DAVID BOWIE (with SRV on Guitar)
LAS COLINAS SOUNDSTAGE
DALLAS TX
04/27/83

Back in 1983, David Bowie was about to embark upon a 2 year world tour in support of his latest release “Let’s Dance”. The guitarist who had been earmarked to go on that tour was none other than Stevie Ray Vaughan. Due to errors in judgement by the management of both Stevie Ray and Bowie, SRV was ousted from the band on the eve of the tour, however, a SBD bootleg from the rehearsals exists, and that is what is up for grabs here.

This is what David Bowie had to say on it:

Tour rehearsals were a fairly disjointed affair for me as I was also being shunted here, there and everywhere to do press for the album release. By the time I got to Dallas the band had already honed the songs to a near finished state.

Although pretty disjointed himself, as drugs were seriously taking their toll, Stevie was pulling notes out of the air that no one could have dreamed would have worked with my songs. In fact there is a bootleg out there somewhere containing one days playing, a gem for those that can find it.

Apart from a couple of dreadful hangers-on that had fastened themselves onto Stevie's coat tails, things swung along pretty well. Stevie's manager had asked the tour promoter if, while on tour, it was possible for Stevie to fly out and do a couple of German TV shows on our days off. The promoter had specified that as long as Stevie made it to the next gig we would have no problem with it. All in all, we were really stoked about getting to Europe and the first gig.

At the end of our work in Dallas the band made its way to New York and I again left for Europe to recommence interviews and TV and such. Then about three days in front of the first gig I got a heartbreaking call from my office. "Are you sitting down, David? I'm afraid you have a new lead guitar player. Stevie is no longer on the tour."

At the eleventh hour, literally, Stevie's manager had pulled an unbelievable trick. One half hour before the coach was due to leave for the airport and while Stevie and the rest of the band were loading their bags onto it, the manager had demanded a meeting with the tour promoter in the lobby of the hotel. He then point blank demanded to renegotiate Stevie's fee, there and then, giving him a higher salary than any other musician on the tour, otherwise he would pull Stevie from the tour.

As I was thousands of miles away in Belgium, our promoter took it upon himself to make a decision which would change the entire sound of the show. "Arnie," he called to Arnold Dunn, our tour manager, "take Mr. Vaughan's bags off the coach, he has decided to pass on this tour."

When the rest of the party arrived in Belgium, Carmine Rojas, my bass player, told me that it was one of the most heartbreaking moments he had ever witnessed on the road, Stevie left standing on the sidewalk with his bags surrounding him. Carmine was convinced that Stevie had no idea that his manager was going to pull such a scam. Carlos Alomar, the bandleader, had quickly recommended phoning Earl Slick, who learned the entire show on the flight over to Belgium.

At first, I was both devastated and angry, but not really sure who to be angry at, the stupid manager who tried a juvenile blackmail or our tour guys for making such an important decision without waiting to get hold of me. You just have to get over these things pretty fast or buckle under, so the tour kicked off and did its thing around the world, Slick performing like a trooper with no rehearsal whatsoever.

So, if you are interested in this sign up below and send me a PM with your address

DISC 1
The Jean Genie Intro >
Star
Heroes
What in the World
Look Back in Anger
Joe the Lion
Wild is the Wind
Golden Years
Fashion
Let's Dance
Red Sails
Breaking Glass
Life on Mars
Sorrow
Cat People
China Girl
Scary Monsters
Rebel Rebel
I Can't Explain

DISC 2
White Light, White Heat Set
Station to Station
Cracked Actor
Ashes to Ashes
Space Oddity
Young Americans
Soul Love
Hang Onto Yourself
Fame
TVC15
Stay
Jean Genie
Modern Love

[Edited on 1/14/2016 by harvey]