NOT! the music, but the concept of an OTT type of stage show.
Last night I went to see Take That at the first gig of their Circus UK tour at the Stadium Of Light, Sunderland, with my Mrs who is the massive Take That fan in our house.
What! a truly spectacular and magnificent show these four guys put on last night. There was circus acts, illusions, spectacular lighting effects and several diamond vision screens that not only showed close up shots of the group but were often incorporated very successfully into the visual effects as well. Two stages were used, the main one at the front and a secondary one in the middle of the pitch, each stage was used roughly in equal measure so everyone on the pitch got close up to the action. I'm not going to go into all the finer details of the show here because this is after all a David Bowie site, plus there was so much going on I'd be here all day except to say if you get the chance to see this tour and more importantly witness what db was trying to achieve back in 87 with the Glass Spider tour, then get to see The Circus tour live whether you like the music of Take That or not!
To witness this Take That gig truly gives a glimpse into what db was trying to pioneer back in 87 and maybe make those Glass Spider doubters understand why people like me (who are generally anti Bowie's 80's) have so much time for the concepts of the Serious Moonlight and Glass Spider shows. In the TT gig last night during Relight My Fire, there was this massive blow up ring master with a projected image of a face on it making different facial expressions ( not unlike Mr Bowie's face in fact! ) a trick having already been previously used of course by db in the past as we all know.
So hail the pioneer Bowie! but also hail Take That for taking this OTT concept type of a pop / stage show to it's ultimate limits ( at the moment )with the benefit of hindsight and over 20 years of technical improvements of course.
P's. There are some You tube clips up already from last nights show, but they don't really do it justice, so if you don't want to go to a Take That gig or indeed lower yourself to go to one?? then watch the DVD which is sure to be released around Xmas time, and should be pretty well filmed to capture the special effects and atmosphere on disc as far as you possibly can. Still! for full on effect you have got to go and see it live.
But seriously it was a magnificent show, and whilst I'm far from being the worlds biggest Take That fan, I'm not too proud not to give credit where it's due Take That used to wind me up in the 90's as does any type of Boy Band, but today the newly reformed and invented Take That have matured into a brilliant act for their intended audience market.
Like I said! last night's Take That show visually and conceptually shows Glass Spider the way home. FACT!
but glass spider was a trainwreck ... truly awful. so i am not quite sure what it means to out do it. have they done something spectacularly terrible ?
I seen some of the pictures of it in the paper today and have to agree it looks great.
I'm not a massive fan but Mr.Barlow can really write a tune,how Robbie Williams done so well is beyond me,Slane?
Now come on!
It's all relevant depending where you are coming from.
June 7 2009, 4:02 PM
<< but glass spider was a trainwreck ... truly awful. so i am not quite sure what it means to out do it. have they done something spectacularly terrible ?>>
It really does depend on how you are viewing Glass Spider. Your correct in alluding to the fact that Glass Spider wasn't Bowie's finest moment when compared to the other great ( and more minimalist ) tours Bowie did, but look at it (as you really must) from the view point that Glass Spider and Serious Moonlight before that, were both very ambitious show type tours rather than your more familiar type of rock / pop gigs, and Bowie really does have to be admired for the concept of those two shows and the sheer daring of them. Remember they were over 20 years ago. Was Glass Spider really a train wreck? NO! it wasn't, it was simply a very ground breaking type of show for it's time, whether it actually worked 100 percent of the time for Bowie and his fans or not.
The Take That Circus tour show I saw on Friday night has simply taken the basic ideas of Glass Spider ( I've no idea if Take That were in anyway influenced by Glass Spider or another similar show? but I seriously think someone somewhere in the TT camp was! although I do believe they visit the states a lot and get a lot of their ideas from shows put on there )and executed that type of show to it's natural effectiveness.
Of course a major factor to take into account is that Take That are the ideal type of act to pull off such an OTT show, where as Bowie is more of an artist who definitely worked better by projecting himself via a more minimalist stage setting along with alter egos or whatever. ( along with of course his brilliant music )
Are OTT show type gigs train wrecks? I suppose they are if it's not your thing, but if you like OTT shows ( which I do if they are done properly ) then Take That are most definitely the world leaders at the moment when it comes to doing one. I was genuinely impressed by what I saw the other night and I'm not afraid to admit it. Like I said previously, they deserve full credit for pulling a show like that off whatever anyone might think of them or their brand of music. Put it this way, if my wife asked me to go to another Take That show then I wouldn't hesitate because I'm pretty confident that I would come away fully entertained from the visual entertainment view point. Whilst my personal music tastes are in the rock field I also appreciate that Take That are a bloody good pop group
Re: It's all relevant depending where you are coming from.
June 7 2009, 4:16 PM
<< I'm not a massive fan but Mr.Barlow can really write a tune,>>
I would have to agree Chris and neither am I a massive fan, unlike my wife! but what makes the Take That of today better than the Take That of before is that they all have equal say when it comes to writing songs, ideas for the shows etc. Their re invention really is quite impressive.
They have matured into a great pop group who are literally light years of the group that contained Robbie Williams.
I love obscure,totally individual, and more serious music minded artists, but now and again I love just being entertained by someone who I don't want to take that ( pun intended ) seriously from their music angle, and to be honest Take That managed it with me.
Take That?? totally out does Bowie's Glass Spider!!!
June 7 2009, 5:27 PM
I seem to recall an interview with Bowie in Tin Machine mode when he is looking back on the Glass Spider tour and starts going on about future stadium tours with two main stages with various things going on on each so the whole crowd is in the action. A few years after and a second B stage accessable via walkways is the norm for stadium shows from the likes of U2 and the Rolling Stones, so it is about time that a major artist has two major stages on the go.
Re: Take That?? totally out does Bowie's Glass Spider!!!
June 7 2009, 9:05 PM
I suppose they have to put on a high tech show to get away from the fact that the music is shite!!!
Just about every Take That song is a re-hash of an old one. They're not original and the two dancers are pathetic. They should dress the dwarf up as a smurf though!! I'd pay to see that!!
Re: Take That?? totally out does Bowie's Glass Spider!!!
June 7 2009, 9:36 PM
<< I suppose they have to put on a high tech show to get away from the fact that the music is shite!!!
<br>
Just about every Take That song is a re-hash of an old one. They're not original and the two dancers are pathetic. They should dress the dwarf up as a smurf though!! I'd pay to see that!! >>
What! and Bowie's never re hashed anything I suppose!
That's a bit of an elitist statement isn't it, their music is shite? 50,000 people in the Stadium Of Light last Friday night would disagree with you. Their music might be shite in the greater scheme of things to us who are David Bowie fans, but in their particular field they are at the top of their game and that's a stark truthful fact. Besides how many people were saying David Bowie was shite and he had to hide behind an elaborate fictional persona in order to get in anyway noticed and famous when he was Ziggy Stardust back in the day. Just as well people like me saw the bigger picture back then eh! Also is David Bowie the worlds greatest dancer? yeah he is OK, but he sure as hell ain't no Michael Jackson or Take That for that matter
To answer Grahams point about two stages, I would agree! everyone should have them these days because what a difference two stages makes to those who can't always get right to the front of a gig.
Re: It's all relevant depending where you are coming from.
June 9 2009, 9:58 AM
<< I'm not a massive fan but Mr.Barlow can really write a tune,>>
Well I would say that their newer stuff if their best songwriting however Barlow did not write them eg Patience is credited John Shanks / Take That, Shine - steve robson/Take That, Rule the world - John Shanks/Take That. John Shanks is also the producer so is probably the person responsible for the whole new sound they have so if anyone deserves some credit.
I often suspect that history has treated Glass Spider poorly for one reason: It was released on video.
Nearly all the Bowie fans I've met here who attended those 1987 shows raved about the great time they had. But those who haven't paint it as shit and walk on. But how can the critics get away with that and call the Diamond Dogs tour a classic at the same time?
All we've seen from the 1974 tour are several pictures and brief glimpses on film lasting at most a few minutes. It had similar concepts, massive set pieces, props, background vocalists who doubled as "actors" and theatrical lighting. What's left are a boatload of bootlegs emphasizing the music, of course. And those 1974 arrangements, spot-on in their time, haven't aged as well when compared to other tours, much like Glass Spider. Yet the Diamond Dogs tour still carries this mythic reputation, inspiring deep admiration and fervent collection by Bowiephiles. So what's the difference?
It's true, Bowie was touring a weaker album in 1987, leaving critics salavating at the idea of trashing David the moment he touched the stage, but I've seen the videos and heard the Montreal concert in the Glass Spider CD/DVD package. The thing is, I listened to the CD first and it simply wasn't that bad. Not nearly as bad as it's preceeding reputation.
It all comes back to that video. When we want confirmation of how bad it was, we watch the opening five to ten minutes, giggle at the garishly attired dancers, watch Bowie constantly fumble with his head-mic while grinning his way through "Glass Spider" and "Day-In Day Out" and immediatly hit stop. Preconception sealed.
If the video didn't exist, would we be talking about Glass Spider as another Bowie attempt at rock theater? Maybe not as good as Ziggy or Diamond Dogs, but fun nonetheless? One wonders.
Interesting analogy that Joe and you do have a point because it really is impossible to capture the full on effect of a live concert on video / DVD. I went to see Glass Spider twice ( wembley & Sunderlands Roker Park ) and I enjoyed them both at the time with Wembley being the preferred one.
However I think the DD / Philly Dogs tour has gained it's mythical status simply because ( from the snippets I've seen ) it was more of a theatrical ROCK! show rather than an OTT poppish stage show. The band were better, the songs were better ( more rock ) arranged, it was more raw, and even though it was theatrical it was more minimalist than Glass Spider and a lot more tastefully and artistically done. Also Bowie himself was a bit of a mythical and very strange guy in every sense both from his brilliant album work and totally weird looks at the time, it all helps to give something that special aura. Glass Spider was far too mainstream, which goes back to the age old 80's Bowie argument which is Bowie just doesn't do mainstream that well.
Going back to this Take That gig I saw the other night, I am interested when the DVD of it comes out, to see if the full on effect of actually being there live can in anyway can be re captured on disc, but I some how doubt it.
except to say if you get the chance to see this tour and more importantly witness what db was trying to achieve back in 87 with the Glass Spider tour, then get to see The Circus tour live whether you like the music of Take That or not!
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