Commencing in Rotterdam in May, this tour featured an extravagant rock stage and partial theatre. It drew upon Bowie's Diamond Dogs Tour - even sharing the same stage designer (Mark Ravitz) and choreographer (Toni Basil) although musically it echoed the 1980s phase of his career.

Incorporating a breathtakingly preposterous "Spider Environment", Glass Spider saw a network of scaffolding and catwalks, dwarfed by a 50-foot high spider whose glowing body and illuminated legs framed the split-level stage. When European dates were launched, it began with a longer script involving the stage actors and dancers. Some of this was pruned back by the time it reached Australia.

The Australasian leg was marked by 15 concert dates - considerably more than Bowie's previous occasions, however, the locations played were fewer and thus the cities of Adelaide, Perth, Wellington and Christchurch had to go without. Meanwhile, Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne were treated to multiple shows.