FAN CONCERT REPORTS
Norway, Oslo
Norwegian Wood Festival

(Friday 18th June 2004)


Report: Oslo
From: Joern

A great night. A nasty incident brilliantly handled.

Thank you, David, you could have walked off, and not many would have blamed you.

Some scumbag threw a gadget in David's eye after BFB(TL).

After falling a few steps back, he returns to the mike and goes on about how tough it is to do such a thing and then hide among the crowd.

And goes on to say that the penalty is that we're playing a song by the Pixies.

I was so ashamed, and would like to apologize on behalf the rest of the 7,500 strong crowd.

A brilliant night, he was talking about the Laughing Gnome ("for the first time in 10 years"), and then asked Gerry for a D.

Great but wet night (summer in Norway).

I'll try to post some more impressions tomorrow.

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Report: Oslo: June 18th, 2004 - a personal review
From: Joern

Venue: Frogerbadet (The Frogner Bath), Oslo NORWAY.

7.500 (arranger from stage) 7.000 (all papers, well, the arranger should know).

Wife and me with my sister and her guy, left our hometown at 4 o'clock, to arrive in Oslo by train and cab. We arrived early, found some great seats at the grass, teamed up with Wife's two sisters and some other guys.

Support act was Karin Park, very nice, a bit black-haired Blondie-like pop/rock mixture, and sounding surprisingly fresh. Also got the crowd going quite a bit, and come to think of it, better than most supp.acts I've ever heard. (She's from Bergen in Norway, I think.

As primetime got closer, the weather realized Bowie was in town and the rain started pouring down. After three sips of beer your glass was suddenly full again, meaning you had to drink fast, but a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do.

And after a short break, we heard the rambling guitar of:

Rebel Rebel: The sound was great from the very start, and this song is always welcomed by me, the crowd was on its feet at an instance. My 7th concert with David was started. Great opener.

Fame: Aaah, well O.K., I know he has to do some of those, and there was bits of new arrangement since October. Sounded great. Crowd still very upbeat (well, they were all evening).

Battle For Britain (The Letter): I like this one a lot, and found it great that he did it, but it didn't sound as good as before, can't put my finger on it but it was a tiny let down for me. And the drama starts as they have just finished BFB.

Concert stopped for a minute or two:

Some moron threw a lollipop that actually seemed to get stuck in David's left eye.

If I get my hands on that bugger...... let's hope I don't.

David stumbles back a few steps, and seek refuge near Sterling, a guy from the management supposedly had to pull out the lollipop, which was stuck 'tween the eyelid and the eyeball.

David comes back to the microphone and start swearing and cursing; shouting: "I've only got one eye, you idiot, luckily you hit the one that doesn't work anyway". "Aah yeah, it's so easy to get lost in the crowd ain't it?" The audience, still in shock as they starts to realize it's not an act, shows their dismay. And David continues: "as a punishment we'll have to do an even longer show, and now we'll do a song by The Pixies, because of you, you wanker" (I won't repeat all he said, I think Paul K. would have a stroke)

Cactus: Sounds so great live, one of the three songs tonight I feel is far better live than on the record. Everyone seems so relieved that he's on again, and if we'd known then how serious it actually was we would have put up a statue of him right there and then.

Sister Midnight: So cool, David plays guitar, one of many highlights for me. Hope he records this one. Throws the plectrum into the audience and goes; "oh, I didn't hit you in the eye, did I?," then speaks about all the blood, and gets really theatrical, if we didn't love him before, we realized he had forgiven the incident, at least for the rest of us.

New Killer Star: Much better at this stage of the show, than as an opener, works out very nice. I was surprised at about 1.000 people banging into the air at the "Ready, Set, Go" parts. (so no one knows his new songs, eh?)

All The Young Dudes: Waving time, absolutely everyone waves, sounds very like the original Mott The Hoople take, but sorry Ian, David sings it a lot better.

After the song he picks out a guy in a pink sweater to his right, and asks him to demonstrate his waving-technique. He told us before the song; "please don't sing Changes to this one, it's not Changes".

Reality: This one has grown on me since the release, cool guitars crowd very present on the Ha-Ha-Ha..... bits.

China Girl: Another must-do-number, he sings it great, but I had to take a leak. Not until I heard one false start, stop, Mandarin/Cantonese verse, stop, and then some of the beer had to go south.

Life On Mars?: At this point he seemed to have difficulties with reading his set-list, and asked Mike if he had that old number there, said: "We were not supposed to do this one, but what the hell". Always a nice treat, band back on stage for the 2nd verse. Of course he has put it into a lower key, but he still sings it so well. And I actually thinks it's cool that he doesn't sound like a teenager.

Modern Love: Surprised me a bit. Husband of wife's sister comes running over, screaming; "this is just like Gothenborg in '83, sooo cool" Sounded more fresh than ever, this one.

Afraid: I was hoping for this one, and I got it. One of my Heathen favourites.

The Man Who Sold The World: I'm so tired of explaining; no, David is not playing a Nirvana song, he recorded this one in '71 (3 times yesterday), wonder how David feels about it? Very true to the original this time. Nice.

Changes: Crowd goes bananas, sounds more rock 'n' roll than before. Great sing-a-long.

The Loneliest Guy: David, Mike & Gerry only. Great song, so brave to it live. The chatting around me rises, but I actually only sense it. I'm in another dimension.

Hallo Spaceboy: Song nr. 2 of the ones I like a live, not so much on the record. I fully understand why he keeps in in the set, and it really sets the crowd going again after the dreamy TLG.

Under Pressure: I read in a post that someone was so fed up with David playing this one. I would gladly come to the show if he was only playing this. It's a great song, Gail sings great, crowd likes it. Out of the 27 songs this night, it's the last he should throw out. Splendid moment. Introduced with; "this is a song I wrote with Freddie Mercury, Freddie couldn't be here tonight, so Gail is singing his part".

Ashes To Ashes: David starts; "now that's a song I haven't even talked about in 10 years, The Laughing Gnome, but what the hell", turns to Gerry and says; "Give me a D", then laughs and says: "No, we're not gonna do that one." Asks Gerry, "what are we supposed to play, anyway". Gerry points to the sky, and David says; "Life On Mars?, we've done that one.... aah, yeah, now I know". Crowd-pleaser, and a great song always good to hear it.

The Supermen: Never heard this one before, it was brilliant, great backing vocals by Cat, Gail Ann and Gerry. The audience seemed really to enjoy this one, though I suspect some of them hadn't even heard it before. Splendid moment.

Quicksand: The last time I heard this, he did it alone with the acoustic. And it rained just like last night. One of my very favourites, maybe that's why I felt it could have been better. Like with BFB(TL), I felt something lacked here, but don't get me wrong. Was still a heart-warmer. And needed.

I don't remember when, but David calls for someone to fetch him a yellow sweater from his wardrobe. And hooded like a hip-hop chicken he goes; "David Bowie, go home". He must have been more wet than us after all we had rain-ponchos.

Be My Wife: Introduced as; "Here's a song from the mid-seventies". Must admit, I was a bit let down, I was hoping for Station To Station. But a nice substitute, BMW, a pity he didn't do both.

Panic In Detroit: David says; "this is the first song I wrote about terrorism". David on tambourine, great guitars and backing vocals. A real treat.

White Light, White Heat: David makes a point out of "revealing" to the crowd that there will be and encore, "aaaah, no!, I gave it away...", very funny moment. I didn't need this one. Fine song, but I'd rather you did one of your own (DD or HOY), good energy, though.

I'm Afraid Of Americans: 3rd song I feel is so much better live, than on the record. He can keep this in forever, amazes me each time I hear it. And it dries half of my soaked hair. (can't use the hood, hampers the sound)

"Heroes" I want this one in every show, too. It's like a national anthem to me (BWW's national anthem?), but I know this is the last one before the encores. And because of the rain and the cold I fear it's be a 2 song encore. It's a schizo-moment, utterly happy, but a bit sad at the same time.

Suffragette City: Now I'm sure, there'll be this one and Ziggy. Still sound so great.

Ziggy Stardust: Not the tour's longest ......guitaaar....., I guess he was cold. Gail heads off in the wrong direction after the bowing, David runs to fetch her. And away they soared..........

Took some time to get out, and then there was a private party not far away. Not too much booze that late for me, as I had to sing very early Saturday (and drive to get there), but a nice gathering.

Great show, and like always, he gets better and better, so does the band, so if you can David, keep 'em for next year, and we'll see you.

And my most sincere apologies for the lolly-throwing prick, hope it turned out well. And if we find him, I can think of a place or two where a lolly can be even more of a nuisance.


(A Reality World Tour: European Summer Leg)