The Return of the Thin White Duke

What can I say? This guy knows how to have a good time. It is rare to see any performer have such energy and enthusiasm for the stage, let alone a performer who is almost 60, with 40 years of experience under his belt, yet David Bowie demonstrated Saturday night without a doubt what professional musicianship is all about.

South Los Angeles’ historic Shrine Auditorium (former home of the Oscars) played host to the first of four LA shows on Bowie’s current A Reality Tour. A crowd of all ages and walks of life packed the sold-out house. Sixty year-old ex-hippies mingled with middle-aged yuppies who rocked alongside adoring teenagers. Every generation of Bowie fan has their favorite hits and Bowie’s 27-song set list of classics (old and new) spanned almost his entire career. From 1970’s “The Man Who Sold The World” (famously covered by Nirvana), to the newly revamped “Rebel Rebel” (the show opener), a down and dirty “Fame” and ‘80s radio classic “China Girl,” Bowie’s two-hour-plus set didn’t disappoint.

Looking extremely fit in tight black jeans and tousled blonde hair, the star challenged his audience early on with several singles from his new Reality album, including “New Killer Star,” the title track “Reality,” and the lovely acoustic number “Days.” Though most in the crowd were less familiar with these works, they responded enthusiastically. The fans danced and sang through most of the show, only showing their age by occasionally taking a break to sit one out.

Bowie and his crack rock band did a great job of pacing the show. The tempo and mood changed frequently from nostalgic ballads like “Life On Mars?” to classic rock anthems such as “All The Young Dudes.” Bowie encouraged the crowd to sing along several times, stopping the show momentarily during the first verse of “China Girl” to chastise the audience for not taking the vocal lead. “That was pathetic. Guess I’ll have to help you out,” he chortled before starting the song again.

Besides the more obvious crowd favorites, Bowie treated loyal fans with obscure gems such as “Be My Wife” and the instrumental “A New Career In A New Town”, both from 1976’s Low album, one of the trio of albums recorded in Berlin with Brian Eno.

Bowie has always been an enigmatic figure in the rock world, but his performance Saturday night found its stride during some of the more quiet numbers. Songs such as “The Motel” from 1995’s Outside and “Sunday” from 2002’s Heathen were a revelation. Perhaps most touching was Bowie’s affectionate introduction to “Slip Away,” another Heathen ballad and a tender homage to 1970s East Coast children’s television icon Uncle Floyd. The song’s performance included video footage from the TV program as well as a cute bouncing ball sing-along projected on the enormous rear video screens.

The concert included thoughtful and innovative use of video in several numbers, including an animated musical prelude to the concert featuring cartoon versions of Bowie and his band as well as dramatic aerial and time-lapse footage of New York City. Bowie’s outstanding band featured longtime members Mike Garson on keyboards and Earl Slick on lead guitar, as well as newer faces including Irishman Gerry Leonard on ambient guitar, the powerful Sterling Campbell on drums, and multi-instrumentalist Catherine Russell lending vocal support as well. The standout member, however, was Gail Ann Dorsey, Bowie’s striking female bass player for the past ten years, who blew the roof off the hall, and would have made Freddie Mercury proud, with her vocal duet on the Bowie/Queen classic “Under Pressure.”

The show took a somewhat ominous turn with 1997’s “I’m Afraid Of Americans,” which Bowie wistfully introduced as a song that was written in fun but has become something more serious. Apparently hope is not completely lost, however, since Bowie introduced the next song, “Heroes,” as “the other side of that story, your song.”

Alternating between acoustic and electric guitars, harmonica, and even the rare stylophone made famous in 1969’s “Space Oddity” (the first lines of which Bowie teased Saturday’s audience with), David Bowie highlighted his diverse musical abilities. Strutting and dancing around the stage, he remained the visual focus of the show, helped by a thrust platform extending into the first rows of the audience. As tempting as it was for eager fans to rush closer to their star, the ever-present security guards were on hand to keep them at bay.

The show ended with an encore of Ziggy classics including the fast rocker “Hang On To Yourself,” the apocalyptic “Five Years,” and the crowd-pleasing “Suffragette City” (“wham bam, thank you ma’am!”). For the grand finale Bowie performed “Ziggy Stardust,” his dramatic narrative about the character with whom he remains most identified.

As if there were any doubts, David Bowie proved Saturday night that as a performer he is in a league of his own. He seemed more relaxed on stage and jollier than ever, and his voice sounds stronger and suppler today than it did 30 years ago. Though his music often inhabits the pretenses of the real world, David Bowie’s “reality” is a pretty great place to be.

The tour continues Monday night with a second show at the Shrine then moves to the intimate Wiltern Theater for two more LA performances.