special tour. Memories that will last "all the days of my life."
56. Radio City Music Hall, NY - Sept. 8, 2005: As part of Fashion Rocks, Bowie sang 3 songs (1st public performance in over a year). First up he did Life On Mars? with just Mike Garson on piano. Hard to tell from my seat in the rafters, but Bowie wore a bandage on his hand and sported a black eye, which later vanished (seemingly a symbolic reference to Hurricane Katrina which had just hit New Orleans?). He then later in the program was introduced by Lisa Marie Presley, and did two songs with buzz-band The Arcade Fire - the classic Five Years, and then a most impressive Wake Up from the band's album Funeral. Other acts on the star-filled bill incluDEd Duran Duran (who got the crowd going), Gwen Stefani, DEstiny's Child, Alicia Keyes, Billy Idol and Shakira. A good time in NY as always, and great to see the man back on stage. Sadly, I could not make it back to NY a week later when he again joined the band in Central Park for a 2 song encore of Queen Bich and Wake Up.
57. Hammerstein Ballroom, NY - Nov. 9, 2006: Bowie sang three songs as part of the 2006 Black Ball - a charity event to help Keep a Child Alive. Alicia Keys is one of the main contributors to this very good cause, and New York's beautiful crowd (including Tom Cruise, Elijah Wood, Anne Hathaway, Ed Norton, and several other stars) were out in force for this one. Bowie was, as always, magnificent - finally arriving on stage after 11:30 pm to sing three songs - the gorgeous Wild is the Wind (accompanied by just Mike Garson on piano), then Fantastic Voyage with Alicia Keys's band, and then he was joined on stage by Alicia to close the evening with a dynamic version of Changes. David looked great - healthy and sophisticated - in a dark suit and crisp white shirt. It was "only three songs" but Wild is the Wind was worth the price of admission (significant - this was a fundraiser), and it was great to see, and hear him. This one may have to tiDE us over until the Highline Festival, on the horizon for May of 2007 in New York.
58. Quad Cinema, NY - May 11, 2007: I don't know if this one really counts but there WAS a Bowie sighting involved - which, sadly, are becoming pretty rare these days. Bowie DEciDEd not to perform a the Highline Festival, but he did show up to the screening of a movie that kicked off a Spanish Film Festival he put together. So, basically, I did a round trip train riDE from Boston to New York, in the same night, for the opportunity to sit three rows in front of Bowie, as he sat at the back of this small movie theatre "in the Village" and ate popcorn. I can't understand why people wonDEr about me! It was a fun night though. Then there were rumors that he was going to show up and and sing with The Polyphonic Spree later that night - but he didn't. And that, DEar friends (with the exception of him introducing Ricky Gervais onstage a few nights later - which I was not at) was the last time we have seen David Bowie in public, at the time of this writing (DEc. '07). For now, we can only hope he will make his return to the public eye in 2008.
