This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (September 2019) |
The Isolar – 1976 Tour[1] was a concert tour by the English singer-songwriter David Bowie, in support of the album Station to Station. It opened on 2 February 1976 at the Pacific Coliseum, Vancouver, and continued through North America and Europe, concluding at the Pavillon de Paris in Paris, France, on 18 May 1976. The tour is commonly referred to as Thin White Duke Tour,[2] The Station to Station Tour,[3] and The White Light Tour.[4]
Tour by David Bowie | |
Location |
|
---|---|
Associated album | Station to Station |
Start date | 2 February 1976 |
End date | 18 May 1976 |
Legs | 2 |
No. of shows | 65 (66 scheduled) |
David Bowie concert chronology |
History
editThe performances began without introduction with a showing of the 1928 surrealist film by Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí, Un Chien Andalou, which includes a famous section of a razor blade cutting into a woman's eyeball.[5] Bowie appeared on stage immediately as the film finished, while the audience was still disoriented. The visual element of the performances incorporated banks of fluorescent white light set against black backdrops creating a stark spectacle on a stage largely devoid of props or other visual distractions.
The Public Auditorium, Cleveland, Ohio performance on 28 February 1976 was recorded by a concert-goer and released as the bootleg entitled NeoExpressionism on the TSP (The Swingin' Pig) label. It would be digitally re-mastered in 2007 and the entire set released on 2 CDs. The only song not done at this performance is "Sister Midnight."
The Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York, performance on 23 March 1976 was recorded by RCA Records with extracts broadcast by The King Biscuit Radio Network. Two songs from the performance were later included on the 1991 Rykodisc re-issue of the Station to Station album. The entire Nassau performance is available on the 2010 deluxe edition of Station to Station as well as the 2016 box set Who Can I Be Now? (1974–1976). It was released separately on LP, CD and digitally in February 2017 as Live Nassau Coliseum '76.
Tour keyboardist Tony Kaye has soundboard recordings of the 26 March 1976 Madison Square Garden and 17-18 May Pavillon de Paris shows, and has expressed hope that they might eventually be released.[6]
Bowie took friend and fellow musician Iggy Pop along as his companion on the tour. Following a March 21, 1976, show, Bowie and Pop were arrested together for marijuana possession in Rochester, New York, although charges were later dropped.[7]
Title
editThe tour has been described under numerous different names. Although officially referred to as the Isolar tour, it has also been given the names the Thin White Duke tour, the Station to Station tour, and the White Light Tour. According to biographer Nicholas Pegg, the word "Isolar" is an anagram of "sailor", one of Bowie's favourite words. Isolar also derives from the company Bowie launched to handle music publishing after his acrimonious split with MainMan Publishing. Bowie himself later clarified: "Isola is Italian for island. Isolation plus Solar equals Isolar. If I remember correctly, I was stoned."[2]
Set list
editThis set list is representative of the performance on 7 May 1976 in London, UK, at Empire Pool. It does not represent all concerts for the duration of the tour.
- "Station to Station"
- "Suffragette City"
- "Fame"
- "Word on a Wing"
- "Stay"
- "I'm Waiting for the Man"
- "Queen Bitch"
- "Life on Mars?
- "Five Years"
- "Panic in Detroit"
- "Changes"
- "TVC 15"
- "Diamond Dogs"
- Encore
Tour dates
editCancellations and rescheduled shows
edit14 April 1976 | Ludwigshafen, West Germany | Friedrich-Ebert-Halle | Cancelled. |
17 April 1976 | Bern, Switzerland | Festhalle Bea Bern Expo | Rescheduled to Hallenstadion in Zurich. |
27 April 1976 | Oslo, Norway | Ekeberghallen | Cancelled. |
19 May 1976 | Paris, France | Pavillon de Paris | Cancelled. |
Songs
edit
From Hunky Dory
From The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars From Aladdin Sane From Diamond Dogs |
From Young Americans
From Station to Station
Other songs
|
Personnel
edit
|
|
References
edit- ^ Kevin Cann, David Bowie: A Chronology, Vermilion, 1983, ISBN 0-09-153831-9
- ^ a b Pegg 2016, p. 566.
- ^ Pimm Jal de la Parra, David Bowie: The Concert Tapes, P.J. Publishing, 1985, ISBN 90-900100-5-X
- ^ David Buckley, Strange Fascination: The Definitive Biography of David Bowie, Virgin Books, 1999, ISBN 1-85227-784-X
- ^ Christopher Sandford, Bowie: Loving the Alien, Warner Books, 1997, ISBN 0-7515-1924-3
- ^ Thodoris (20 September 2021). "Interview: Tony Kaye (solo, Yes, David Bowie, Badger)". Hit Channel. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
- ^ "When Rochester arrested David Bowie". Rochester Democrat & Chronicle. 11 January 2016. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
- ^ a b "Billboard Box Office 20/3/1976" (PDF).
- ^ a b c d "Billboard Box Office 3 April 1976" (PDF).
- ^ Jones, Dylan (2017), David Bowie: A Life, Crown/Archetype
Sources
edit- Pegg, Nicholas (2016). The Complete David Bowie (Revised and Updated ed.). London: Titan Books. ISBN 978-1-78565-365-0.