“I can work the scene babe”
David Bowie’s concert at the Purcell Room on London’s Southbank on 20th November, 1969, was a real ‘sliding doors’ moment for him.
By all accounts his performance was astonishing, but sadly there was no press aside from a solitary reporter from The Observer to spread the word.
Here’s a small excerpt from manager Kenneth Pitt’s Bowie – The Pitt Report.
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The concert at the Purcell Room was a personal triumph for David. It started promptly at 7.30 and every seat was occupied by an invited audience and others who had paid either ten, eight or five shillings for their ticket. Juniors Eyes were on the bill, also a band from David's neighbourhood named Comus, in which he was showing an interest. David performed superbly, faultlessly.
There were a few people who were disappointed that he should accompany Space Oddity acoustically when he had all the musicians necessary for a sound more akin to the record. Gus Dudgeon thought to himself “Oh no, you can't do this David.”
Perhaps this was part of David’s determination to resist the pressure from a hit record: his way of saying that Space Oddity, to him, was not the most important of his songs he was singing that night.
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We’ll leave you with the setlist…consider for one minute just how good it must have been to hear.
Buzz The Fuzz
Port Of Amsterdam
Space Oddity
Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud
London Bye Ta Ta
Karma Man
Cygnet Committee
Unwashed And Somewhat Slightly Dazed
Janine
Occasional Dream
The Width Of The Circle
Letter To Hermione
Conversation Piece
Memory Of A Free Festival
God Knows I’m Good
FOOTNOTE: Titles listed as presented on the PRS form.
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