Greeley Tribune - February 3, 2004

Bowie to play Events Center

By Nikolaus Olsen


Let's dance. Renowned rock performer David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust himself - has announced a stop at the Budweiser Events Center on April 25.

The man known for outrageous costumes and songs that helped influence rock will stop in northern Colorado as part of his "A Reality Outside" tour - his first world tour since 1995. Bowie, 57, has had such hits as "Under Pressure," recorded with Queen in 1981, "Young Americans," "Fame" and "Changes."

Bowie's eccentric personality started generating worldwide attention in 1972 with his Ziggy Stardust persona and the album "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars." Since 1967, Bowie has put out 26 albums, the most recent, "Reality," was released in September 2003.

The chance to see Bowie live in northern Colorado excited one fan.

"I would love to see him, as long as he plays his old stuff," said Jen Pollock, 37, of Windsor. "I never saw him back in the day. It would be nice to see him before he retires."

Pollock, whose favorite Bowie song is "Changes," said even her sons know who Bowie is. A few months ago they rented "Labyrinth," a movie produced in 1986 by Jim Henson in which Bowie stars as the Goblin King Jareth who kidnaps an infant, forcing a teenage girl (Jennifer Connelly) to travel through an immense maze to get the child back.

The last Bowie performance in Colorado was at McNichols Arena in 1995 in Denver. The April date will be his only show in Colorado.

Landing a Bowie concert is a big deal for the Budweiser Events Center, said the arena's general manager Ann Larson.

"It's not only a huge name, but it is someone who doesn't make a habit of touring," Larson said.

A concert like this one will draw the eye of more national promoters looking for a stage for big name acts, she said. The Bowie show is produced by Clear Channel Concerts, a promoter who has several acts they are interested to bring to the arena, Larson said. She declined to list any names.

"This will give us some additional momentum in getting other artists," Larson "This is a A-level, home-run type of show."

To land the Bowie concert, Larson reached out to the vice president of marketing of Global Spectrum, the Philadelphia-based company that manages the Budweiser Events Center. That vice president is close to Bowie's manager and he was able to get one of Bowie's 14 North American concerts to stop in northern Colorado.

TO GO: David Bowie will perform with The Polyphonic Spree at 7:30 p.m. April 25 at the Budweiser Events Center. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday and are $41.50, $57 and $77. They are available at the arena box office, by calling (877) 544-TIXX.


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