Was Bowie, in his later years, okay with its twilight existence as a used record store CD staple and unauthorized YouTube upload? After all, he did a massive securitization deal in the ’90s to buy out Tony Defries’ share of his music, and after the MainMan debacles of the mid-’70s, he’d watched his finances and copyrights like a hawk. And TMII remains a fugitive from the streaming age-it’s not on Spotify nor anywhere else, I believe. The fact that a Dutch label was apparently able to do a legitimate reissue last year without Reeves Gabrels or even the Bowie estate knowing beforehand speaks volumes. Part of its oddness is the album’s quasi-bootleg status for much of the 21st Century-it was out of print for well over a decade and who actually controls the rights to it at present remains rather mysterious. Time hasn’t been much kinder to it, though I have seen reappraisals here and there, and more of late. You may recall that it got little respect at the time of its release (its legendary Melody Maker pan ended with telling Bowie to “sit down man: you’re a fucking disgrace”). In Europe, vocalist Kelly Jones explained, the band is "absolutely massive over there, and we want to be absolutely massive over here too.".Tin Machine II, released thirty years ago today, is a strange thing to commemorate. The night began with a stellar set from Welsh rockers Stereophonics.įrom the upbeat "Have A Nice Day" to the bluesy "I Miss You Now" to impressive pure rockers "Maybe Tomorrow" and "Help Me (She's Out of Her Mind)," the Stereophonics are well on their way to their goal of conquering a new continent. "Modern Love," "I'm Afraid of Americans," "Heroes" and a raucous "Suffragette City" put an exclamation point on an extraordinary night of music. "Quicksand's" imagery of kissing a viper's fang and "sinking in the quicksand of my thought" and the "Let's Dance" classic "put on your red shoes and dance the blues" reminded of yet another Bowie talent - the turn of phrase. He gave new life to old favorites like "Under Pressure" - one of the many highlights of the night - with dynamic bassist-singer Gail Ann Dorsey filling the other half of the duet made famous by Freddie Mercury and Bowie. He appeared to be acting out some of the more dramatic tunes like "Hallo Spaceboy," "Heathen," "Station to Station" and "Ashes to Ashes." Interspersed with Bowie's own material were well-chosen covers like the Pixies' "Cactus" and the Velvet Underground's "White Light/White Heat."īut it was on songs like "China Girl" that Bowie made simple gestures, like pretending to hold up a mirror to look at himself, seem so elegant and. Lights, a huge green backdrop and spooky rotating tree limbs added an interesting visual element to "Fame," "The Loneliest Guy," "The Man Who Sold The World" and "Panic In Detroit." I thought it would be all chimneys, factories and. " Or, commenting on the central Pennsylvania countryside with, "It's very beautiful here. Promising to "do stuff we haven't done in a long, long time," Bowie and company covered a wide spectrum of his remarkable career, setting the tone for the evening with "Sister Midnight," "Hang On To Yourself" and the crowd-pleasing sing-along "All The Young Dudes."īowie was in good humor throughout, responding to a shouted out request with, "Can you play it? I can't play it, so we're. Sounding great, looking fit and supported by a stellar band, Bowie showed once again that he is the ultimate rock star.įrom the opening chords of "Rebel, Rebel" to the final notes of "Ziggy Stardust" more than two hours later, Bowie commanded the stage and your attention like few others. He's 57, hasn't toured in eight years and, as he proved Thursday night at Hershey's Star Pavilion, he's as good as ever. This summer, stages across America will be littered with long-ago stars sadly trying to recapture the magic of their youth. It's not easy to age gracefully in rock music. Rock icon Bowie still in command The Patriot-News - 15th May 2004
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