Isolar – 1976 Tour
- North America
- Europe
- Diamond Dogs Tour
(1974) - Isolar – 1976 Tour
(1976) - Isolar II – The 1978 World Tour
(1978)
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]
History
The 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 Pavillion 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
The 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
This 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
Cancellations and rescheduled shows
14 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
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
|
|
References
- ^ 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
- Pegg, Nicholas (2016). The Complete David Bowie (Revised and Updated ed.). London: Titan Books. ISBN 978-1-78565-365-0.
- v
- t
- e
- David Bowie (1967)
- David Bowie (1969)
- The Man Who Sold the World
- Hunky Dory
- The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
- Aladdin Sane
- Pin Ups
- Diamond Dogs
- Young Americans
- Station to Station
- Low
- "Heroes"
- Lodger
- Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)
- Let's Dance
- Tonight
- Never Let Me Down
- Black Tie White Noise
- The Buddha of Suburbia
- Outside
- Earthling
- Hours
- Heathen
- Reality
- The Next Day
- Blackstar
- Toy
With Tin Machine |
|
---|
- David Live
- Stage
- Ziggy Stardust: The Motion Picture
- Santa Monica '72
- LiveAndWell.com
- Glass Spider
- Live Santa Monica '72
- VH1 Storytellers
- Bowie at the Beeb
- A Reality Tour
- Live Nassau Coliseum '76
- Cracked Actor (Live Los Angeles '74)
- Welcome to the Blackout (Live London '78)
- Serious Moonlight (Live '83)
- Glastonbury 2000
- ChangesNowBowie
- Ouvrez le Chien (Live Dallas 95)
- Something in the Air (Live Paris 99)
- I'm Only Dancing (The Soul Tour 74)
- No Trendy Réchauffé (Live Birmingham 95)
- Look at the Moon! (Live Phoenix Festival 97)
- David Bowie at the Kit Kat Klub (Live New York 99)
With Tin Machine |
|
---|
- Christiane F.
- Love You till Tuesday
- Labyrinth
- Lazarus
- Moonage Daydream
- Baal
- BBC Sessions 1969–1972
- Earthling in the City
- Live EP (Live at Fashion Rocks)
- Space Oddity
- The Next Day Extra
- No Plan
- Is It Any Wonder?
- The World of David Bowie
- Images 1966–1967
- Changesonebowie
- The Best of Bowie
- Changestwobowie
- Rare
- Golden Years
- Fame and Fashion
- Changesbowie
- Early On (1964–1966)
- The Singles Collection
- Rarestonebowie
- The Deram Anthology 1966–1968
- The Best of David Bowie 1969/1974
- The Best of David Bowie 1974/1979
- Bowie at the Beeb
- All Saints
- Best of Bowie
- Club Bowie
- The Collection
- The Best of David Bowie 1980/1987
- iSelect
- Nothing Has Changed
- Legacy
- Sound + Vision
- The Platinum Collection
- David Bowie
- Five Years (1969–1973)
- Who Can I Be Now? (1974–1976)
- A New Career in a New Town (1977–1982)
- Loving the Alien (1983–1988)
- Spying Through a Keyhole
- Clareville Grove Demos
- The 'Mercury' Demos
- Conversation Piece
- Brilliant Live Adventures
- Brilliant Adventure (1992–2001)
- The 1980 Floor Show
- Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
- Serious Moonlight
- Glass Spider
- Tin Machine Live: Oy Vey, Baby
- VH1 Storytellers
- Reality: Tour Ed.
- A Reality Tour
- Glastonbury 2000
- Love You till Tuesday
- Video EP
- Jazzin' for Blue Jean
- Day-In Day-Out
- Tin Machine
- Bowie – The Video Collection
- Black Tie White Noise
- Jump: Interactive CD-ROM
- Best of Bowie
- Reality
- The Best of David Bowie 1980/1987
- The Next Day Extra
- Cracked Actor
- Ricochet
- Black Tie White Noise
- Sound and Vision
- Moonage Daydream
With Tin Machine |
---|
- Major Tom
- The Thin White Duke
- Ziggy Stardust
culture
- "Bowie"
- David Bowie Is
- Jareth
- Phillip Jeffries
- Statue of David Bowie
- Lazarus
- Stardust
- Symphony No. 1 "Low"
- Symphony No. 4 "Heroes"
- Symphony No. 12 "Lodger"
- The Life Aquatic Studio Sessions
- We Were So Turned On: A Tribute to David Bowie
- Category