Bowie Triumphs At The Rfh

I heard the news today, oh boy…This morning’s press here in the UK is unanimous in its praise of David Bowie’s return to the London stage, after his show at the Royal Festival Hall on Saturday. Here are a few excerpts:

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The Guardian – A half-page, five star review by Maddy Costa under the headline of “THE EXTRAORDINARY MR STARDUST”, with a large colour shot from the show.

“…Bowie’s closing gig feels like an extraordinary event. Thirty years on from Ziggy Stardust, Bowie looks more like an alien being than ever. It’s not his clothes – In fact, his luxurious white shirt and unknotted tie give him the air of a debauched dandy. It’s the way he seems so ageless, flashing a toothy grin as he snakes his lithe, angular body about the stage.

His vocals are as spine-shivering as ever. When he clambers over the line “Don’t you wonder sometimes” in Sound and Vision, or quivers through the chorus to I Would Be Your Slave, his voice appears to emerge from a part of the body the rest of us didn’t know existed.”

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The Daily Telegraph – By David Cheal, with a headline of “ALIVE, ANIMATED AND FOCUSED, BOWIE IS A HERO AGAIN”

“…this has to be up there with the best. He was alive, animated, focused, evidently having the time of his life, and he was backed by a singularly awesome band…Sensational, and unforgettable.”

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The Times – Another half-page, five star review. Reviewed by David Sinclair, who ironically gave ‘Heathen’ a less positive review recently. Headline: “A STAR WHO WILL NEVER FALL TO EARTH” – includes a huge black and white shot from the show, with the following caption: “A resplendent vision of ageless cool, David Bowie remains a natural performer and a supremely gifted musician”

“…Looking, at 55, like David Beckham?s (slightly) older and better-groomed brother, he strode on in black waistcoat and white shirt, a resplendent vision of lithe, ageless cool…whatever changes Bowie has weathered, he remains a natural performer and a supremely gifted musician.”

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Daily Star – By Ben Todd, with a headline of “BOWIE’S STILL GOT DRIVE” Includes three colour pictures of David, one large live shot, one backstage with Kylie and one being kissed on the cheek by Bono. (See above) The cryptic headline is explained in the story which doesn’t mention the show itself, but instead details how David had to get a taxi to the gig because the tour manager got stuck in traffic and couldn’t pick him up!

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Daily Mirror – With a headline of “BONO RECKONS BOWIE GIG WAS HUNKY DORY” Includes a large version of the same shot of Bowie and Bono. With a quote from David regarding the show: “I can’t remember a time when I was received so warmly. It was fantastic.”

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The Sun – Used a small mono pic from the show and gave the gig a thumbs up with the conclusion: “At 55 the Thin White Duke still looks and sounds great.”

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Daily Record – Used a backstage shot of David and Charlene Spiteri, of the band Texas…and while we’re on the subject of celebs at the show, here’s a quick roll-call of those I know of, though I’m sure there were tons more:

Bono
Kylie Minogue
Brian Eno of Roxy Music };-)
Robert Smith of The Cure
The Dandy Warhols
Supergrass
Simon and Yasmin Le Bon, Nick Rhodes of Duran Duran
Charlene Spiteri of Texas
Sex Pistol Paul Cook
James Dean Bradfield of Manic Street Preachers
Siouxsie Sioux and Budgie
Toyah Wilcox

I’ll post more pix and Meltdown stuff over the coming days, meanwhile, I hope all of you at the Paris show tonight have a great time, and please let us know how it went.