Silhouetted against the light on stage in 1990, David Bowie belts out a deafening rendition of "Rebel Rebel" as a rapturous audience claps along with arms raised.
Rewind to 1973 and the iconic star is at London’s Hammersmith Odeon singing "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide" in his final performance as Ziggy Stardust.
A decade after Bowie died in 2016 in New York at the age of 69, these moments are among the highlights captured in a new immersive multi-media show at London’s Lightroom venue, which opened this week. The production blends live performance footage, including previously unseen material, with rarely heard interviews, offering a vivid portrait of the artist’s career and personality.
The experience is the latest tribute to Bowie, widely regarded as one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. At the “cathedral-like” Lightroom, images and footage are projected onto 11-metre-high screens across all four walls and the floor, accompanied by a 360-degree sound system. The setup creates an enveloping environment that places audiences inside the performance.
Writer and director Mark Grimmer said the aim was to recreate Bowie’s “genius as a live performer” while preserving the communal atmosphere of a concert. “It’s a social event. It’s a crowd of people, you’re there with other human beings”, he said.
Grimmer and co-director Tom Wexler sifted through extensive archival material to shape the show, titled “David Bowie: You’re Not Alone”. Highlights include the Hammersmith Odeon concert immortalised in DA Pennebaker’s 1983 film, as well as a powerful 1978 performance of "Heroes" at Earl’s Court, when Bowie was “at the peak of his power”, according to Grimmer.
Other sequences feature Bowie at Live Aid in 1985 and his 1972 Top of the Pops appearance performing "Starman" in a striking rainbow jumpsuit. Interwoven with these performances are clips of Bowie speaking candidly about his life. He reflects on the bleakness of his London childhood and his search for “colour” and “exhilaration”.
The show also reveals a more personal side of Bowie. Through interviews, he emerges as humorous and self-deprecating, describing himself as an “unlikely” rock star and comparing himself to an “emperor penguin”.
Despite his flamboyant stage personas, Bowie described himself as essentially a writer who gravitated towards outsiders. He acknowledged early struggles with performing, overcoming them by inhabiting characters such as the androgynous Ziggy Stardust.
The hour-long production, running until at least October, features around 40 tracks. It concludes with Bowie reflecting on ageing and existence, expressing comfort with uncertainty. “I’m quite happy in chaos”, he says, describing life and the universe as “really untidy”. — AFP
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