David Bowie: next Vegas headliner?
10:22 AM PT, Jul 5 2007
Robin Leach is reporting that David Bowie is in negotiations with AEG Live
(who run Celine's and Elton's shows at Caesars) for a Vegas show. But AEG has
other options for Bowie than their venue at Ceasars. The company is responsible
for a new concert room in the currently under construction Echelon Place. Also,
in a meeting with Hard Rock executives over the weekend, I was told the Hard Rock resort
is building a new 4000 seat venue to open in 2009. But the executives told me
they were not looking for a headliner for that room. Or, at least not for one,
whose theatrical sets would make it hard to use the room for other purposes.
And, my guess: the unplugged Bowie would not be the Vegas plan.
On one level, Bowie makes perfect sense as a headliner in Vegas, because he
has a theatrical approach to the stage. Indeed,
he was far ahead of his time that way. That would be perfect here. But even without a huge glass spider, Bowie can still sing and perform a crowd pleasing set for fans. I saw him play a concert at the Hard
Rock a few years ago and his show was fantastic and sold out and
enthusiastically received. Still, I am not sure if Bowie could be a serious
contender to sell out 26 weeks a year at a major venue in town? Keep in mind, that selling out the pint
sized Joint is one thing. But, as exciting as it is to contemplate what Bowie could
do with the stage, it is doubtful Bowie could be a regular at the Colosseum at
Caesars which has more than double the number seats at the Joint.
Don't get me wrong. I am a big fan of Bowie. I revere the Berlin trilogy with Eno. All
those discs are in regular rotation at the Abowitz house. I buy every Bowie
disc to this day. Among my favorite discs of all time are two of his: Lodger, and
Station to Station. He is hero stuff. In fact, the only piece of "art" I own is a signed
and numbered original Mick Rock photo of Ziggy Stardust era Bowie seen with the
late guitar great Mick Ronson. But I live in a town where DJ Samantha Ronson is far more
famous than Mick Ronson.
Anyway that is the point; the truth is that Bowie is an icon but in sales
terms has always remained mostly a cult artist.To fill all those seats at the
Colosseum, for even just 10 weeks a year, is asking Bowie to sell more tickets than
he likely can or, at least, at Celine or Elton prices. Bowie never really did stadium tours like
the Rolling Stones and the Who. Bowie, even in his prime, rarely ventured much
beyond the size of hockey rinks. His main audience has always been hipsters on the coasts, critics and music geeks. By direct contrast, in the 70s, Elton John and Alice Cooper in
different ways, took what Bowie did (theater, sexual ambiguity) and made of the
approach commercial success with lots of hits. Elton John does great in Vegas. Vegas likes hits. And, while
Bowie has his share of classics, in truth, he has only a handful of actual hits.
Still, I am interested in seeing how this develops. I certainly take the
possibility seriously. It would be amazing to have Bowie in Vegas. His presence
as a regular attraction would mark another milestone for Vegas. Yet, even as I
get excited at the thought, I also remember Lou Reed's one Vegas concert at the
Hard Rock that sold so poorly that resort employees were left going table to table
asking customers in the cafe next to the Joint if they wanted free tickets to see Lou Reed. Of
course, Bowie has always been more user friendly than his New York
counterpart. So, I've reached out to Bowie's camp to try to get some official
word or comment on this story, and I will post as soon as I hear back.
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David Brighton, the worlds leading Bowie Tribute act will be playing the Cannery Casino on September 29th, 2007. Check out the Cannery website for more information. I've been in direct contact with Mr. Brighton for a while, actually I played a large part in him getting the gig at the Cannery. I am trying to figure out how to promote the show to the Vegas Bowie fans but there doesn't seem to be a general place they all visit. If you are a Bowie fan, are interested in this show, and would like to help out, please contact me. Mr. Brighton notified me of the concern with fliers being passed out since the Cannery got complaints about another band littering their fliers all over Vegas. sincitychains@yahoo.com.
At least TELL YOUR FELLOW BOWIE FANS! David Brighton is awesome and his lead guitarist, Paul...I swear that guy is Mick Ronson reincarnated. All in all, its an amazing show and I would really like to see Brighton and the Space Oddity Tribute Band return to Vegas on a regular basis, so please help in packing the house!
Posted by: Sid | August 16, 2007 at 10:55 PM
Love Bowie, though at age 60, yu may be better off with the tribute act. See my tribute/spoo at http://www.realcrash.com/new-york-city-glamrock-bowie/ and rebel rebel rock on.
Posted by: Howard Gibson | November 01, 2007 at 08:27 AM