FAN CONCERT REPORTS
Sweden, Stockholm
The Globe
(Wednesday 8th October 2003)
Report: Stockholm Globen Review
From: Karin Levin
I was one of those happy people who this Wednesday attended David Bowie's second concert of his world tour in Globen - Stockholm.
Never been to a concert of his, I had absolutely no idea what to expect. Without no money, I travelled all alone almost 100 miles, had a really hard time finding a place to stay for the night, dropped my sandwich on my newly washed trousers, got lost on the subway, tired and hungry - but, boy, was it worth it...
How one single man can be filled with such an energy, life and neither the less humor. He has got a special funny way of mixing this professional manner, but still act pretty nonchalant. And it's a pretty comfortable thing to know that I don't exaggerate just because I'm a DB-fan. But of all the reviews I've read about his performance (and trust me, I've read a few) it's just a fact that everyone must agree - David, you're the master!
This was neither a nostalgic journey nor an advertisement of his latest album. He started with New Killer Star, which immediately got the audience lively. But that was nothing compared to the response after 10,000 people listening to this genius man for two hours, he ended the show brilliantly with Ziggy Stardust, and the audience was ecstatic.
You could say that I was more than enough positively surprised by this first experience of his performance. And I think I got an appetite for more. If it wasn't for the fact that I'm a poor art student I would be willing to travel more than just 100 miles to see him again, I can tell you that for sure. So please - people who haven't got a ticket yet - take my advice and get one! 'Cause I can assure you won't regret it. And it will be worth every trouble and every cent.
As a Swedish girl I don't think I have enough words in my English vocabulary to describe this perfect evening, so I can just suggest you go see it yourself and get an unforgettable night. Thanks - for now on.
Beforehand - have a really good time...
Best regards to you all.
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Report: Full review of the Stockholm concert
From: Jofo
Dear David and Bowie fans
Thanks for a great show last night. You're always welcome back to Stockholm. Here are some comments for you all.
The show was good, really good but it had the highs and the lows.
The best songs in my opinion were Loving The Alien, Days, Sunday, Disco King and Slip Away. Of course there were also some of the old stuff that worked fine, Ziggy Stardust, Heroes, Under Pressure, surprisingly Fame and of course I'm Afraid Of Americans and Hallo Spaceboy but that's not really old stuff...
Song by song
1. Intro: The show starts with some new music probably from the Reality sessions, a steady beat rock riff. The big screen back drop lights up and we see the band playing in the shape of cartoons. Suddenly the the screen changes and the cartoon figures become real motion pics. At the same time the band parades out on the catwalk like part of the stage. Very elegant. Bowie wears light almost white trousers and shirt.
2. New Killer Star. Starts off right after the intro. More or less identical to the album version.
3. Fame. Very much like the how it has been played during the last three years.
4. Cactus. Nice and short. Better than the album version. Nice backing vocals from Catherine.
5. Battle For Britain. Good version. Very similar to the original, but the band seem to enjoy playing and it is better than the original. Great piano from Mike.
6. Breaking Glass. David starts talking a lot to the audience. "Judging us" as he says. He puts on his judging look. He hints that they will play something from the Seventies and the crowd gets exited. The song is and like last years version. Doesn't feel so committed.
7. Loving The Alien. First surprise. He does it acoustic with Gerry Leonard and Mike.
The audience is spellbound. His voice is in perfect shape.
8. Days. They seem to be prepared for a full band song, but the crowd wants to hear another acoustic. "OK let's do another acoustic," he says and he gets a guitar from one in the crew. The guitar is out of tune and he and Gail starts tuning it together on stage. A funny and improvised break. The atmosphere feels very intimate even though we are 13,000 in the Globe Arena. After some jokes about guitar tuning they do a fantastic acoustic version of Days.
9. Hallo Spaceboy. The atmosphere changes and becomes more loud and hard.
It's a good version quite identical to the original.
10. Under Pressure. Same version as during the Outside tour. Alright. Good vocals at the end.
11. Sunday. A long and absolutely breathtaking version of the song. Best moment so far.
12. Bring Me The Disco King. Same as Sunday.
13. Ashes To Ashes. Good. Sounds like the version from last year.
14. Never Get Old. Good version Bowie says afterwards. "Eh it's not really true you know because I am actually getting old. It's just a trick."
15. Pablo Picasso. The song doesn't come across. The song is to vague to work well live.
16. Fantastic Voyage. Good version. Nice vocals in the end. The crowd is impressed.
17. I'm Afraid Of Americans. Great version. The single version. Funny video clips on the backdrop screen. Looks like some cartoons of La La La Human Steps.
18. Heathen. Wonderful. Armageddon feeling, Majestic.
19. Rebel Rebel. Pointless version. The new one. Pointless song, pointless to play these days. The audience seem to like it though, but in their hearts I don't think they do. Drop it.
20. "Heroes". Starts off a bit hesitating, but rises to majestic highs in the end.
A fantastic final of the show before the encores.
Encores:
21. Slip Away. One of the highlights of the evening. Starts with clips from the Real Uncle Floyd show from the 60s 70s or whatever. Quite moving of some reason. During the chorus we can follow the lyric on the screen in a sing-along way.
22. Hang On To Yourself. OK version but in my opinion forgettable.
23. Let's Dance. Surprisingly stiff and stompy. Starts with same Latin intro in the last years. No one dances so the whole situation feels a bit strange.
24. Ziggy Stardust. Good version. Fantastic vocals. Best of the old songs.
End. The band comes forward and bows to the audience who wants even more. The arena is trembling but the lights go up.
Hope you enjoy the reading.
In my opinion I think David could skip the old rocker stuff. For me it is obvious that he enjoys playing his new more ambitious material more, like Sunday, Disco King for example, in my opinion the highlights of the whole show.
And that is not so strange at all, rather the opposite. The songs he has written in the last ten, fifteen years are more reflecting where he stands as an artist and a person today than the 25/30 year old Seventies songs. They are of course brilliant most of them, but I just can't see the point of doing them if he's not happy just being a jukebox kind of artist. I don't think he wants to be that. It sounds sometimes as he's covering his own songs.
I think if you want a rock and roll show you should go to a gig with for example Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Strokes, or something like that. I don't think he should compete with these bands. He could but there's just no point.
He should stick to his new material, of course he maybe has to get used to play smaller venues if the mainstream fans won't come.
We all know what the real fans want. We want him to do what is unique for him. Outside stuff the more obscure and ambitious songs from the albums.
And what he has like no one else is his voice. Loving The Alien and Days in acoustic versions were just superb. The feeling and the tension he creates in those moments is similar to nothing else.
When he throws in the old songs here and there, Breaking Glass, Fantastic Voyage, Hang On To Yourself it feels like something very quick he just squeezes in to satisfy the crowd so he then can continue playing his newer stuff, which he does with a much more serious approach. Also, I think his voice which still is fabulous, suits the new material better.
So be brave David and stick to your new stuff and don’t feel so forced to play the old songs.
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