The Australian leg of the Reality tour
opened at the 13,500 seater Brisbane Entertainment
Centre - the same venue Bowie played on his last visit
some 17 years previous.
Located 16 kilometres north of the city, the
Brisbane concert was indoor and sheltered from what was
a particularly notable bout of very hot weather - even
by Brisbane summer standards.

By 7 PM, the area outside the arena
transformed into a beacon of activity and several fans
dressed up to mark the occasion - some complete with
Aladdin Sane lightening makeup.
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BEC David Bowie Ticketek map and BEC
Time Sheet. |
The opening act was Something for Kate - as
was the case in all following Australian shows.
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David Bowie and Something For Kate. |
At around 8:45, Bowie took the stage.
As in Wellington, the start-up involved an
instrumental jam before 'Rebel Rebel' kicked in. Again,
after a rousing version of 'All The Young Dudes', Bowie
invited the audience to sing 'China Girl' from the very
beginning! - but as to be expected, the audience
fumbled. Bowie was in a playful mood - on several
occasions, getting down into a sprint position and
running towards the front of the stage to entice the
crowd.
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Bowie in Brisbane.
Photo by Adam D. Camera security at this show
was unbelievably tight but was fortunately eased
up in subsequent shows.
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Debuting downunder was 'Looking for Water' which became
a staple throughout the remaining Oz shows. Another
surprise was 'Always Crashing in the Same Car' which
appeared in the encore.
During the band introduction - just before Bowie
introduced Gail Ann Dorsey - BDU member Anthony yelled
out the name "Hollywood" to which David laughed and
replied " Hollywood? What has that got to
do with the price of chips? Hollywood. Alright. Ummmm"
before Gail Ann explained that 'Hollywood' was a name
she used on a Velvel record.
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'Ziggy
Played Guitar'. Photo by Adam D. |
Following the concert, many fans decided to rock on at
the Troubadour Bar in Fortitude Valley.
The following day, reports in
the press were ecstatic. Securing most of page 3 of The
Courier Mail, Noel Mengel reported that Bowie's
show was better than his 1983 and 1987 concerts and on a
par with Lang Park, 1978 - a show that is frequently
cited as one of the most memorable rock concerts among
those who attended.
Page 3 of The Courier Mail, Feb
18 2004.

Front page of the Today section of The
Courier Mail.
Front cover of local music rag Time
Off, Feb 11-17, 2004.

Brisbane, Feb 17, 2004. For more info click here.
Click here for the complete concert
transcript.
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