HEROES, JUST FOR ONE DAY
Throughout the 90s, David Bowie embarked on an era of course correction. He had come dangerously close to comfort zone territory in the previous decade, and the thought of playing out the classics as a nostalgia act for the rest of his days sprang him into action. Over five albums from 1993 to 1999, Bowie got back to his forward-thinking, progressive best, experimenting with drum ’n’ bass, jungle, industrial soundscapes, jazz, electrorock and more. He was the king of reinvention once more.
Amid the audacious march forward, though, there was one night when he allowed himself to revel in his triumphant legacy. It was January 9, 1997 when Bowie, his band and some stellar guests assembled for a huge show at New York’s Madison Square Garden for his fiftieth birthday celebration (his birthday was actually the day before). The show had the Starman sharing the stage with Foo Fighters, Robert Smith, Billy Corgan, Frank Black, Sonic Youth and Lou Reed for a set that took in some oldies and some newies, some classics and some soon-to-be classics.
“I wouldn’t have expected to have such an appetite for life at this point,” Bowie remarked to the New York Daily News. “I had assumed, like romantic poetic heroes, that I would burn it all out. But nothing has been quenched. I’m still feeling fiery.”
“The guest artists all grew up listening to David, right? It was all very respectful and very uncompetitive.”
Mike Garson, pianist
Billed as ‘David Bowie And Friends: A Very Special Concert’, the sold-out show was broadcast on Pay-Per-View television in the US, with proceeds from both ticket sales and Pay-Per-View going to the charity Save The Children. Looking back at it now, 25 years later, it seems too good to
