Today is David Bowie Day across the land, as the timeless rock icon celebrates both his 69th birthday and the release of new album, Blackstar. The new record, led by the 10-minute title track, brings Bowie back into more experimental territory, and has been generally well-received by critics.
As we let it digest, music writer Annie Zaleski has tipped us off to a fresh audio recording of Bowie’s October 2002 show at Boston’s Orpheum Theatre. One of the stops along his Heathen tour, the 24-song performance spans much of the legend’s career up to that point, and includes (early on) his cover of the Pixies’ “Cactus.” Bowie briefly talks about Frank Black around the 10-minute mark.
Though no doubt this audio has been floating around the internet and available for those who seek this sort of thing out, the bootleg, apparently recorded by a fan in the crowd, is still pretty fresh on YouTube, with less than 500 plays at press time. And the audio is pretty fantastic.
Scan the full set list below, and click here for some archived reviews of the show from the Herald and Globe.
David Bowie, live at the Orpheum in Boston
October 23, 2002
01. Sunday
02. Cactus
03. Breaking Glass
04. Fame
05. Ashes to Ashes
06. Slip Away
07. China Girl
08. 5:15 the Angels Have Gone
09. Starman
10. Absolute Beginners
11. I’ve Been Waiting for You
12. Afraid
13. Fashion
14. Be My Wife
15. Alabama Song
16. Sound and Vision
17. Rebel Rebel
18. I’m Afraid of Americans
19. Life on Mars?
20. “Heroes”
21. Heathen (The Rays)
Encore
22. White Light/White Heat
23. Let’s Dance
24. Ziggy Stardust