LIVE CRITICAL SOUNDBITES

NORTH AMERICAN “A REALITY TOUR,” SECOND LEG

"…last night's 2 1/4-hour dash through the 57-year-old musician's catalogue testified to Bowie's rare and influential feel for the fine art of invention...his enduring appeal. Bowie played to a multigenerational sea of original fans, members of the glam and goth nations, all-purpose art-school types, and tow-headed youngsters deep into their classic rock indoctrinations…’New Killer Star’ and ‘The Loneliest Guy,’ both from the new disc, marked two of the night's most mesmerizing, deeply musical moments…Backed by a crack six-piece band, Bowie was loose, suave, a bit salty, and incredibly amiable.”

 --Joan Anderman, BOSTON GLOBE, 3/31/04

“Bowie and his super-hot sextet backed up his always stunning visual cool with a dynamic two-hour, 15-minute set...He swiveled his slim hips to the speedy groove of ’Hang On To Yourself,’ solemnly praised the healing power of music in post-9/11 elegy ‘New Killer Star,’ amiably encouraged a sing-along to ’All the Young Dudes’ and bit into the lyrics of ‘Fame’ with a grin, jerking to the chunky backbeat supplied by Sterling Campbell…Campbell, like most of Bowie's current band, is a veteran of several tours now, and the second-nature nuances of players who know each other well came out in the performance. Whether it was keyboardist Mike Garson's starkly beautiful accompaniment on the gorgeously sad piano ballad ‘The Loneliest Guy’ or the interplay between guitarist Earl Slick and Jerry Leonard and Campbell on the chaotic rhythms of ‘Hallo, Spaceboy,’ they were a tight unit…’Quicksand’ swirling into majestic harmonies, the off-kilter, haunted-house keyboards of ‘Ashes to Ashes’ marrying R&B with spook, the cathartic technofunk of ‘I'm Afraid of Americans’ ratcheting up the dance quotient and ‘Heroes’ uniting the audience.”

--Sarah Rodman, BOSTON HERALD, 3/31/04

 

"…the voice was his most handsome asset. It leaped effortlessly between a piercing alto (the glam crunch of ‘Rebel Rebel’), a low monotone (the Pixies' ‘Cactus’), and a baritone croon. With effortless grace, he employed that croon to sing of impending apocalypses, in the funereal medley of ‘Sunday’ and ‘Heathen.’ He also used it on metronomic love songs (‘New Killer Star’) and strummed Nietzschean laments (‘Quicksand’). It soared while he knelt before his longtime Philadelphia fans during the glitter theme ‘All the Young Dudes’ and hummed through the jungle metal of ‘I'm Afraid of Americans.’…While the taut pulse of bassist Gail Ann Dorsey and the grandiloquent piano of Mike Garson brought nuance to creepy melodies (‘The Man Who Sold the World’), guitarists Earl Slick and Gerry Leonard created a palette that was primal and noisy, yet clean. Their razor leads and trashy rhythms provided Bowie with the best guitar sound he has had in his career."

--A.D. Amorosi, PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 3/31/04

"The subtly rumbling groove of ‘China Doll’ was a delectable highlight. The title cut from his latest album, Reality, rode pulverizing polyrhythms. But the mood downshifted neatly for the entrancing ‘Man Who Sold the World,' the 1971 tune that Bowie noted was the first he'd ever heard of himself on the radio."

--Jay N. Miller, PATRIOT LEDGER (Boston, MA), 3/31/04

“…the coolest man on Earth…Easily one of the most vital and exciting veteran pop stars in this or any other galaxy…he was profound, provocative, poetic, passionate, playful and, most importantly, pretense-free as he gleefully explored every facet of his career…With sly sophistication and a crafty sense of drama, Bowie used his velvet croon to enhance the sound and vision of his soul-searching musings, spiritual epiphanies and cosmic sermons. Opening with the timeless anthem ‘Rebel Rebel,’ the 57-year-old ‘chameleon of pop’ proved he still has evocative pipes. Bowie’s cool, detached voice surfaced from a murky mix of snarly guitars and crashing drums on the nightmarish opus about Sept. 11, ‘New Killer Star.’”

 --Craig S. Semon, WORCESTER TELEGRAM & GAZETTE (Boston, MA), 4/1/04

"Let Mick Jagger and Bono tussle over who's got the biggest band in the world. David Bowie is the quintessential ‘thinking man's’ rock star and that, at the end of the day, is a far more enviable position in which to be...Last year's Reality and its brooding 2002 predecessor, Heathen--the best record to bear the 57-year-old Bowie's name in 20 years--have contained some of his most direct, accessible and self-referential material in years, and it was clear from the extensive stage time given to songs from those albums that Bowie is the rare artist of his vintage committed to where he is now, not yesterday....The blaring Reality track ‘New Killer Star’ was an early winner, as was Bowie and his crack band's increasingly (quite pleasingly) dirty version of ‘Cactus’ by the Pixies.”

--Ben Rayner, TORONTO STAR, 4/1/03

“The 57-year-old Bowie and his razor sharp, six-piece band performed a stunning, sometimes challenging, two-hour-and- 15-minute set with plenty of emphasis on songs from his last two albums--2003's Reality and 2001's Heathen. Coming across well in that regard were such new songs as ‘New Killer Star,’ ‘Never Get Old,’ and his cover of The Pixies' ‘Cactus.’”

--Jane Stevenson, TORONTO SUN, 4/2/04

"The 57-year-old rock star, in his second Seattle concert of the year, offered a powerful and inspiring performance Wednesday night at Key Arena that served as a showcase for his extraordinary career. The show was a blend of new songs and past hits with fresh arrangements that made them sound entirely new."

--Gene Stout, SEATTLE POST INTELLIGENCER, 4/15/04

"...Bowie charmed and dazzled in his first Portland performance in nearly a decade...Really now, is it fair that one man should have so much: an inexhaustible store of memorable, thrilling, often groundbreakingly creative songs; a voice that can be by turns fey, coy, seductive, snarling, urgent, cocky and grandiose; a charisma that made anything from dramatic poses to goofy offhanded banter seem like masterly showmanship; a rock star's ultra-trim physique and feral grace, still, at age 57?...Bowie played for well over two hours, mixing numerous hits from as far back as 1970's ‘The Man Who Sold the World’ with lesser-known tunes old and new, plus a few standouts from last year's brilliant return-to-form, Reality...Guitarist Earl Slick added thickly textured riffs and wails in ‘New Killer Star,’ surprisingly gutsy chording in ‘China Girl’ and a rock 'n' roll gunslinger's attitude throughout. Keyboardist Mike Garson built a cathedral of haunting, jagged chords for ‘The Loneliest Guy’ and flashed his distinctive solo style--tumbling, spiky harmonies like barrelhouse Stravinsky--on the eerie masterpiece ‘Ashes to Ashes.’”

--Marty Hughley, PORTLAND OREGONIAN, 4/16/04

“The Bowie show--that maestro of musical reinvention--will go down in the annals as a moment of perfect communion with an artist who, like Neil Young, has rediscovered his enjoyment and ours with it…Bowie is not one of those dinosaurs who do the rounds of the concert halls, trotting out a handful of historic hits for nostalgic fans. And to prove it you need look no further than the release of Reality. The artistic energy of the rocker--who sang ‘Never Get Old’--is intact. As is his charisma, his perfect blend of sophisticated elegance and youthful exuberance, his way of moving and mocking rock-star clichés--while, at the same time, incarnating them perfectly…The immortal ‘Rebel Rebel’ was unleashed with the same fury as ‘New Killer Star’ from his most recent album…The playlist was not quite the same as that of Montreal in December. There were an additional three songs (26 in all) with the supreme ‘Ashes to Ashes,’ ‘The Man Who Sold The World,’ ‘Suffragette City’ and ‘China Girl’ alongside brilliant new tracks like ‘Sunday’ from the album Heathen, a cover version of the Pixies’ ‘Cactus’ and rarer gems like ‘Starman,’ ‘Hang On To Yourself’ and ‘Quicksand’ from the album ‘Hunky Dory’…Two hours and 15 minutes after launching the concert with ‘Rebel Rebel,’ Bowie left the stage--going back to his eternal youth. Leaving his fans overwhelmed and overjoyed.”

--Gilles Carignan, LE SOLEIL (Quebec), 4/5/04

“Bowie and a six-piece band pumped out a brilliant concert that was half hit parade, half musical adventure to places few have gone before…Highlights included ‘Never Get Old,’ appropriately enough, and the beautiful ballad, ‘The Loneliest Guy.’”

--Mike Ross, EDMONTON SUN (Canada), 4/10/04

"...Bowie left no doubt as to his confidence in his body of work and his ability to nail it live.  And, as one of rock's greats, he delivered as promised."

--David Barton, SACRAMENTO BEE, 4/19/04

"His voice was impossibly rich, all that it's ever been despite decades of wear, going thin and youthful on early tunes and filling up to a velvety roar on the sophisticated songs of his later years...The show reflected the staggering variety of Bowie's career...”

--Starshine Roshell, SANTA BARBARA NEWS PRESS, 4/21/04

“Only three months since his last appearance in the region, David Bowie continues to impress.  His performance Sunday night at the Budweiser Events Center was both a visual and musical spectacle by a performer still at the top of his game…masterful, graceful, and still as rockingly relevant as ever…”

--Glenn Burnsilver, FORT COLLINS WEEKLY, 4/25/04

“…Two hours and 20 minutes of hard, uncompromising rock & roll from David Bowie.”

--Raoul Hernandez, AUSTIN CHRONICLE, 4/29/04

“…Bowie has lost none of his high-voltage charisma or elegant allure…two hours of pure Bowie pleasure.”

--Michael Barnes, AUSTIN AMERICAN STATESMAN, 4/29/04

"It turns out the best character David Bowie ever played is David Bowie. The performer who has gallivanted as both Ziggy Stardust and the Thin White Duke came to the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion Thursday as himself. It was his best incarnation yet.”

            --Michael D. Clark, HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 4/30/04

“At his best…Bowie levitates us to an elegant and dramatic plane distant from our everyday existence, while exploring the self-doubt and alienation that haunt our earthly passage.

--Paul Rogers, LA WEEKLY, 4/30/04

"For two hours and 45 minutes at a sold-out Saenger Theatre on Friday, Bowie presided over a set of nearly 30 songs that reaffirmed his status as both an iconic figure and a still-vital artist fully invested in his craft. It would be difficult to overstate how good Bowie and his band were, how successfully they integrated standards, obscurities and his more challenging recent material...Friday's compelling presentation of select material from those albums underscored how, unlike so many of his faded contemporaries, the 57-year-old still thrives in the present tense, still revels in the action."

--Keith Spera, NEW ORLEANS TIMES PICAYUNE, 5/2/04

"David Bowie didn't need Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane, the Thin White Duke or any of the other rock ‘n’ roll personas he has been over the past three decades to thrill the sold-out crowd Wednesday at Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center.  Bowie, 57, needed only himself and the brilliant songs from his 35 year career.”

--Gina Vivinetto, ST. PETERSBURG TIMES, 5/6/04

“…Bowie sang ‘The Loneliest Guy’ from Reality. Backed only by Catherine Russell's keyboards and Gerry Leonard's ambient-noise guitar, Bowie's performance was understated but still theatrical. He clearly was inhabiting the song as opposed to just singing it....Credit Bowie for neither denying his past nor settling for becoming an oldies act."

--Curtis Ross, TAMPA TRIBUNE, 5/6/04

“…Poise and wit and a great deal more grace than most rock stars his age, or any age…Playful and unpredictable.”

--Nick Marino, ATLANTA JOURNAL CONSTITUTION, 5/9/04

"...the Reality Tour...It's really about one of the most colorful and provocative artists/entertainers in rock music and how, unlike most of his peers, he and his music have managed to remain relevant and uncompromisingly hip for five decades."

--Timothy Finn, KANSAS CITY STAR, 5/12/04

...Bowie's 2 1/2-hour show joyfully showcased what a vital live performer he remains. At the age of 57, he's still the coolest person in any room, full of cocksure English swagger.”

--Kevin C. Johnson, ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 5/12/04

“…a superbly paced, theatrically influenced event, with Bowie the ultimate showman…there’s still magic in whatever Bowie does.”

--J.C. Schisler, TRIBUNE-REVIEW (Pittsburgh,PA), 5/18/04

“It’s not always easy to separate the visionaries from the pranksters in rock-and-roll…But with a set that covered more than three decades of classic recordings in two-plus hours, David Bowie reminded a crowded house at the Patriot Center on Sunday how far ahead of the curve he so often was.”

--Dave McKenna, THE WASHINGTON POST, 5/18/04

“…a brilliant body of music.  At its best, Mr. Bowie’s music is adventurous and inventive, laden with passionate melodies, infectious hooks and wickedly clever lyrics…All of this was on display during Sunday’s two-hour-plus show.  The concert featured about a third of his hits, a third of his rarely performed album tracks a third of songs from his most recent albums, Heathen and Reality, both strong outings.”

--Dan Campbell, THE WASHINGTON TIMES, 5/18/04

“Bowie himself was in excellent voice and in total command of the stage throughout…exhibiting a level of enthusiasm artists half his age have trouble faking.  ‘Fame’ was amazing, its insistent funk groove somehow sounding every bit as fresh in 2004 as it did in the 70’s…melancholy keyboards and noisy guitar [that] underscore[d] the aching vocals a the heart of ‘The Loneliest Guy in the World,’ the strongest case he’d make all night for picking up Reality.

--Ed Masley, PITTSBURGH POST GAZETTE, 5/18/04

“Has an entertainer ever aged as gracefully, stylishly and artistically as David Bowie…In terms of wise and daring song selection, the quality of his voice, and the level of enthusiasm he displayed on stage, Bowie to set a standard that rockers half his age -- heck, rockers one-third his age -- should emulate.”

--Scott Tady, BEAVER COUNTY TIMES, (Pittsburgh, PA), 5/19/04

“Over the course of the 25-or-so songs Bowie packed into his set, you couldn’t help but be struck by just how many styles he’s touched on during his career thus far.  From folk to industrial, classic rock to dance-pop, he’s done it all, and managed to deliver classic songs in each genre.  So while there are other artists who’ve shifted genres almost as much, no one else has made it look and sound so effortless as David Bowie, a fact reaffirmed by the singer’s fine Hershey performance.”

--Todd Thatcher, THE HERSHEY CHRONICLE, 5/20/04

“…within a 2-1/2 hour period on Wednesday in Milwaukee, the persona-blending ringmaster made sure to please every kind of fan--the greatest hits lovers; the hard-core, rarity cravers; and newly-acquired admirers.  Bowie’s last two projects (2002’s Heathen and 2003’s Reality) have been laudable returns to form and fit in with earlier albums like Heroes and Scary Monsters…The hand picked band is truly one of the best Bowie’s ever put together.  ‘Modern Love,’ for instance, nearly boiled over with funk; ‘The Man Who Sold the World’ resounded with bluesy crispness; and ‘Rebel Rebel’ had swing riddled with surging adrenaline rushes.”

--Andy Argyrakis, THE DAILY JOURNAL, (Kankakee, IL), 5/20/04

“By dabbling in various styles of music through the years, David Bowie built a massive catalog of time-shifting hits.  The pop icon managed to condense all of that Thursday night at the Murat Theatre, where he transformed oldies of glam, funk and folk into muscular triumphs of modern rock.  When performing a handful of newer songs, Bowie turned somber, conflicted and introspective.  But what moods are better matched to the present…A feistiness emerged during a rendition of recent single ‘New Killer Star.’  The tune more or less urges bold living in dangerous times…”

--David Lindquist, INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 5/21/04

“Bowie’s show--although lacking any superficial or stylistic similarity--was reminiscent to Neil Young’s concert at The Mark.  Both were innovative and fresh takes from the veteran artists who nodded to the past with joy, but never remained entranced by former glories.  Instead, they embraced new territories with the same verve displayed as their stars were rising.

--Sean Leary, THE MOLINE DISPATCH, 5/24/04

“…Bowie’s voice is deeper and richer now…a band that sounded lean and mean from its more than nine months on the road.”

--Aaron Beck, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH, 5/26/04

“It was pure rock an roll magic from one of the genre’s all-time greatest.  There will never be an artist quite like Bowie…”

--Steve Hammer, NUVO NEWSWEKLY,(Indianapolis, IN), 5/26/04

"David Bowie has always been ahead of the curve. It was no surprise, then, that his sold-out show at Shea's Tuesday found him still pushing the envelope, 35 years deep into one of rock's most ambitious and consistently forward-looking careers. Bowie's current tour flies beneath the moniker ‘A Reality,’ and that's fitting; for 2^1/2 hours Tuesday, he and his seamless band brought an audience equal parts stunned and elated into another world, an elevated plane of artistic experience. In the arena of rock, this was quite simply as good as it gets...The set hit its full stride as Bowie took us on a tour through the bizarrely compelling world of his vastly underrated '90s masterpiece ‘Outside,’ with ‘Hallo Spaceboy’ driving home the point that Bowie married rock to techno with more conviction, panache and creativity than anyone, peer or otherwise, and ‘The Motel’ conjuring the ethereal, white-walled world of ambient genius he'd originally concocted for the '70s watermark Low album. The band's interplay here--particularly between Leonard's effect-laden phrases and Garson's punk-classical piano lines - was simply breathtaking. ‘The Loneliest Guy,’ a forlorn, cinematic ballad from Reality, tapped into the same vein, and was another highlight. Those lucky enough to claim a ticket stub for this intimate-yet-grandiose show will likely never forget it. Bowie is a class act, and remains one of the most influential artists in rock music. That he still manages to challenge his audience at this stage of his career is an inspiration to all who care about the music's future."

--Jeff Miers, The BUFFALO NEWS, 5/27/04

“Bowie did an excellent job of mixing older gems with strong new material.  ‘New Killer Star,’ from his latest CD Reality…Bowie’s six piece band was excellent…Bowie’s fan base is loyal.  Though some come to hear the classics and the big hits, others are such die-hards that they revel in the more obscure tracks.  Thus, even when he dug in deeper into his catalog and dusted off a rare nugget, many in the crowd could be seen singing along.

--Alan K. Stout, THE TIMES LEDGER, 5/28/04.

“What’s so great about Bowie is that he’s continued to explore new musical frontiers as his career has progressed.  While most other artists his age have traded in recording for full-time touring status (after all, that’s where all the money is), he continues to put out challenging new material every couple of years.  From his critically-acclaimed 2003 release, Reality, he performed the hard-driving title cut and the somber, piano-driven ‘The Loneliest Guy.’  Other more recent fare included the furious ‘I’m afraid of Americans.’

--Josh McAuliffe, SCRANTON TIMES TRIBUNE, 5/28/04.

“It’s safe to say that there probably wasn’t a better show on the planet last Saturday night, and Bowie showed that his respect for the past and his focus on the present are a gift to his fans today.”

--Tim Donnelly, ASBURY PARK PRESS, 6/2/04.

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