David Bowie

Forty five years ago I was sat anxious, fidgeting, watching the clock, willing the hours by, impossibly excited but frustrated as time seemed stood resolutely still.
I was on the drabbest caravan site imaginable somewhere on Lancashire’s Fylde Coast. No-one in my family can even remember where it was.
I was 14 years old, a tubby little schoolboy stuck in the middle of a mundane family holiday in the middle of nowhere.
But the night which followed that endless day changed my life.
It was May 31, 1973 and the biggest sensation in pop since The Beatles was about to be beamed down into my home town.
David Bowie and The Spiders From Mars brought the Aladdin Sane tour to the stage of King George’s Hall in previously grey, depressing, drab, dismal, monochrome cotton town Blackburn. It actually might have been quite a bright, sunny day to be honest.
It was my first live gig and in another four decades there would never be another to send my head into a whirl and my insides feeling like they were revolving around my body at Formula 1 speed for two hours.
If you had been allowed those years of hindsight you would have chosen that band, that frontman, that time to see rock’n’roll made flesh for the very first time.
Let’s set the scene. Ours wasn’t a particularly hip household. We had a record player – one of those suitcase Dansettes on legs  - and by the end of my third year at school I had a collection of singles and a handful of albums.
But Bolan and The Jackson 5 had to vie with Jack Jones and Helen Reddy for turntable time.
I’d been to a couple of those end-of-pier shows and perhaps the biggest names I’d seen to that point in terms of chart action were Dana and Frank Ifield.
Even at 12 and 13 you knew that wasn’t where it was at.
One of those same summers I’d sat in the TV lounge of a bed and breakfast in Scarborough and seen Marc Bolan on TOTP have a strange, unspoken effect on a bunch of slightly older holidaying teenage girls that I didn’t quite understand. I knew it was a direction you’d probably like to go in but hadn’t a clue how to set off, never mind arrive there.
It certainly wasn’t any reaction a middle-aged guy singing “I Remember You” in a suit provoked.
But the only time I’d ever sat in the stalls at King George’s Hall before that night was at tedious, interminable school speech nights, a mandatory but utterly dreaded annual event.
I was only allowed to go to the Bowie gig because an adult was taking me.
Fortunately it wasn’t my dad, who might have been utterly outraged by the spectacle.
His workmate John, it had emerged, was a huge fan, which at least lent my pre-occupation with Ziggy some adult-endorsed credibility.
I had bought the Ziggy album after an unexpected windfall. After seeing the Bolan effect and placing a personal ad in “Disco Songwords” or some such publication stating “Boy, 13, into T Rex, wants girl penfriend” I received about 400 replies.
With almost more bags of letters from pre-pubescent females than the beleaguered postman could carry, I launched the one entrepreneurial success of my life and sold them for 2p a time at school.
“The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars” cost me £2.18 from Reidys in Blackburn. I still have it with the sticker on somewhere.
But dad came home one night with some sage advice: “John at work reckons you should get an LP called Hunky Dory. Says it’s even better.”
My letter-selling profits allowed for that and that Christmas of ’72 I got the Space Oddity and Man Who sold The World re-issues and by the time Aladdin Sane came out in April of 1973 – delivered to my house by an RCA rep at tea-time on release day in a van after insufficient copies were available to satisfy pre-orders – I was in a frenzy over the fact that Bowie was playing not one but two Lancashire dates.
John had bought his wife and myself tickets for both shows  and consented to take me, to allay any parental fears that I would be whisked away from the venue by a make-up wearing gay cult who sang lyrics like “I’ve got eyes in my backside that see electric tomatoes” (“Go on then, what on earth does that mean?”  I was regularly quizzed) never to return.
He was a cool guy, John. Maybe about 30 then, beautiful wife, great house, posh car and the most fabulous huge stereo system I’d ever seen in the huge modernised cottage I waited in, having been transported from Knott End or wherever, to be taken to the show.
I wish I could remember the journey there and the crowd but the next thing I can remember is sitting in the front row balcony waiting for the lights to go out.
They eventually did and Beethoven’s “Ode To Joy” as distorted through A Clockwork Orange (which of course I hadn’t seen or read) played...
Here’s the best thing. There was no support act that night. No hammy pub-rock band in jeans and t-shirts cranking out blues licks or Chuck Berry licks. No Fumble or Stealers Wheel or any such.
As the hall darkened and Ode came to mad climax, strobe lights – something else I’d never seen – flashed and momentarily illuminated figures walked across the stage with great coloured Ziggy/Aladdin flashes briefly visible then invisible on the backdrop behind.
Two of the first three guys I saw walk on that stage, Mick Ronson and Trevor Bolder, are no longer with us but along with Woody Woodmansey  there could have been no more striking, futuristic prelude to the drama to come as a maelstrom of spangly tights, stack heels, hair spikey or platinum and enormous Dickensian sideburns flashed in and out of vision in a blur of white light and bacofoil costumes.
Ducks Deluxe sauntering on an hour and a half before the main act just wouldn't have been the same.
A nano-second of silence and darkness and then...
“Bam-bam-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-Bam-Bam....” Ronno thrashed the intro to “Hang  Onto Yourself” out on his Les Paul, all billowy blouse and black sparkly matador pants and your eyes turned to centre stage where Bowie stood in a Japanese costume practically impossible to move in, bright orange barnet and pale face, arms extended...
“Well she’s a tongue-twisting storm...”
Of course what I can actually recollect is mixed up with what I’ve seen many times from the Hammersmith film by Don Pennebaker, basically the same show.
But what I can remember is the gulping, gasping slack-jawed feeling of awe to be in the moment, the presence, the time.
a pair of girls - future Mrs ronson and Bowie hairstyle creator Suzi Fussey one of them - came oput in black cat type costumes and pulled from either side to reveal that the ensemble was velcroed together down the front and suddenly Bowie was posed there in a silky white tunic with matching thigh-length boots.
It was often said that hitherto macho/straight builders fancied him and though not many would have admitted it in 1972 East Lancashire at that juncture, it's still possible to imagine why.
"Ziggy Stardust" was freed from his Yansai Kamamoto wardrobe restrictions and free to gyrate as he wished in a series of numbers which even today in display cases at the V and A museum people are paying good money to gaze in wonder at.
By the fourth number, “Wild Eyed Boy from Freecloud (segued into “All The Young Dudes” and “Oh you Pretty Things” ) I had got my breath back and recall the astonished wonderment of seeing these songs I knew so well played by the people who created them in the same bloody room I was sat in!
The mirrorball shimmering as David strummed the 12-string intro to “Space Oddity” ...I hadn’t noticed that at school prize night....the strobey guitar fight with Ronno in “Width Of a Circle” ...the mimed “gap in the wall” routine...myriad costume changes while Mick solo’ed .....Garson’s insane jazz stylings....”Suffragette City” practically blowing the roof off....the closing “Gimme your hands” set-piece of “Rock’n’Roll Suicide.”
Incredible. Simply incredible to see that at 14, before you saw any other live band in the whole wide world..
...
 #competition

Heathen Tour, Hammersmith Apollo London, 2nd October 2002

The stage was surprisingly bare, and industrial by previous concert stages where my brother and I had seen David Bowie, but the starkness meant that the five truss lighting towers across the back of the stage stood out all the more. Even unlit it was obvious the letters made up out of many lamps at the top of each tower spelt out 'B' 'O' 'W' 'I' 'E', and below each of the letters (about half way up each truss) were a smaller double bank of lamps as well.

I was pretty excited to see this even before it was lit-up, I mean you could only get away with that if you're as famous as David Bowie, and as my brother and I hadn't seen Bowie in concert since the Sound & Vision tour over ten years previous this looked like a real statement of 'I'M BACK'!

I could write on about the many other lighting effects that we're being used, the layout of the stage, positioning of the other musicians and their part but I really should get to the man himself...

David Bowie entered the stage to a very long piano intro to Life on Mars, and what a great show opener, and we wouldn't have been the only ones delighted seeing as on the Sound & Vision tour (1990) he said he would not be performing the old 'favourites' anymore (he was tired of them) but, fortunately for us this was not the first time that 'true to form'(his words) he had broken his promise.

And no doubt everyone was equally delighted with his dandy get-up - a very shiny (silk apparently) bright blue tonic type suit of a cutaway single breasted (single button) jacket with peak lapels, the trousers, perhaps a little too narrow for my liking sat well with the black Chelsea boots. His white shirt had unusual cuffs as much as I could make out, the black waistcoat not matching the suit was a nice twist and a bright silver (pocket watch?) chain from lapel buttonhole to breast pocket added a bit of sparkle.

I cannot remember the whole setlist (especially in order) though I can write about the most memorable ones that left the greatest impression upon me, and the overall impression that so many numbers from my favourite David Bow album 'LOW' were being included made me feel so lucky as I had been too young to see him performing these live in 1977 - What a bonus in addition the the 'Heathen' album being such a fantastic new album in itself. And other songs from his Berlin period too, 'Heroes' and 'Alabama Song' which in particular I had not heard him perform live before and was even more entertaining than the version I was familiar with from CD.

David took to the keyboard for 'Speed of Life', and played a harmonica for 'A new career in a new town' and on another number he picked up a Stylophone to play out the ending on. That too was surprise!

I remember thinking at the time 'WOW, if the concert was being recorded for another live album this concert would be even better that the 'Stage' album which I have played so much over the years not being able to go to the tour at that time. I mean 'Stage' is damned good BUT this band for 'Heathen' tour were brilliant, the sound was so full but perfectly clear with individual parts being discernible and all played with so much energy.

I do not have the words to describe how exciting it was being in the audience for that show, and the lighting added to that (yes, the lighting again - so simple, so effective) throughout the performance, the letters illuminating in sequence, or running in a frenzy, flashed on and off or slowly brought up and faded down to suit the song.

He sang the songs from the new album with much emotion, so much so that you thought he was going to cry at one point whilst singing the title track 'Heathen'. '5:15 and 'Sunday' may have been written specifically for his vocal range now and might be why those in particular sounded so good, his singing voice sounding smooth and crooning but still able to rise to belt it out when impact was needed.

Amongst the other surprises that night was 'The Bewlay Brothers' which David said he had never performed live before - Marvelous.

Altogether the concert was nearly three hours long (in two sets) and in the second half the band really picked up the pace - the audience often on their feet so the good old Hammersmith Odeon (as it will always be to me) was literally rocking, and you could sense the adulation from the audience for him. We were all enthralled.

The songs that really rocked were 'Look back in Anger', 'Hallo Spaceboy', 'I'm afraid of Americans', and of course 'Ziggy Stardust' the final song of the night. After which David and his band all held hands at the front of the stage for the final applause, and, when they left the stage the only lights left one were the one's that spelt 'B' 'O' 'W' 'I' 'E'.

David Bowie is a legend and a was true rockstar... as a newspaper critic said at the time "Whatever he had, he has still got it", and as I said at the time "For a man of fifty (plus), that should give us all hope".

I was fortunate to see David Bowie in concert several times over the years, but this one, the Heathen tour, will always be the one I remember as being the greatest with the man at the height of his powers.

Nuff said.
#competition

My biggest regret to this day (5 December 2018), and that includes, family, friends, love, food, travel, culture, cars, football and shopping - is not seeing David as Ziggy in 1973. I was that close, and I mean close, to getting a ticket for Salisbury City Hall on the now legendary tour. Trouble was, I was 14, didn't have transport (I didn't live in Salisbury), but I did have the £1.70 ticket price. I thought 'Oh Well, there'll be other times'. Well there weren't - not for Ziggy - he was dead, put to bed by his Master at the end of that tour - Oh Dear!
Still, I've made up for it since, having seen 'The Master' at work on many occasions. 'The first time is always the best time', they say, and so it was for me. Having missed the Diamond Dogs Tour in 1974, coz he only did it Stateside, I was waiting with eager anicipation, each time I got the NME on a Thursday during those Bowie-obsessed days.
Then in late '75 an announcement was made - 'David Bowie to Play Six Nights at Wembley'. Whooppee! I thought, let's get tickets! So, being the decent chap that I am, I proceeded to get twenty, yes, twenty, tickets for all my school mates (and fellow Bowie nuts).
My cheque was duly sent back by the box office saing that there weren't twenty tickets for the Saturday (May 8) available.
I had to hurriedly re-apply for the Thursday (May 6), and hope we could get in. In the post they landed, twenty brown & white tickets, each for £2.75. (I'm ashamed that, these days, tickets are horrendously priced, plus the dreadful booking fee on top!)
I decided to hire a coach to take us from my school, to Wembley, on a weekday afternoon. The Headmaster wasn't thrilled, but let us go with his semi-permission! 'Wembley, here we come!' We arrived in plenty of time to survey the scene outside the Empire Pool (as the SSE Arena was then called). An array of punks, new romantics and beautiful people were milling about, all there for a common goal - to see the Thin White Duke. Once inside, the lights dimmed, but not for any support band; instead we were 'treated' to a showing of the Bunuel/Dali film 'Un Chien Andalou'. Everyone gasped at the eye-cut scene! This was Bowie's World after all!
Cue another period of heart-beating excitement, before the lights dimmed once again, and this time, the air was filled with a shrill feedback-laden guitar screech, emitting the opening chords of Station to Station, followed by the distinct sound of the two-bar motif of eletric piano, bass guitar, and so on. Then, from behind the bright bars of vertical white light came His Nibs marching onto stage - it was a Wow! moment! The place erupted, with eight thousand screaming, adoring Bowiephiles all baying to the Master! This was the only place to be in London, nay, the World tonight! Station to Station became Suffragette City, through Fame, Word on a Wing, Stay, then the Velvets cover Waiting for the Man, which was a nice surprise. Back to his own stuff with Queen Bitch - I couldn't believe he was doing this one, a real sucker punch! Then a tear came to my eye for Life On Mars? which segued into Five Years - I was at Ziggy after all! An enormous drum solo during Panic in Detroit during which Bowie had a coffee and a fag! The band introduction during Changes, followed by TVC15, and finishing with three standout tracks in Diamond Dogs, Rebel Rebel and The Jean Genie. What a Show, What a Man, What a Night - the greatest moment - my life had been transformed forever!

#competition

The phenonaminal and talented David Bowie had decided that he wanted to do one more tour, the 'Hours Tour' before the this millemimnum came upon us. The tour only had eight shows. It would be his last English concert that century. I had to go.

He decided to play a small venue, the legendary 'Astoria Theatre' in Londona on 2nd Dember 1999. I desperately wanted to go because I had seen him several times, all in Arenas, having been too young to see his 'Ziggy Stardust tour'. I felt, to see him in in a relatively small venue which was basically a nightclub, would be the next best thing.
I could not believe my luck when I scored two tickets, the venue had a capacity of 2000, ironically!

My younger sister, influenced by my continually playing Bowie's records in my room, virtually her whole life, was also a massive fan, it was a no brainier that I would have to take her and treat her to the concert. The day arrived for the concert, I decided to leave work early and get to the venue quickly in the the hope of getting a good standing position, it was a toss up as to who was the more excited sibling? I remember struggling to sleep the night before due to excitement of seeing my 'hero' the next day.

We got into the club and managed to stand about two rows from the front, slightly left of centre stage. Debate began about what would be the opening song, my thought process was 'Changes', it had to be with the end of the 20 century looming, I was right. The man was on immaculate form, he sang as good as I have ever heard, no pretensions, no elaborate custome just him and his music, pure Bowie and pure magic.

Hit after hit came, the atmosphere was electric, it was one of those concerts where everything gelled, the arist was just so happy to be performing and the 'small' audience were beyond extactic to be there. It was clear from the sancranised lips that everyone who was lucky enough to get a ticket seemed to have deserved it. Bowie sensed the crowd were 100 percent fans and seemed to up his game to give, in my option, the performance of his life.

I have never been to a concert were there was a feeling of harmony and contentment between artist and audience which washed over all of us from beginning to end, the last time I felt that was at Wembley with Live Aid.

The high light for me was hearing and seeing him, as if he was in my living room, perform my personally favourite song 'Life on Mars'. For me it was was not a "God awful small affair" but the biggest love story a fan could have for an artist.

I do not know if it was the fact that not only could I see his two different coloured eyes , without the aid of a video screen, but the tears in them that made this concert so special and so unique to me, this concert made this 'Lad Insane' for more Bowie and very very grateful I got to be in that intimate moment with one of the greatest artists of any centuryif not all time.

Alistair Gibbins
Alistair.gibbins@hotmail.co.uk

I've always considered Bowie's 2000 headline set my favourite Glastonbury performance and it comfortably ranks as one of my top three shows of all time. Bowie hadn't played the festival since an unpaid 4 am acoustic set in 1971, so his return was long overdue. The press had been banging on about how he never played the old 70's hits anymore and he'd been doing drum 'n' bass heavy tours in support of 'Earthling' around this time, so the prospects weren't great. He came out in a fabulous Alexander Mcqueen long coat reminiscent of the Hunky Dory era and was backed by a great band including Earl Slick on guitar and Gail Ann Dorsey on bass. He kicked off with a song I didn't know (Wild Is The Wind', as it turned out) and I was thinking 'here we go...I'm not going to know any of this', but then went into 'China Girl', 'Changes' and 'Life On Mars?', at which point I knew we were in for a real treat. I know you could waste hours trying to make the perfect Bowie setlist, but in the moment, this felt just about as good as it gets - 'Rebel Rebel', 'Ashes to Ashes', 'Fame', 'All the Young Dudes', 'The Man Who Sold The World' all played in quick succession. I was hoping for some Ziggy material and was delighted when 'Starman' put in an appearance and he closed the set with a remarkable run through 'Under Pressure' with Gail doing an outstanding job with the Freddie Mercury part - a really breathtaking climax to the show. There then followed one hell of an encore, opening with a rocking 'Ziggy Stardust' before going into "Heroes", which was another incredible moment - Slick absolutely nailed the guitar part and the crowd were totally blissed-out for it. Soon everyone was going nuts again for 'Let's Dance' and then he closed with an obscure track from 'Earthling' called 'I'm Afraid of Americans'. I find it hard to convey how amazing this show was, but it has stuck with me ever since and one of the first things I did when I heard of Bowie's death was to look up old clips of this performance, as it will always be my abiding memory of this incredible artist. Rather fittingly, this remains the last show I ever saw at Glastonbury, as there was no festival in 2001 and I never got back into the habit of going after that - not a bad final memory from this iconic festival. #competition

When Bowie formed Tin Machine with some of his music pals some folk wondered when he was going to cut it out and give them another greatest hits show. On November 11th 1991 in a packed Brixton Academy hard rock fans and Bowie fans alike gathered for a Bowie unemcumbered by a curated persona and his back catalogue baggage. One of the crowd at least was in their own bar-room brawl as they lobbed a bottle at the stage and hit David in the face. Recovering after some first aid, the professional returned bandaged. In jeans and tee shirt David sent his voice soaring over his urgent guitar, throwing in a smattering of sax. The seasoned Tin Machine mates belted out tight, honest, thoughtful rock, while a doll baby tied to the drumkit bounced along, listlessly underscoring the darker tunes like 'I Can't Read' and 'Under the God'. It was a truly joint enterprise with Hunt, Gabrels and Hunt also taking the mics for a spin. David danced with his shirt off, relaxed and goofing about. The band were enjoying it so much they played a second set, taking this epic to two hours, during which they played one of Bowie's best, simple love songs 'Amazing', and it was. David grinning, bouncing off other musical pros and digging the jam session was perhaps the closest to the man David Bowie that it was possible for an audience to get. Leaving the crowd on a high after a headbanging 'Crack City', with an extended version of 'Heaven in Here', it certainly was a slice of rock heaven that Bowie gave us that night. #competition

West Point Arena, November 26, 1995.

It was a cold and wet November evening, the parking fields had turned to mud and the organisers were struggling to get everyone into the venue in time for the show. Though we had turned up at the gates nice and early, by the time we were parked we had missed Morrissey do his support turn, that did not worry us though, we were here for David tonight.

You could have cut the air with a knife, the level of anticipation as the audience waited for him to take to the stage, and when he did the place erupted, a release of a joint excitement and an outpouring of love at the man who had already given us so much.

Launching in Motel, David worked through a set list that featured tracks from his latest work 'Outside' quite heavily, but he also did not disappoint the hardened fans, with Look Back in Anger coming in second and Scary Monsters being played fourth.

David was alive tonight, the venue was far from ideal, but that did not stop him from making it his own. By the time he bought the set to a close with Under Pressure followed by Moonage Daydream, any who had doubted him at the start of the evening were converted.

Me I never doubted, unfortunately this was the only time I ever got to see David live, but what a night it was, any anyway how many people can truly say that they saw David Bowie play in a cow-shed.

Barrowland, Glasgow, 22 July 1997. Earthling Tour.

Having seen Mr B on the polished Serious Moonlight tour, I was keen to experience his latest incarnation when he toured to promote Earthling. The gig was taking place on the day I arrived back in the UK from our family holiday in Spain. Only realised two weeks before the gig that we were flying into Manchester, and not Glasgow(where we live)! Arrived Manchester 2.30pm, grabbed the luggage, wife, and kids and zoomed home. Arrived home around 7 pm, left luggage, wife, kids outside the house and drove straight to Barrowland, still in shorts and t-shirt. Just made it in time to see David wander, smiling, on-stage as the entire packed crowd were singing along to Changes which was being played over the PA. What a gig. Usual varied back-catalogue set with almost half of the Earthling album played. Bowie was casually dressed in a smock-type top and was obviously enjoying himself. The crowd loved it though it was boiling hot. I even poured half a pint of lager over my head to cool off a bit. Highlight for me, apart from his excellent tight band, was seeing him stand on the monitor at the front of the stage conducting the crowd to a singalong of the end of 'Scary Monsters and Super Creeps. This was Bowie at the top of his game, -with a stripped down band playing hits and gems and showcasing new material.

David Jones changed to David Bowie as he wanted to be distinct and individualistic from other music artists including his namesake from the “supergroup “ The Monkees”. His music is unique yet he had the imagination to continually experiment and still entertain. His immersion into his musical character(s) namely Ziggy Stardust made him box office gold with his stagecshows been well ahead of his peers especially in the 70’s & 80’s . His album back catalogue will open the eyes of new followers where they will hear the raw , maybe simple tunes of the Laughing Gnome to the progessive Space Oddity to Life on Mars ( tv hit!) to his Sound and vision. He , embraced the 80’s with two albums of note , Lets Dance to the Scary Monsters and Super Creeps.These with other Live Albums released through the decades and compilations too . Not to mention Sountrack contributions, to actually review and critique his work would be almost impossible to , you should just live his live by exploring his music and enjoy his creations!

I’ve only ever seen David Bowie once in my lifetime, it was in 2003 when he was supported by the Dandy Warhols, another band I really like. I couldn’t get Bowie tickets for love or money, but I ended up with a spare Blur ticket (they were playing the Barrowlands that same month. Bowie, Dandy Warhols and Blur all playing in Glasgow at the same time, what a time to be alive), so I swapped my spare Blur ticket for a Bowie ticket.

It was a standing ticket and me and my friend managed to get close to the front to see Bowie for what would be my one and only time. He looked great, the songs were incredible and Bowie was just a fantastic performer; great on-stage banter that I still remember 15 years later (he told a story about drinking in a pub in Glasgow and seeing a drunken Scottish guy with blood all over his face just calmly walk in for a pint).

It really was a special moment that almost didn’t happen. I’ve been to hundreds of live shows over the years but Bowie was just something else.