On Bowie’s Low in 2002
On Bowie’s Low in 2002
On Bowie’s Low in 2002

On Bowie's Low in 2002

Bono showed up with Brian Eno and Kylie Minogue for David Bowie's weekendconcert at London's Festival Hall.

04 Jul 2002
Bono showed up with Brian Eno and Kylie Minogue for David Bowie's weekendconcert at London's Festival Hall.

The Daily Telegraph's Neil McCormick - an old school friend of Bono's andsometime Propaganda contributor - was also there.

'Name-dropping is an obnoxious habit, I know, but sometimes it cannot beavoided. So there I was, backstage following David Bowie's weekend concertat the Festival Hall, chatting with Bowie, Bono and Kylie (stars whosesingle names drop onto the deep-pile celebrity carpet with a deeplysatisfying, solid gold thud).

Brian Eno stopped by to compliment Bowie on his bold rendition of the Lowalbum, which made up the first half of his set. "It was actually quitebizarre, sitting in the audience hearing all those sounds and arrangementswe created being so immaculately replicated by other musicians," Eno (whoproduced the original album in 1977) cheerfully announced. "I rather likethe idea of making a record then sending other people out to perform it. Ithink it was a wise decision not to stick to the original running order,however."

"We tried that in New York," Bowie admitted. "The poor buggers didn't knowwhat to do with themselves during side two. They were too polite to complainbut by the fourth instrumental in a row there was a steady trickle of peopleheading for the bar. This time I thought it wise to break it up a little."

Bono made the point that, while the music had actually been faithfullyrecreated, the context had somehow changed Low immeasurably. "Back in theSeventies, it was something strange and alien, this harsh, cold, Teutonicsound," he opined. "Tonight everyone was singing along. It sounded like popmusic."

Not to Kylie, however, who admitted it still sounded pretty strange to her."I've never actually heard it before," she confessed. "When did it come out?Well, I was only nine! Its not the kind of thing we were singing in theplayground in Melbourne!"

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