David Bowie's Reality tour rolled into town on April 2nd, and I was lucky enough to be there. I've never seen Bowie in concert before, but can safely say that I wouldn't hesitate to see him again. I'll preface everything by saying that any quotes I include below are paraphrased from memory.

The opening act came in the form of The Polyphonic Spree. I knew next to nothing about this band, but was quickly endeared to their lush sound. They arrived on-stage in remarkably long single-file parade (the band has more than 20 members) wearing trademark white robes. A full choir and unconventional (for rock music, at least) instruments (harp, flute, trumpet, etc.) added an interesting twist to the high-energy performance. Bowie spoke fondly of them, and it was easy to see why -- their commitment to exciting the crowd was incredible.

I'd describe the sound as a bizarre cross between Pink Floyd's Atom Heart Mother and Andrew Lloyd Webber's Jesus Christ Superstar. If there is to be any criticism, it would be that the sheer mass of instruments occasionally sounded muddy through the bass-heavy mix.

When Bowie and group arrived, I was pleased to see that the band had only 7 members (pianist, percussionist, drummer, two guitarists, bassist, and Bowie himself). I've been disappointed at other shows where severe bloat stands in the way of individual performances; happily this wasn't the case.

As with other shows on the Reality tour, the tell-tale opening snap of Rebel Rebel started things rolling. The sound was excellent and the band was tremendously tight. The live renditions of all songs were true to their recorded versions while still sounding fresh. Bowie's voice was surprisingly polished given the number of shows performed on the current tour. Suffice to say, the arrangements were excellent.

One of the intangibles I didn't expect was the amount of bantering that went on. To summarize it in a word, he's charming. He told stories about how particular songs came to be, offered commentary about blues music and set design, and coyly joked about plucking his guitarist from Dublin's Trinity College where he worked as a Micropaleontologist. "You didn't really believe that, did you? It's complete bullocks!"

During a particularly funny rant, he described the first time he heard one of his songs on the radio (The Man Who Sold the World), and joked that he'd get excited "if I ever hear myself again." That touched off a bit of a strange (and nearly unpleasant) moment where Bowie tried to barter with the hit-crazy crowd, "For every song you don't know, I'll play one you do know."

A personal highlight for me arrived about half way through the show -- Bowie dropped an incredible version of I've Been Waiting for You from "an incredible Canadian", Neil Young. He went on to mention that the song was from Neil's first solo album ("one of his best, I think") -- I've been trying to sell people on that for years! A couple of songs really stood out over the course of the night, and this was one of them. The others included a particularly heavy version of I'm Afraid of Americans, The Motel, and of course, the show-closing Ziggy Stardust.

All-in-all, a wonderful concert. The last big-ticket concert I saw was Neil Young, and I swore I'd never go again after paying a ridiculous $70 for a general admission pass. Bowie cost $100 for a 100-level seat, and I officially declare it to have been worth it.

Here's the set list from the Ottawa show:

  1. Rebel Rebel
  2. Modern Love
  3. New Killer Star
  4. Fame
  5. Cactus
  6. All the Young Dudes
  7. The Motel
  8. China Girl
  9. New Get Old
  10. The Lonliest Guy
  11. The Man Who Sold the World
  12. Hallo Spaceboy
  13. Sunday
  14. Heathen
  15. Under Pressure
  16. Days
  17. Slip Away
  18. Space Oddity (Teaser)
  19. Golden Years (Teaser)
  20. Looking for Water
  21. I've Been Waiting for You (Neil Young)
  22. A New Career in a New Town
  23. Be My Wife
  24. Ashes to Ashes
  25. Hang on to Yourself
  26. Quicksand
  27. I'm Afraid of Americans
  28. Heros
  29. Blue Jean (Encore)
  30. Changes (Encore)
  31. Starman (Encore)
  32. Five Years (Encore)
  33. Suffragette City (Encore)
  34. Ziggy Stardust (Encore)