1983 Serious
Moonlight Tour
David
Bowie's Serious Moonlight Tour appeared on the heels of his biggest selling
album Lets Dance and it promised ten spectacular shows in Perth,
Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Wellington and Auckland.
'Tour Hopping'
as demonstrated in the Serious Moonlight Tour Programme
During
1983, Australia had become something of a focus for Bowie - primarily
due to the video of his biggest smash hit "Lets Dance".
With
an unmistakenly Australian cast, the video featured a series of themes
from both rural and urban Australia - aborigines, Sydney Harbour and outback
scenes. By taking a lateral spin on the song's lyrics to expouse the cause
of Aboriginal rights, the video offered the first evidence of a hands-on
sociopolitical role from Bowie. The principal locations were Sydney and
the sheep farming outpost of Carinda.
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A second video for the follow up single "China Girl" was also
filmed around Sydney. Bowie
explained that it was "a vignette of my continuing fascination with
all things Asian. One thing that I'd been surprised by when I was in Australia
was the large Chinese population.....so I based this whole piece of work
around that particular community". The
video
featured New Zealand
actress/model Geeling
Ng who became his girlfriend.
For a comprehensive interpretation of the China Girl video, I recommend
Aki Hawkins essay "Where's
My Little China Girl?".
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Whilst in town filming, Bowie was interviewed by Molly Meldrum at Pinch
Gut Island overlooking Sydney Harbour. He also attended a Psychedelic
Furs concert at Coogee Bay Hotel and met (lead singer) Richard Butler.
The meeting was origanised by CBS (Sony) promotions manager, Bruce Butler
whose recollection and exclusive photos can be seen on
this page.
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The
Serious Moonlight Tour was announced in March 1983 and although it was
reported by the Australian press, there was no mention of Aussie dates.
Finally, the downunder dates were confirmed in July and
the promoter (Paul Dainty) devised a system of selling tickets via
mail, phone and over the counter.
PERTH:
November 4, 5 & 6
The tour kicked off in Perth with three gigs at the Entertainment Centre
- t he
only indoor shows of the Australiasian tour. Despite it's isolation, Perth
was treated to more concerts than any other city (only London, Philadelphia
and Tokyo had more '83
shows). Tickets
initially sold at $19 each although some fans were willing to pay up to
$100 as indicated by advertisements in the press.
The
stage set for Serious Moonlight was created by Mark Ravitz and it was
more elaborate than anything since 1974. Four enormous fluted columns
of transluscent polythene dominated the stage, as giant neoclassical lintels
hovered above. To the stage right was a giant hand, pointing upwards towards
a glittering crecent moon hanging stage left.
Bowie arrived in Perth from Japan. At Perth Airport, Bowie stopped to
sign autographs and then went off to what he said would be his "first
and only" press conference during the Australia tour.
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 Perth 1983 arrival with Mrs. Stevee. For Stevee's report on meeting Bowie at Perth Airport, click here. |
Dressed
in grey trousers, brown shirt and jacket, Bowie
faced 60 media representatives at the Perth Press Conference. He
spoke about sex, drugs, his son, nuclear war and the fate of the aborigines
and how he would like to revive the idea of the Brotherhood of Man. Tom
Prior (columnist for The Sun) recalled that his lasting memory
of Bowie was "in drag, with high heels, white stockings and crotch-hugging
tights".
"I've achieved some status as a pop artist. I'd like to be fairly
committed to contributing my viewpoint on what are the immoralities of
the world. I think it's very fair to say the world is probably in the
most catastrophic period of it's....of our knowledge. I think it's almost
my duty to do something about it in positive terms." - David
Bowie.
Excerpts
from the press conference and the airport arrival were shown on various
programs including Newsworld, the Morning Show and the Today
Show.
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Photos from Stevee. Top left: Bowie arrives at Perth Airport. Photos from Perth Concert, Nov 4, 1983.
Bowie's Perth shows received ecstatic reviews. According
to Starzone, the only worry was when he disappeared on a free day
without saying where he was going. After visiting Perth Zoo, Bowie drove
into the outback in a hired car.
ADELAIDE:
November 9
As in 1978, Bowie again played Adelaide Oval. The show was billed "We
play rain or shine" and sure enough, it rained. The News of
Adelaide called Bowie's concert "The show of the decade".
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Images from Adelaide concert. Photos by Eamonn aka Abbey Stump and from David Bowie's Serious Moonlight The World Tour . (Click for full screen images).
Whilst in Adelaide, Bowie gave a personal interview to the State Premier
and his wife (both fans). Bowie promised to consider an invitation to
sing at the South Australian 150th Anniversary in 1986 and passed the
time talking about films.
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 Scan from Cass aka SoulLoveChild. |
MELBOURNE: November 12
In Melbourne, Bowie played a single outdoor show at VFL Park. The 78,000 capacity stadium was the home of Australian Rules Football but on rare occasions it was used for concerts (KISS Destroyer and U2's Pop Mart). According to Starzone, the rush for telephone sales was so sudden, that Melbourne phone lines went down a few hours after sales began.
At VFL Park, the giant screen used to project Bowie was out of sync for those in the back rows due to waves of sound naturally travelling slower than light.
Nute Jenson recalls that "Bowie drove into the oval in a white Rolls Royce flanked by motorcycle security. There was no encore, but the concert was fantastic none the less."
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Left: VFL Park Scoreboard. Right: Relaxing backstage in Melbourne. Images from David Bowie's Serious Moonlight The World Tour. (Click to enlarge).
In Melbourne, Bowie stayed at the Hilton Hotel. A couple of nights before the concert, he made an unannounced appearance on The Don Lane Show to a stunned, cheering audience and a surprised and awed host. The interview that followed found Bowie in high spirits.
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Above: VFL Park at three different stages - Left: In it's hey day as the centre of AFL. Middle: As the abandoned white elephant of outer suburbia. Right: Following demolition in 2001 (the oval and part of the grandstand have been retained whilst the area surrounding is being re-developed into housing).
BRISBANE:
November 16
David
Bowie's concert at Lang Park in Brisbane was set to be a point of contention.
Back in 1978, Bowie had caused a stir among residents due to the high
decibel levels. Before permitting the 1983 show, the City Council demanded
that the promoter Paul Dainty post a $50,000 bond as insurance against
excessive volume. Residents on Charlotte Street, Red Hill, Milton and
Castlemaine even held Bowie parties to hear - or not hear - the noise
from Bowie's show. They did not and Dainty's bond was saved. Brisbane's
Lord Mayor Alderman Roy Harvey was not surprised, since he was at the
show, meeting Bowie. "I liked him. I found him to be a very down-to-earth
guy" said Harvey. Nevertheless,
this was to be one of the last concerts ever staged at Lang Park due to
government noise restrictions.
"The
concert was great. David was in good voice and Carlos Alomar had a few
problems with his guitar and had to hit it a few times and then the guitar
string broke which caused a lot of laughing amongst the band for some
reason."
-
Sharon from Brisbane
"There
were TV cameras everywhere and my mother was horrified to see her teenage
daughter all over the 6 o'clock news screaming and hysterically proclaiming
her love for Bowie :-) He was and still is, simply the best."
- Jen from Sydney
At Lang Park, fans again camped outside the venue like they did in 1978.
When Bowie heard of this, he had his hotel provide steak sandwiches for
the fans on a silver serving tray. The group of campers
at one point were told to leave by the Police. When they refused, the
controversy hit the newspapers.
In
Brisbane, Bowie managed to find some time out on
the town - incognito. According to Starzone, he dined at a Mexican restaurant
and was given seats in the nearby cafeteria when the restaurant didn't
have enough room to seat his party.
SYDNEY:
November 19 - 20
To finish up the Australia tour, Bowie played two back to
back shows at Sydney's RAS Showgrounds.
Once
again, the local council and residents objected. Paul Dainty
considered the (newly built) Entertainment Centre as an alternative but
it was deemed too small.
After
a lengthy, well publicised hearing, the Sydney concerts were given the
go ahead but with restrictions (no
rehearsals were allowed and the concerts had to be over by 10:15 PM).
At the first concert, thousands apparently lined up from 9 AM. As the
morning went on,
TV cameras were sent to film the scene for the evening news, and radio
stations gave bulletins. It was a long, hot wait until the gates opened
at 2:00 PM. By
4:00 PM the crowds were so thick that members of he roadcrew, and David's
entourage were coming instage with cameras to capture the scene.
Sydney
RAS Showgrounds, 1983. Photo by Geofrey Schuck.
At 6:00 PM, the support band - the Models - were due to go on. They apparently
performed a good show although the crowd remained subdued.
"At
one point someone with very bright blonde hair walked out....and screams
erupted. People stood up, but the poor man stood still, shocked. He shook
his head, waved and left. He was the drummer for from the support band."
- Starzone.
By
the time Bowie hit the stage, it was nearly dark and the large video screen
lit up clearly on a clear, balmy night, complete with a full - and serious
- moon.
Minutes before going on stage, Bowie presented members of an Aboriginal
dance school a cheque for an unspecified amount. Present were the stars
of the "Let's Dance" video, and it was a welcome boost for the
school as funds were running out. Bowie then walked up the stairs and
strode on to the Sydney stage.
"The crowd were restless, cramped and tired. Yet within moments
the atmosphere lifted when (Bowie) could be seen, and the first group
of musicians ran onto the stage. The first chords to "Look back in
Anger" played and David ran out. The crowd went wild. A
large group standing a few rows from the front began to push sending those
near the stage further forward. People were fainting from the heat and
closed atmosphere. The
crowd were mostly recent fans who had caught up with the 1983 Bowie, and
this was evident at the reception he recieved for his new material after
"Heroes". It was a stunning performance, the same as the shows
in the other cities. Practice had certainly made perfect."
- Starzone.
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Left:
Crooning under the moonlight - Sydney, 1983. Right: With axemen Alomar
(guitar) and Rojas (bass) - Sydney, 1983. Photo by Geoffrey Schuck.
In
exhaustion everyone prepared to file out. But there was a surprise - the
sky lit up to a magnificent fireworks display.
On the final
night, the concert began extra early to avoid disturbing the nearby residents.
This meant that the show was half over before the video screen was able
to be seen. Regardless, the second show was reportedly even better than
the first and Bowie was in fine voice - strong, pure and carrying all
around the grounds. A
25,000 strong crowd stamped and clapped for an encore as fireworks split
across the night sky to spell out: "Goodnight Sydney and Thank You
Australia".
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 Bowie in Sydney, 1983. Photo by Geoffrey Schuck. |
Whilst
in Sydney, Bowie went on a hired boat ride in Sydney
Harbour to allegedly "write some new songs, and to get away from
it all". The
previous night, he had been "nightclubbing" at Jamison Street
disco.
The
press told stories of how Bowie keeps fit by boxing, and mentioned that
he often went to beaches to practice. Early risers were told they would
get a chance to see him practice if they could guess which beach he went
to. Fans kept a vigil outside his hotel and newspapers carried stories
of those lucky enough to meet him and recieve autographs. According to
Starzone, 1983 wasn't the awed welcome of 1978 but more like "a special
hello to an old friend".
Record
store display, Sydney. (Click
to enlarge). From David Bowie's Serious Moonlight The World Tour
NEW
ZEALAND
On to New Zealand where a further two concerts had been scheduled via the promoter Hugh Lynn. Over the previous year, Bowie had been in New Zealand for the making of his
latest feature film Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence and the country was also home to his tour wardrobe stylist, Glenis Daly.
Following a direct flight from Sydney, Bowie arrived at Wellington Airport on February 22 to crowds of onlookers, media, security personnel and tour representatives. In the customs area, Bowie spared a few minutes for a TV crew but moved through the main section of the airport without stopping. Behind him came the entourage of 96 that had been following the singer through some 90 airports on his global excusion thus far.
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Wellington arrival, 1983. Scans sent in by Jacqui. (Click
to enlarge).
On February 23, Bowie was treated to a semi-sacred tribal ceremony by the Toarantira Maoris (the first
rock star in history to be so honored!). More about this event (including the exclusively written song) is here.
In the leadup to the tour, several press articles appeared in newspapers.
Among the most odd items were ones concerning Bowie's food requirements for the tour - "Dave
Tucking In" and "Bowie Demands Raw Fish Diet". Promoter
Hugh Lynn remarked that Bowie's demands weren't excessive compared with
rock stars that he's brought to New Zealand.
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Various news clippings in the lead up to the tour. (Click to enlarge). Scans provided by sonofsilence.
WELLINGTON: November 24
The first New Zealand concert was held at Wellington's Athletic Park where Bowie drew an audience of around 40,000 (from a city of only 200,000!). The NZ dates were supported by the Dance Exponents and also the Models.
To deal with the influx of people into Wellington, three special flights - all fully booked - were arranged by Air New Zealand. An excursion train (accomodating 400) was also provided for fans coming from Dunedin and Christchurch. The Corner Theatre which was in the middle of a run of "Cinderella" stopped their performance for the night of Bowie.
Unfortunately, concerns over rock concert behaviour (it had been steadily deteriorating over the previous 4 years at Athletic Park) were founded. Bowie's concert included some boisterous bottle throwers and at one point, he had stop the show when security informed him that a person was down and not being attended to.
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 Scan from TJNWorldEnterprises. (Click to enlarge).  Pic from Wellington's Evening Post via Jacqui. (Click to enlarge). |
Anger over public vomitus and urination was relayed from Wellington residents to Auckland (which was staging the last concert of the main tour). This caused some spectacular advance press. "Residents Fear Bowie Rampage" read one headline. "Enjoy It But Behave Plea From Bowie" was another.
Bowie
said "We are going to have a good time, just as long as people don't
throw bottles and act like hooligans".
On February 26, Bowie spoke to rock writer Rob White. On reflection on the eight month long tour, he said 'I can't believe we got through such a long period. I could quite happily go on for longer". Bowie did, however, express missing his son Joey from whom he had been apart for the previous 5 weeks (the downunder portion of the tour).
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Wellington news clippings including the famous Murray Ball cartoon Footrot Flats with Bowie theme. Scans provided by Jacqui Matheson (click to enlarge).
AUCKLAND: November 26
The final concert was at Auckland's massive Western Springs (a speedway stadium). The 74,480 strong audience was the largest ever recorded for an Australasian concert and was believed to be the largest single crowd gathering in the history of New Zealand. The gig was recorded in the Guiness Book of Records as the largest crowd gathering per head of population anywhere in the world.
Western Springs Stadium. From David Bowie's Serious Moonlight The World Tour. Click for full screen image.
According to Bowie fan Paul from Auckland, some papers may have declared a mere 70,000 attendance but that number had swelled considerably by at least 20,000 due to people pushing the perimetre fences over. "The bemused security guards just stood there scratching their heads before moving to assist folks over the broken fence and thereby preventing any crush injuries. It was a great show and certainly the largest by any act that I've ever been to." said Paul.
According to the book David Bowie's Serious Moonlight The World Tour, there were "90,000 or so, with their bonfires up on the hills around the site. Looking like Huns in the flickering light but behaving."
The Auckland show was supported by Auckland based group Dance Exponents and Australian group Models.
The
nuclear arms race was dominating world headlines, and Bowie finished the
Auckland concert with an impassioned oration ("I wish our world leaders
would stop their insane inability to recognise that we wish to live peacefully"),
and released two white doves into the sky before the final encore.
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 Scan from TJNWorldEnterprises. (Click to enlarge). |
With
the main tour officially over, Bowie threw a party with Polynesian dancing
girls. The
last minute addition to the Serious Moonlight Tour called the "Bungle
In The Jungle" (documented
in the "Ricochet" video) was to be stripped
down to the basics without most of the crew.....so Bowie asked the road
crew to cut the huge cake shaped like the Earth.
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Various articles from New Zealand press after the shows. (Click to enlarge). Scans from sonofsilence.
