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Live Review
by Buffy Bill
30-6-2002
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| David Bowie: nostalgia over content |
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Live: David Bowie
Royal Festival Hall, London
Saturday, June 29, 2002
David Bowie: rock-changeling steps back to re-present the passed future
As a person with amputated nostalgia, approach to this show was with trepidation because the curator of the Meltdown Festi, David Bowie, was performing the whole of his seminal ‘Low’ album. The record came out in 1977, at the height of the punk ‘movement’, an art-rock statementd produced by Brian Eno, that really was something else in those days. An open challenge to the norm-de-jour.
Bowie on a new summit: the hit-unmissable ‘Sound And Vision’ and ‘Be My Wife’ and its two B-sides, ‘A New Career In Town’ and ‘Speed Of Life’ respectively, plus the eternally mournful ‘Warszawa’, as well as the fans-faves ‘Breaking Glass’, ‘Art Decade’… Yeah, that was the sound of 25 years ago (precisely) and it is so easy to recall every note with clarity. Although still sounding good it was disappointing that he didn’t play it in order, as he had done in New York recently.
A white outfit replaced the opening combo of white shirt and black trousers and waistcoat after an interval, for a play through of the new album ‘Heathen’. Bowie dedicated ‘5:15 The Angels Have Gone’ to the late Who bassist John Entwistle. Although hailed as a return-to-form, ‘Heathen’, was on a losing ground coming after ‘Low’; however good (and it is patchy), it could never compete with such valiant past. (Thus its opening chart position of No. 5 quickly turned into 11.)
Still, the crowd around is getting off big time on this nostalgia and no-one fails to feel full of memories but no self-(re)discovery. This was another time, another place, another hallmark, we (who were there) were another people… It turns out to be like old science fiction that the time disproved. And then, decked in a long bright red long frock coat, the third part were encores ‘White Heat White Light’, which he performed with his hand-picked support act The Dandy Warhols, ‘Fame’, ‘Ziggy Stardust’, ‘Hello Spaceboy’ and bringing curtain down with ‘Afraid Of Americans’.
The latter parts got really upbeat and the past hits got everyone going in the aisles. As usual, Bowie is the ultimate performer, the band is delivering like a dream machine, there is certain elegance about the man-with-different-eyes that not even the acclaimed sartorialist Bryan Ferry could ever match. Bowie is beyond time but what was once ahead has become a legend-land-parallel.
It is sad that even Bowie is relying on his past glory, his mythical status so much. Once upon a time Bowie was all about excess-to-success but those days are long gone. He’s a solid performer but own history has started to cloud his genius. When an artist who used to plant milestones with every album starts returning to sounds-of-yore, it’s time to cash in the chords.
A triumphant Meltdown finale of sorts… But, as French are fond of saying, “No, va-va-voom!”
Buffy Bill
11-7-2005
David Bowie’s album ‘Heathen’ is available now on ISO/Sony
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