I’ve probably watched the movie Labyrinth around 1,000 times and it’s probably because of David Bowie and his tight spandex pants. Besides being famous for his gentleman-like persona and mysterious sex appeal, Bowie has to be one of the best genre jumping musicians out there. From psychedelic folk, to glam, to soul and R&B, Bowie could probably record himself taking a dump and it would still sound great. Pretty much, David Bowie rules.
His new album, A Reality Tour, is a live album from his performances at The Point Depot in Dublin, Ireland, in 2003. Playing crowd pleasers like “Rebel Rebel” and “China Girl,” Bowie plays a number of not so popular songs that were co-written with Brian Eno. The song “The Loneliest Guy” sounds amazingly dreary with an echoing piano and guitar accompaniment. What makes this album even better is when Bowie covers “Cactus” by The Pixies. The background vocals are tastefully done and they don’t over power Bowie at any point during his set. This double live album isn’t boring and the recording is really crisp and clear. The crowd’s clapping, screams, and whistles are what usually turns me off from live albums, but it’s not annoying at all.
Even though this was seven years ago and Bowie is now 63, he still has as much energy as that long-haired hippie in the ‘60s. A Reality Tour gives people a big bite of what it’s like to see Bowie live. He’s a musician who doesn’t say a lot in-between songs and it’s better that way. It keeps him mysterious, allows fans to really connect to him through his music, and lets him have 33-song sets.
In A Word: Crotchalicious
