Bowie transforms self, crowd

Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), Jan 21, 2004 by BILL REED THE GAZETTE

So cool. So stylish. So Bowie.

David Bowie marries music and theater every time he steps on stage. He can't help himself. So, I was curious to see what character he would inhabit for a sold-out audience at the Fillmore Auditorium on Monday night.

When Bowie played Denver in summer 2002 with Moby's Area: 2 Tour, he was the elegant, aging star, wearing a sleek black suit and a white scarf that fluttered in the wind. He leaned toward ballads and spacey anthems.

Not this time. This time, Bowie hopped on stage in low-slung black jeans and a tight black T-shirt (although, he couldn't resist adding a bandanna around his neck for flair). Looking like a 16-year-old punk with his skinny legs and blonde locks, Bowie launched into a lean rendition of 1974's "Rebel, Rebel."

This Bowie is making a motto of his new song "Never Get Old": "There's never gonna be enough money/There's never gonna be enough drugs/And I'm never, ever gonna get old."

At 57, Bowie has the youthful body and voice to make you believe him, even if his lyrics are turning more and more to his mortality. With an amazing sextet behind him (the piano work, guitar work and female vocalists were all devastating) he ran through two hours and 15 minutes of music. No filler.

Bowie's new album "Reality" was the centerpiece of the show -- after "Rebel, Rebel," he headed into a three-song series of "New Killer Star," "Reality" and "She'll Drive the Big Car." No groans when he pulled out the new stuff, because the music is still good and Bowie still matters.

"Big Car" and the chilling "The Loneliest Guy" were especially strong. After a few years in the wilderness, Bowie has something to say again.

Of course, he didn't neglect the old hits. The crowd sang along heartily to "All the Young Dudes." Bowie flexed his own vocal muscle on the sexy "China Girl," the spacey "Fantastic Voyage" and 1970's "The Man Who Sold the World."

For the latter, he unveiled a boyish tenor, as if he was playing himself as a younger man.

It sounded like a completely different person than the throaty, aging baritone of "The Loneliest Guy" a few moments before. Bowie is a musical chameleon in the best way -- he gives himself over completely to each song and each project.

As Bowie churned out vital renditions of "Under Pressure," "Fame," "Changes," "Five Years" and other Ziggy Stardust material, he seemed too big for the room. His charisma filled the Fillmore to overflowing, Bowie hanging over the crowd, straddling the mic and flirting with his admirers.

Just when the show seemed to have climaxed, the place absolutely exploded on "I'm Afraid of Americans." Bowie growled his paranoia over the muscular guitar and the crowd went ballistic (despite the indictment of our country). The band rocked it out so hard that it physically hurt on the chorus. "Americans" was five minutes of rock 'n' roll bliss.

Beam me up, Ziggy. It doesn't get much better than that on this planet.

THE DETAILS

David Bowie in concert

When: Monday night

Where: Fillmore Auditorium in Denver

What: Classics like "Rebel, Rebel," "All the Young Dudes" and "I'm Afraid of Americans," along with new material from his latest album, "Reality."

Opener: Macy Gray