"Now, where did little Lexie put that harmonica? Hope she remembers tomorrow."
Tony, David and Sterling rehearse 'I Would Be Your Slave' for last night's show.
And the stars look very different today...
David Bowie stole the show again at the annual Tibet House Benefit at Carnegie Hall last night. And, as revealed in David's journal yesterday, the beautiful new song 'I Would Be Your Slave' was performed along with a completely new arrangement of 'Space Oddity', which we posted a crummie of in yesterday's news too.
As I post this, it's 5:00am NY time, so I'm expecting a lot more feedback in a few hours, but in the meantime, I won't bore you with my own second-hand account of what went on, instead, let's hear it straight from three people who experienced this moving event for themselves.
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David Bowie looked like God Almighty himself. His hair was beautiful, and his suit was magnificent. It was a black suit with a small white check, with a belted jacket and wide leg pants. His hair was gorgeous, a little too much gel on the left side of his head, but still beautiful. He tooted a harmonica that had been slipped into his pocket by 17-month-old Alexandria, and sang a brief tribute to Ray Davies who had been out earlier.
The first song was a new one, I Will Be Your Slave, which was lovely, with string quartet accompaniment (I can't remember the name of the quartet, sorry), Visconti, et al. Then, they were joined by yet another string quartet, the Kronos Quartet, and Adam Yauch for Space Oddity which was truly spectacular. It was just perfect, what a beautiful rendition. Then, with hardly a by-yer-leave, he swept off the stage, leaving only the Kronos Quartet behind.
Barbara & Richard Younger
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Once again...Bowie = brilliance. As amazing as it was to actually see Ray Davies completely shake Carnegie Hall, it was of course, our boy, Mr. Bowie that once again made the night.
1. David appears out of nowhere (mainly do to the fact that from where I was, it seemed like David popped out of the side of the head of the girl sitting in front of me.) David looks beautiful. Much better than usual. Maybe it was the whole "in person" thing. But his hair looks fabulous, he looked slimmer, and just better in general. Yes, we all thought it was impossible for Bowie to actually look better...but it happens. That's why he's so great. There's always a surprise.
2. David woos the crowd and makes everyone feel warm and fuzzy after striking a few notes on the harmonica little Alex had slipped into his trousers before the show.
3. The Scorchio Quartet join David, Tony, and Sterling and they go into a new song. Haunting, romantic, and beautiful. If the rest of the new album is anything like "I would be your slave," then this album will truly be a Bowie classic. David's voice was the highlight of the song, soaring and diving throughout. The words were amazing as well. All and all, a breathtaking song.
4. A hush of tiny whispers run through the crowd trying to just guess what David's going to do next... "Heroes"?, he already dispelled that idea in today's journal.. "7 Years in Tibet?" "Changes?" Who the hell knows....Anyway...Visconti's now conducting both the Scorchio Quartet as well as the Kronos Quartet...Philip Glass and Adam Yauch (from the Beastie Boys) also join in...
The strings are playing something slightly lonely and distant...the piano and bass are sliding between two very familiar notes....cue David..."This is ground control to major tom..." The place goes bananas...there could have been 12 Ray Davies rolled into one and it wouldn't have touched the grace and power of the "Space Oddity" performed tonight.
Curiously absent from the song was the familiar 12-String acoustic strumming by David, but I'm not sure it would have really fit in with this arrangement anyway. The lift off sequence was only rivalled by the version performed at the Santa Monica Civic Center from 72. "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah.....dam da ba ba..." so cute, so cute.
5. David leaves the stage. I zone out for most of the rest of the show. Just wishing David would play more...maybe come out and talk..something...thankfully Dave Matthews was not on the bill this year. That's all I can say on that.
6. The show ends with a great set by Ms. Smith, followed by another all star rendition of "The People Have the Power." Although David stood behind the cute little Brazilian daughter of Jao Gilberto, it was only after he came onto and lit up the stage that audience members decided that their seats were no longer good enough and that the front of the stage was the place to be.
7. The show is over. Everyone files out. I can't get David's new song or "Space Oddity" out of my head. Thank you so much! David should definitely play Carnegie Hall if he tours for his new album. Seeing him in a place like that is just wonderful. The acoustics were just mind-blowing. Either way, Bowie has once again proven that he can light up an entire show without playing a note, and then playing that note and giving a crowd of people something they will honor, cherish, and fall in love with again and again for the rest of their lives (unless they somehow forget or stop liking David...who knows how these things happen..)
love on ya! - Antoine Poncelet
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At about an hour and a half into the event, Sailor strolled out in all his glory, looking as great as ever, flashing us all a grin and making a joke at the fact that he needed a lyric sheet, by explaining that one song was "really new" and one was "really old!"
Backing him up were trusty Sterling and Tony Visconti on bass, as well as a string quartet. The first song played, a new song from the upcoming album I presume, was titled "I Would Be Your Slave" and was both sensual and moving, drawing the audience in. Sailor's voice was in top form, and the entire song had a very romantic feel, that I think would not be far removed from "Lady Grinning Soul".
When this was done, there was riotous applause, 'til the next song began. It seemed familiar, but I couldn't place it, then nearly had a stroke when I heard the opening lines, "ground control to major tom..." Space Oddity! Unbelievable. Sailor seemed to enjoy himself immensely and even led us in the hand-claps! This was such an incredible night.. to hear the man perform one of his new songs most likely for the first time before an audience (and what a song at that!), and to sing one of his all time classics was worth the ticket alone.
This was a night that will stay with me, and many others, all the years to come."
William Byron
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There ya go, three very satisfied customers indeed. Thanx again for sending this in folx, you will be rewarded in Heaven...and by us in our own little way too. Stay tuned to BowieNet for more stuff as we get it, including pictures from last night.
Remember, you can contribute anything you feel is relevant to Spaceface and Susans' dedicated page by going here, and, by all accounts, there will be a separate BowieNet Tibet special too.
