Well, I'm finally starting to recover from my trip to New York. And what a trip it was! I'm exhausted, sore, behind on my responsibilities and kinda sick but it was more than worth it. It was one of those concerts of a lifetime that you just can't miss.

At the beginning of the month I heard about a Bowienet members only gig that would serve as the warm-up for his upcoming 'Reality' tour. I went last year with my brother Moonbeam on a whim hoping for something great. I've been a fan for a decade now and had never seen the man live. And I got more than I could've ever hoped for. He performed "Low" and "Heathen" in their entirety (my old and new favorite Bowie albums). So something told me I had to go this year as well. I had trouble renewing my membership but after several hours of persistence, I got in. And just in time. About an hour after I purchased my tickets, the show was sold out. The only reason I was able to get them at all is that there was no advance warning of the ticket sale. Lucky me! And they were only $45 a piece.

Here was the ad for the show:


I had no idea who would go with me when I bought the tickets. I knew that Ian couldn't make it as he was preparing for a new semester and training new teachers. I even asked my mom, but she had a class reunion to go to and didn't think she could handle the long drive. After much pleading and hyping I got my good friend, the one and only AaronSuperior to agree to the trip. This was good. I didn't want to drive by myself. I didn't want to see the show alone. And I like going to shows with someone as nuts for the artist as me. So step 2 was in place.

Next was getting there. There were plenty of obstacles. Getting lost in Niagara Falls, finding a hotel, finding the venue, figuring out how to pay the parking meter. LOL. The thing about Poughkeepsie is that the part where the show took place is super rich and everything costs a fortune. Where we stayed across the Hudson River was actually pretty scary. The hotel room had near broken beds, scratched and beaten up furniture, plants growing out of the woodwork, insects on the floor, stains all over the place. You get the picture. But it didn't matter cuz I was going to see fucking DAVID BOWIE!

The day of the show we showed up around 5 (2 hours ahead of time). And thank god we did. There were probably only 50 people or so waiting. You could hear the band rehearsing and the buzz was already strong about what songs he might play. People had mentioned seeing him show up in his limo too. Many people had pens and items to sign ready just in case. So I quickly ran back to the car to get my Aladdin Sane reissue and Aaron got Station To Station. We weren't to be disappointed. About an hour later he gracefully strolled out of the backdoor and came to greet us. He looked very relaxed, happy and healthy. Better than ever really. He was casual in a white pair of pants and white t-shirt and very talkative. I was in the back of the pack, but because I'm really tall I was able to reach over and hand him my cd to sign. Yes! Other people were able to really talk to him cuz of how close they were. I just uttered out "I love you". He quickly looked up and said "Thank you." He's one of those people who are exactly how you imagine them. But even better. You can feel the star power when you're around him yet he makes you totally comfortable and at ease. Such a cool guy.

Here's what he looked like:


And then for the most chaotic part yet. After he was done signing everyone quickly formed the line. Since it was general admission it was first come first serve. But shortly after everyone had gotten in line the security split the line up between will call and ticketholders. We lost our place and would've been near the very back of the line. But I overheard them mention that they'd also take people with tickets in the will call line which only had at most 20 people in it. So we held our ground and after what seemed like forever, were let in. I'm glad we stayed where we were cuz we got a place right at the front underneath his microphone. Looking around I realized just how tiny The Chance was. They say it holds 850 but I later found out that they only sold 600 tickets so that people would have plenty of room to move. The fans were super gracious - getting drinks for eachother, holding places when someone had to go to the bathroom, making conversation. Nicer than some fans I could mention. The alcohol, heat and closeness whipped everyone into a frenzy before the show. Even the mere site of a roadie tuning a guitar could spark screaming. The wait was almost over.

At about 8:15 David and the band finally took the stage. He was wearing gray jeans and jean jacket with a black t-shirt that read "Metal World" and some awesome biker boots. He seemed super confident and ready to go. We were told in the press release that he would be previewing several new songs. But what we weren't told was that it wasn't just new songs, it was a whole new attitude. The band absolutely ripped it for nearly every song. And the best part was that Bowie played guitar for at least half of the show. The new songs are vibrant, loose yet tight, and full of energy. Don't get me wrong, I love the classic appeal of 'Hours' and 'Heathen', but I'm excited to see him rock out again. I had read that he's rehearsed over 75 songs for this tour. And if this is just a sampling I can't even imagine what he's got in store. Here's what he played:

Reality
Modern Love
New Killer Star
Cactus
Battle For Britain (The Letter)
Pablo Picasso
Afraid
Fall Dog Bombs The Moon
Sister Midnight
I'm Afraid Of Americans
She'll Drive The Big Car
Suffragette City

Encore:
Fantastic Voyage
Never Get Old
The Man Who Sold The World
Rebel Rebel
Hang Onto Yourself
Heathen (The Rays)

Goddamn it was exciting. The band has been reheasing 6 hours a day for over a month and it shows. He kept mentioning how nervous he and the band were but they had no reason to be. They've got an air-tight show and the new material was very well received. Even older songs like "Rebel Rebel" and "Modern Love" were given a new edge that made them fresh and fun. There wasn't a single dull moment. And the inclusion of my 2 favorite Lodger songs "Fantastic Voyage" and "Sister Midnight" (the prototype to "Red Money") was so satisfying. He was very funny and chatty during the show, making jokes and interacting with the audience. People would yell out "Width Of A Circle" and "Sweet Thing", songs that are nearly impossible to reproduce live. He would shoot back "I'm glad I've got these phones in my ears. I can't hear you." He was clearly having as much fun as the audience. Dancing, laughing, being sexy, leaning against his guitar player and miming against his bass player. Here's what he looked like for the show:



Yet another one of the best shows I've ever seen. It couldn't have been any better. I'm 3 for 3 now between last year's Roseland Ballroom, Area 2 and now this. He continues to inspire and blow my mind with every move he makes. If you have a chance, go see him on his upcoming tour. European tickets are already available and his North American tour itinerary will be announced very soon.

Yay Bowie!!!

Wow Tron,that's quite a review! I'm glad you enjoyed the show.

Are my pictures totally not showing up?

Here are links to the ones I used.

http://www.bowieaudio.com...ic_id=1675

http://www.bowieaudio.com...ic_id=1953

http://www.bowieaudio.com...ic_id=1936

How's this?
[This message was edited Sun Aug 24 11:42:37 PDT 2003 by TRON]
[This message was edited Sun Aug 24 11:44:41 PDT 2003 by TRON]

AWESOME!

I'm so happy for you!!!

endorphin74 said:

Thanks. Are the pics showing up at all?

Wow. I'm really happy for you Tron. And yes, you're pictures are coming up. I like the "autograph" one. Great report man!!

TRON said:

:JERK:

I am so glad for you! What an experience! I missed out on tix, but will try to get tix for the live net feed next tuesday (keep your fingers crossed!).

What a beautiful, detailed and graceful report!

If you had shouted "I love you" to me, I would have taken you home, LoL
[This message was edited Sun Aug 24 14:16:26 PDT 2003 by gooeythehamster]

gooeythehamster said:

Thanks! I try.

You should seriously try to get tickets for A'dam. Get Noepie to hook you up.

Wow, I'm sooo looking forward to the Sep.8 show!

You are the most LUCKY PUPPY ~ Aaron too!!! What an amazing, incredible and out of the Universe experience. Think about all the times you have said you would like to see someone in concert and have a sense of how you would like it to be. Then think of all the times it has happened for you in reality so closely to the way you imagined it ~ some special Karma and a lot of hard work my friend. Thank you for such a beautiful post. Even though it drove me crazy, it was worth waiting for.

Oh ~ I am not getting the pictures for some reason although yours usually come through fine. I'll check the links. Thanks again!

Thank you David Bowie, and more importantly, TRON for one of the best concert experiences I've ever had. And all of the other stuff we did on the trip was great too! Great sight-seeing for such a spur-of-the-moment and unthought-out trip. I LOVED IT!!! Thanks

Wow! Sounds great! The new album seems like it's going to be great. The concert we went to last year was one of the best highlights of the year we got to live together. It gave me a great appreciation of "Low."

I'm so jealous that you got to hear so many of those songs live, especially "The Man Who Sold the World"- I've seen the SNL performance and I imagine that song always translates well live.

Great report!

TRON said:

Tomorrow I am the one arranging tickets for lazy Noepie.

I hope this becomes a yearly thing... I could really get spoiled on Bowie...

gooeythehamster said:

lazy?, I was the one who was already trying to get tickets on friday, but they weren't on sale yet.
So now my unemployed friend can see again what an early morning looks like.

We've got 'em!!
Gooey just called and we're going to the Amsterdam screening of Bowie's london gig.

noepie said:

Ahum.
I am just on another timeframe then you.
D'oh.

I got one ticket too much...

At least now I will SEE a concert.
Cuz Fhunkin forgot to get us REAL tix.

Do you know who you want to take with you/us?

noepie said:

Not yet. A sexy boy. Maybe.

gooeythehamster said:

But i'm already going.

TRON, I am BEYOND envy!!!


That concert sounds amazing. I can't believe he did Fantastic Voyage!!! Holy shit...

Any rumors yet when US tix are going on sale? I've never seen the man live before, and I MUST. It's bad enough never getting to see Radiohead, but I can't miss David!!!

noepie said:

okay; a forthcoming sexy boy then.
You a man, btw

A great report Tron!!!

You had an absolute blast man and it shows

I can feel the excitement dripping from your every word, reminds me of his NYC Roseland gig I was @last year
... now that was a journey from London!

Thanks for the post and hope u get to see a few db USA gigs early next year!

even i wish i was there now and im not even a bowie fan like that. if possible, could you say some more about the new material? does it genuinely 'rock'?

TheLodger said:

Thank you. Again, I wish you could've gone. It was transcendent. One of the best shows I've ever seen.

But of course I'm gonna be jealous hearing all about your show reports from the upcoming tour so it all evens out.

thirstinhowlVIII said:

Yeah, the new material definitely rocks. "Fall Dog Bombs The Moon" is a bit laid back but it still has a solid groove. But "Reality", "New Killer Star", "Never Get Old" and "Pablo Picasso" are balls to the wall rockers that don't let go from start to finish. I hope you gets some good exposure with this album cuz I could see many people getting excited about Bowie with this project.

TRON said:

well, it's very likely he will play Sweet thing on the tour, as he rehearsed it. Other tracks from rehearsals include R'n'r suicide, Jump they say, the Motel, Watch that man, Loving the alien, All the madmen...expect a fab tour!
By the way, fab you managed to get to that show!

alexxa15 said:

How do you know this? These would be great additions!