NASHVILLE |DATE: JUNE 8, 2004
FROM: MITCH SCHNEIDER/LATHUM NELSON
DAVID BOWIE CONCLUDES NORTH AMERICAN ‘A REALITY TOUR’ WITH A PAIR OF NEW YORK AREA SHOWS BEFORE HEADING OVERSEAS
DAVID BOWIE climaxed his hugely successful and critically acclaimed North American “A Reality tour” this past weekend with a pair of shows in the New York area (June 4, Jones Beach; June 5, Holmdel). He deftly mixed material from his acclaimed REALITY and HEATHEN albums with hits and deep album cuts, prompting Newsday’s Rafer Guzman to note: “…Bowie dove deeply into his material and came up with hidden emotional treasure” (6/7/04). Tony Visconti, Ronnie Spector and Graham Parker were on hand at the Jones Beach show, while New York rockers The Rapture were in attendance for the Holmdel gig. Next, BOWIE heads overseas for an array of headlining performances at the top festivals including The Isle of Wight in the UK this Sunday (6/13/04). The influential rock legend’s first major world tour in nearly a decade is encompassing 17 countries.
Armed with a rotating list of 60 songs, BOWIE and his band–Sterling Campbell (drums), Gail Ann Dorsey (bass/backing vocals), Mike Garson (keyboards), Gerry Leonard (guitar), Earl Slick (guitar) and Catherine Russell (backing keyboards/backing vocals)–toured North America in two legs, performing 60 shows in 48 cities. Sold-out shows and triumphant reviews were hallmarks of the North American “A Reality Tour,” described by many as one of the best treks in Bowie’s career. His support acts on this tour ranged from Macy Gray to the Polyphonic Spree to the Stereophonics.
The shows were seen by a truly wide range of eclectic names in the music and film world:
Music: Lenny Kravitz, Velvet Revolver’s Slash, Lisa Marie Presley, The White Stripes’ Meg White, David Byrne, Trent Reznor, Tom Waits, Frank Black, Ray Davies, Martin Gore, Perry Farrell, Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Anthony Kiedis and Flea, Grandaddy, The Rapture, Tony Visconti, Interpol, Maxwell, Laurie Anderson, Incubus, Tears For Fears, Steve Jones, No Doubt, Marilyn Manson, System of A Down, Helmet’s Page Hamilton, Gavin Rossdale, Q Tip, Steven Van Zandt, Timothy B. Schmit of The Eagles, Bob Geldof, Placebo, Danny Lohner, Rodney Bingenheimer, Graham Parker, Ronnie Spector, Ian Astbury.
Film: Brad Pitt, Jude Law, Charlize Theron, Naomi Watts, Edward Norton, Scarlett Johansson, Sofia Coppola, Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe, Elijah Wood, Evan Rachel Wood, Lara Flynn Boyle, Johnny Knoxville, David Spade, Margaret Cho, Gary Oldman, Mary Stuart Masterson, John Stamos, Rachel Hunter, David Caruso, Dermot Mulroney, Dominic Monaghan, Kim Cattrall, Paul Schrader, Rosanna and Patricia Arquette.
In a 6/3/04 interview published in the Newark Star Ledger before the Holmdel show, Bowie said: “I never enjoyed touring much before, to be truthful. The pressure of mounting those theatrically oriented shows in the past was a lot of work and worry. These days, it’s about interpreting the songs in a loose, informal, direct way, and the more we’ve done it over the past few years, the more we’ve gotten into a groove. And I have to tell you, this band is just so damn good that I actually enjoy the hell out of it.”
The full listing of “A Reality Tour” critical soundbites (including both North American legs) is posted at David Bowie’s page at www.msopr.com. Here are a few of them:
“Best Tour: #2, David Bowie, ‘A Reality Tour,’” after Radiohead, in the “Critics’ Picks” section in the ROLLING STONE “Music Awards 2003” poll.
—ROLLING STONE, 2/5/04
“Unlike many other rockers of his generation, Mr. Bowie, 56, made his recent songs sound just as trenchant as the oldies…He has reunited with his 1970's producer, Tony Visconti, and–with an added jolt from Sept. 11–has returned to contemplating apocalypse and alienation, fear and fame.”
–Jon Pareles, NEW YORK TIMES, 12/17/03
“…in stellar voice…in a world where only a handful or artists of Bowie’s stature remain active–and few new ones can sustain interest in their second album, let alone their 26th–it was impressive that he not only still had something to say but could also make us want to hear it.”
–Natalie Nichols, LOS ANGELES TIMES, 2/2/04
“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
“…songs from that disc (Reality)–including the driving ‘New Killer Star’ and the haunting ‘The Loneliest Guy,’ which was given a Spartan reading with just vocals, one keyboard and one guitar–shined in live performance.”
–Jim DeRogatis, CHICAGO SUN TIMES, 1/15/04
"…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 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
“…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 new material rang as true as the old and was played with the same intensity and conviction.”
–Brad Kava, SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 1/29/04
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