North along Riverside...
Even if you weren't at Riverside, or any of the cinemas screening the event, I'm sure you've all heard about what a great show we witnessed last night. That view is backed up on the MBs and today's press here in the UK, with praise from The Daily Telegraph, The Times, The Evening Standard and The Daily Mirror. There's also a review on the BBC site, to which you can ad your own comments.
David has described Reality as being built to play live, and last night was certainly evidence of that. Riverside rocked big time (can an Englishman say that?) and there was a very special buzz among BowieNetters throughout the day, up until the early hours of this morning.
Apart from a couple of minor technical glitches at one or two of the cinemas, (See Tony Visconti's comments on the MBs) it seems the cinema audiences were having almost as much fun as the crowd at Riverside, with reports of cheering along and dancing in the aisles at many of the venues.
Just like to say on a personal note, that it was lovely to meet so many of you last night, and what a bunch of charmers you are... just one more thing that makes this job so worthwhile.
Anyway, I'll leave you with the set list, a few of my pictures (as if you need reminding of how good DB is looking right now) and a brief(ish) review from BowieNetter LizSK2, aka Liz 'Lightening Fingers' Tray... though not so lightening fingers when it comes to opening her purse... anyway, I digress.
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Riverside September 8th 2003 Set List
(Warm up)
A new Career in a new town
A bit of Song 2
A bit of Rumble
(Whole of Reality album)
New Killer Star
Pablo Picasso
Never Get Old
The Loneliest Guy
Looking for Water
She'll Drive the Big Car
Days
Fall Dog Bombs The Moon
Try Some, Buy Some
Reality
Bring Me The Disco King
Q n A with Jonathan Ross
(Extras. First 3 songs voted by you)
Hallo Spaceboy
Fantastic Voyage
Hang On To Yourself
Cactus
Afraid
Modern Love
New Killer Star
Total Blam Blam - (BowieNet News Editor)
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David Bowie at Riverside studios September 8th 2003 by Liz Tray
The security was tighter than Jonathan Ross? CBGBs T shirt. Nerves seemed high everywhere: from us lot trying to get a good position in the studio and, I would imagine, from those trying to get a satellite to connect to cinemas across Europe and Asia.
So back to the aforementioned Mr Ross, who did a fabulous job all night might I add. He told us that David would come out and do a warm up to check the sound, which I wasn?t expecting really, so when he walked out wearing similar clothes to Poughkeepsie with an Earthling tour type jacket a flash of excitement shot through the lucky attendees. We got A New Career In A New Town and bits of Blur?s Song 2 and even Link Wray's Rumble, which he insisted none of us would know!
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There was much checking of times in earpieces and satellites and then we were off! As I expected NKS was the first tune up and, it was received loudly and warmly with a fair bit of air punching which db later picked up on and joined in with. Even though I knew he was doing the whole of Reality I wasn?t sure if it would be in order a la the Heathen/Low shows last year. Well when Pablo Picasso was announced I knew it would be! I must say the album sounds wonderful in entirety and even though he thought we wouldn?t know it because ?you haven?t had your bootlegs long enough yet? every song was sung with great passion and recognition especially Never Get Old which I?m sure will turn into a firm live favourite.
Set-wise the simple lights and wooden floors with catwalk added a great deal to the ambience of the studio and db made full use of the extended stage when he walked out to do The Loneliest Guy, a beautiful and clearly emotional song for him and many of the audience. It seemed like the rest of the album whizzed by, Disco King, the only song I hadn?t heard yet, almost knocked us all out; this must be the best song on the album. Not that I?ve heard it yet. Honest!
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I?d forgotten about the Q&A completely but it turned out to be such a good laugh. A combination of well-handled technical difficulties and great answers (on haircuts, dogs and James Bond); a bit like the Eurovision Song Contest without the shit songs. And if anyone was wondering what on earth all that camp ?Shut that door!? stuff was about it seems Gail is a fan of Larry Grayson! And again if you?re wondering who on earth he is, as I?m sure many Europeans were, he was just about the campest Brit TV presenter in the 70?s. I never thought I?d see David Bowie impersonating Les Dawson on stage either.
So then on to the request section, which started with my favourite song of the night, Hallo Spaceboy. The band was so good last night; they?ve all really developed a rapport and connection that is better than any Bowie band I?ve ever seen. Oblivious to the cameras we jumped and sang our hearts out hoping the world was wishing they were in our place. Fantastic Voyage is always welcome (my second hearing in 3 weeks), NKS was performed again and the air was punched even more emphatically the second time. And then it was over. He swaggered offstage looking understandably pleased with himself. We attended the biggest interactive music event of all time and I can?t think of anyone who could do it better.
After party? a few words needed. TVQueenBitch (and his lovely tits) did a wonderful job DJing despite the world?s worst CD players. Fredthegnome will wake with purple hair for the next week or so and I believe the rest of us just about took the roof off Gossips in Soho dancing to Bowie all night. I got home at 4am and now I?m sitting at work with a giant smile on my face remembering flashes of last night. Talking of flashes there was a couple of T-shirt moments that raised the temperature a little from the man on stage. I got almost to the end without mentioning how good he looked too ;)
