Secret Gig, Saturday 17th May, The Factory, Ringsend, Dublin
It's not everyday you get to correct your idol when he forgets the lyrics to one of his songs, (Queen Bitch, in this case), but I now hold this distinction (among others) after Saturday's fabulous intimate gig in Ringsend. In the unlikely setting of a converted warehouse cum rehearsal studio a crowd of 250 witnessed the maestro go through almost 3 hours of music from which the set list for the forthcoming Earthling Tour will be drawn.
Strutting out on stage at 10.30 to the background of some extreme Drum & Bass, he immediately cruised into the Drum & Bass groove delighting the Bowie fanatics with a mix of fairly new songs ( I'm Deranged) to Pallas Athena and further back to V2-Schneider. The night took of with a brilliant rendition of The Last Thing You Should Do which brings out the best in the Bowie "dream team". Gail Ann Dorsey was impressive singing Outside and Oh Superman and joining David on Quicksand and Under Pressure.
On a memorable night, David chatted with the crowd between numbers and at one stage even asked the crowd to "hold on for a minute" while he considered what song to do next and taking a pensive stance, thoughtfully went through his options, while the crowd shouted out their preferred choices. It was one of those nights! He took a break at 11.30 saying that "the David Jones quartet would be back in a half hour as a fully fledged Rock Band". He finished the night at 2AM by thanking the crowd for being patient while he tried out everything and promised to come back for a much shorter gig in August.
One surprising inclusion in the set was the 1967 penned Waiting for the Man which he introduced by saying that his band at the time thought he was mad but he was of the opinion that the song would change Rock music for ever. Having played the first 9 tracks from the Earthling album it would be difficult to leave any out of the upcoming tour as they all hit the mark perfectly. The chants of "Oh Ah Visionary" and pointing at Bowie were met by the singer waving his finger and retorting "you're Telling Lies and the subtle sax sounds on Seven Years In Tibet complemented by the crashing guitar of Reeves Gabrels were highlights on a night of highs.
OK, so he forgot some lines, and the band missed a beat here and there but who cared, its not everyday you watch Bowie and band perform within touching distance and get to trade comments with him into the bargain. And all for a Tenner. Now there's a bargain.