Rolling Stone (US) - 18 July 1974
PERFORMANCE Bowie - O'Keefe Auditorium, Toronto June 16^th, 1974 No one seems to know - or is willing to say - why David Bowie has chosen to make a major North American tour but a year after his much-celebrated farewell to the concert grind. His management dismisses inquiries with a curt "the demand is there"; music biz scuttlebutt ranges from "he needs the money" to "his ego won't let him stop until he's conquered America." Whatever his reasons, the stage show Bowie has put together for this tour is intelligent, creative and entertaining. "TheaTour" is what he calls it and it carries visual effects several steps beyond their heretofore supportive role at rock concerts. In "TheaTour" the props and settings are almost more important than the music. Bowie's interactions with his props were an important aspect of the Toronto show from the first note, when he entered center stage to the glare of a white-hot spotlight and the opening strains of "1984". The stage itself was a visual portrayal of that future scene, with massive paper skyscrapers reflecting the damage of a fictitious thermonuclear blast. With "Rebel Rebel" the initial fascination with Bowie's immense stage persona wore off enough to allow the other performers to show up. The 8-piece band was off in a corner, a supportive role for sure, leaving the lion's share of the stage to Bowie, his self-designed props and two male vocalists who served as backup singers and visual foils, pantomiming the scenes Bowie was lyrically portraying.	Props became increasingly elaborate as the show progressed. Bowie sang "Changes" from high atop a mock bridge, donned boxing gloves in a mock ring for "Panic In Detroit" and cavorted on top of and in a massive mirror-and-blacklight capsule for "Big Brother" and "Time". A particularly emotional moment came during "Space Oddity" as Bowie was slowly lowered from high atop a pinnacle to a position hovering over the crowd as the mellotron and echoplexed guitar let fly with a barrage of space-aged sounds. Despite a touch of laryngitis, Bowie's vocals were strong and steady through the performance, his stage movements graceful and self-assured. And for musicians so obviously relegated to backup status, his band played quite assertively, particularly on a powerful, no-holds-barred version of "Suffragette City." He did just about every song he's made even remotely famous, finishing with "Rock'n'Roll Suicide." In his wake Bowie left 3500 people marveling at the professionalism of a show that transcended rock & roll ("It was more like a Broadway musical," said one observer). And though the crowd's occasionally tumultuous roar of approval lasted well over six minutes, there was no encore. GORDON FLETCHER
back to magazines		index