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.