Outside Tour

The Outside Tour was a tour by English rock musician David Bowie, opening in September 1995 and lasting over a year. The opening shows preceded the release of the 1. Outside album which it supported. The tour visited stops in North America and Europe.

Outside Tour
Tour by David Bowie
Location
  • North America
  • Europe
Associated album1. Outside
Start date14 September 1995
End date14 October 1996
Legs3
No. of shows99
David Bowie concert chronology
Nine Inch Nails concert chronology
Self Destruct Tour
(1994–95)
Dissonance Tour
(1995)
Fragility Tour
(1999–2000)

The US leg of the tour was supported by Nine Inch Nails as part of their extended Self Destruct Tour, who segued their set with Bowie's to form a continuous show. Morrissey was the support act for the entire European leg, but withdrew from the tour after nine dates. On selected dates Reeves Gabrels performed songs from his album, The Sacred Squall of Now in addition to performing with Nine Inch Nails and David Bowie.

An official live recording from the tour, Ouvrez le Chien (Live Dallas 95) was released in July 2020, and another, No Trendy Réchauffé (Live Birmingham 95), was released in December 2020.

In a 2012 Rolling Stone reader's poll, the tour (pairing Nine Inch Nails with Bowie) was named one of the top 10 opening acts in rock history.[1]

Background

Bowie released his album Outside in late September 1995, having recorded it from early 1994 through early 1995,[2] for which this tour was named. It was Bowie's first solo tour since he retired his hits during the 1990 Sound+Vision Tour, and his first performances on stage since The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert in 1992.[3] Initial tour rehearsals were held at the Complete Music Studios in New York before moving to the Mullins Center, where Nine Inch Nails joined the rehearsal.[4]

Of the material for this tour, Bowie said, "We're going to play some older material, sure, but not obvious things. I found, while rehearsing for the [Outside] tour, that older songs I haven't played for years suddenly fit in with this new material quite well – things like ... "Joe the Lion." So I'm quite looking forward to it."[5] Other songs from Bowie's back catalog that he performed during the tour include "Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)", "Look Back in Anger", "Andy Warhol" and "Breaking Glass".[6]

Bowie said of why he chose to tour with Nine Inch Nails, "I personally did like the combination of NIN and me, but my fans didn't. Bad luck!! It also was an extremely young audience, between about 12 and 17 years old. My starting point was simply: I've just made an adventurous album, what can I do now to turn the concerts as adventurous. Looking at it in that way, it seemed logical to confront myself with the NIN audience. I knew it would be hard to captivate them by music they never heard, by an artist whose name was the only familiar thing.[7]

Trent Reznor has gone on record numerous times as being heavily influenced by David Bowie,[8] and further collaborated with Bowie by remixing "The Hearts Filthy Lesson" and later on 1997's "I'm Afraid of Americans" single. When asked in 1995 if his album Outside was influenced by Nine Inch Nails, Bowie answered, "the band that I was actually quite taken with was three guys from Switzerland call The Young Gods ... I’d been aware of them previous to knowing about Nine Inch Nails."[9]

Set and costume design

For the tour, Bowie went with a modest stage design ("some banners, some mannequins") and avoided the theatrical presentation like his previous Glass Spider Tour in 1987 and Sound+Vision Tour in 1990.[6] The stage "resembled a building site, with paint splashed crumpled sheets draped about", and included an old fashioned table and chair in one corner, onto which Bowie would occasionally climb during shows.[4] Above the stage, a neon sign displayed the phrase "Ouvrez le Chien", a partial lyric from Bowie's 1970 song "All the Madmen", which he repeated in his 1993 song "The Buddha of Suburbia".[10] During the US portion of the tour, an additional neon sign hung above the stage displayed phrases like "Strange Ko", "Noise Angel", "Man Made" or "Street Volva" that changed nightly.[4]

Bowie had a few outfits for the tour (which varied between the European and US shows), but included three jackets designed by Alexander McQueen.[4][11]

Performance notes

Bowie in 1995

Bowie opened an interview for the tour with USA Today on the opening day of the tour, on 14 September 1995 with the question "How do you commit commercial suicide? Well, you do this: play songs from an album that hasn't been released yet, and complement it with obscure songs from the past that you've never done on stage."[12]

American industrial rock band Prick opened some nights on the US leg,[4] and for some shows, Gabrels would perform songs from his then-new album The Sacred Squall of Now.[13] During the tour, as Nine Inch Nails reached the conclusion of their performance, the two bands played together with both Nine Inch Nails and Bowie and his band performing "Subterraneans", "Hallo Spaceboy" and "Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)", followed by two Nine Inch Nails songs "Reptile" and "Hurt" after which Bowie continued with his own set alone.[8] A review of the opening night of the tour said that "Moving from NIN to Bowie was like moving from Kansas to Oz. Instead of the stark white stage light beating down like investigation lamps, the stage became awash in color and texture."[14] The same review acknowledged that the shift in music puzzled some in the audience, but overall called the show "an impressive body of new music, splendidly delivered".[14] A review of the following night in Mansfield, Massachusetts was unkind, saying that by the end of the set, "Bowie proved he was not up to sharing the stage with NIN, yet insisted on dragging out his overlong performance to its embarrassingly self-indulgent end."[4]

Early in the tour, the "almost 100% Nails audience" provided a challenge to Bowie, who said "In those first weeks, we had to adjust emotionally to the fact that we were going to be challenged every night to get in sync with what people were coming to the show for. But then you start to recognize that if you're going to continue, you'd better enjoy what you're doing. The more we did that, the more it communicated to the audience. That's how it went from survival to being a good tour."[15]

Bowie signed copies of his album at a local record store while in New York on 26 September 1995.[4]

Morrissey was slated to be the opening act of the European tour, but he suddenly and unexpectedly quit just before the Aberdeen Exhibition Centre performance on 29 November 1995.[16] The support slot was filled on later dates by The Gyres, Echobelly, Placebo, Electrafixion (with Ian McCulloch) and a variety of local bands.

After the 20 February 1996 show in Paris, the band took a break until June, but when the shows resumed the band did not include George Simms, Pete Schwartz or Carlos Alomar.[4] Shows from this "Summer Festivals" leg often included yet-to-be-released tracks from Bowie's upcoming Earthling album.[4]

The Kremlin Palace Concert Hall performance on 18 June 1996 was recorded and a 50-minute broadcast was later shown on Russian Television. Other television coverage included the entire 22 June Loreley Festival performance on German TV (Rockpalast) and excerpts from the Phoenix Festival performance on 18 July broadcast on British TV with BBC Radio broadcasting a six-song selection from the performance. One song from this performance, "The Hearts Filthy Lesson", was released on the live CD LiveAndWell.com (1999/2021). The Tel Aviv and Balingen dates were both broadcast on FM radio in their respective countries.[17]

Live recordings

Dallas, Texas (Ouvrez le Chien (Live Dallas 95))

Ouvrez le Chien (Live Dallas 95)
Live album by
David Bowie
Released3 July 2020
Recorded13 October 1995
VenueStarplex Amphitheater, Dallas Texas USA
LabelParlophone
David Bowie chronology
I'm Only Dancing (The Soul Tour 74)
(2020)
''Ouvrez le Chien (Live Dallas 95)''
(2020)
No Trendy Réchauffé (Live Birmingham 95)
(2020)

The 13 October 1995 show, recorded at the Starplex Amphitheater in Dallas Texas, was released on music streaming platforms as David Bowie Ouvrez le Chien (Live Dallas 95) in July 2020[18] and on CD and vinyl on 30 October 2020.[19] The streaming release includes two live songs recorded at the Birmingham performance as well.[20] Ouvrez le Chien charted at #32 on the UK albums chart.[21] "Ouvrez le Chien" is a partial lyric from Bowie's 1970 song "All the Madmen", which he repeated in his 1993 song "The Buddha of Suburbia".[10] This release is part of the 6-album set Brilliant Live Adventures.[22]

Set list

  1. "Look Back in Anger"
  2. "The Hearts Filthy Lesson"
  3. "The Voyeur of Utter Destruction (As Beauty)"
  4. "I Have Not Been to Oxford Town"
  5. "Outside"
  6. "Andy Warhol"
  7. "Breaking Glass"
  8. "The Man Who Sold the World"
  9. "We Prick You"
  10. "I’m Deranged"
  11. "Joe the Lion"
  12. "Nite Flights" (Scott Walker)
  13. "Under Pressure"
  14. "Teenage Wildlife"
  15. "Moonage Daydream" (recorded at Birmingham, England) (streaming only)
  16. "Under Pressure" (recorded at Birmingham, England) (streaming only)

Birmingham, England (No Trendy Réchauffé (Live Birmingham 95))

No Trendy Réchauffé (Live Birmingham 95)
Live album by
David Bowie
Released20 November 2020
Recorded13 December 1995
VenueNational Exhibition Centre, Birmingham England
LabelParlophone
David Bowie chronology
Ouvre le Chien (Live Dallas 95)
(2020)
''No Trendy Réchauffé (Live Birmingham 95)''
(2020)
LiveAndWell.com
(2021)

The 13 December 1995 performance at the National Exhibition Centre (Hall 5) in Birmingham, England, billed as the Big Twix Mix Show with Alanis Morissette, Lightning Seeds and Echobelly as support acts, was filmed by BBC TV with excerpts broadcast at a later date. Two songs from this show, "Under Pressure" and "Moonage Daydream", were released as b-sides on Bowie's "Hallo Spaceboy" (1996) single[20] as well as part of the Ouvrez le Chien release. In late 2020, it was announced that Bowie's show, in its entirety, would be released as No Trendy Réchauffé (Live Birmingham 95) on 20 November 2020. The show contains two performances of "Hallo Spaceboy"; one was intended as the video for the song's official single, but that plan was cancelled after the Pet Shop Boys remixed the single instead.[23] Bowie biographer Nicholas Pegg called the release "bloody marvellous. Tight, urgent, muscular renditions of Scary Monsters, Hallo Spaceboy, The Voyeur, Oxford Town. Possibly the best band he ever had."[24] "No trendy réchauffé" is a partial lyric from the song "Strangers When We Meet", which is included in the setlist for this show. The release is part of the 6-album set Brilliant Live Adventures.[22]

No Trendy Réchauffé hit number 43 on the Scottish album charts.[25]

Set list

  1. "Look Back in Anger"
  2. "Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)"
  3. "The Voyeur of Utter Destruction (as Beauty)"
  4. "The Man Who Sold the World"
  5. "Hallo Spaceboy"
  6. "I Have Not Been to Oxford Town"
  7. "Strangers When We Meet"
  8. "Breaking Glass"
  9. "The Motel"
  10. "Jump They Say"
  11. "Teenage Wildlife"
  12. "Under Pressure"

Encore:

  1. "Moonage Daydream"
  2. "We Prick You"
  3. "Hallo Spaceboy" (version 2)

Personnel

Tour dates

Date City Country Venue Attendance
North America
14 September 1995HartfordUnited StatesMeadows Music Theatre30,000/30,000
16 September 1995MansfieldGreat Woods Arts Center19,000/19,000
17 September 1995HersheyHersheypark Stadium30,000/30,000
20 September 1995TorontoCanadaSkyDome46,000/46,000
22 September 1995CamdenUnited StatesBlockbuster Center25,000/25,000
23 September 1995BurgettstownStar Lake Amphitheater23,000/23,000
27 September 1995East RutherfordMeadowlands Arena40,000/40,000
28 September 1995
30 September 1995Cuyahoga FallsBlossom Music Center23,000/23,000
1 October 1995Tinley ParkNew World Music Theatre28,000/28,739
3 October 1995Auburn HillsThe Palace of Auburn Hills20,000/22,000
4 October 1995ColumbusPolaris Amphitheater20,000/20,000
6 October 1995BristowNissan Pavilion25,000/25,000
7 October 1995RaleighWalnut Creek Amphitheatre20,000/20,000
9 October 1995AtlantaLakewood Amphitheatre18,000/18,900
11 October 1995Maryland HeightsRiverport Amphitheatre20,000/20,000
13 October 1995DallasStarplex Amphitheatre20,000/20,000
14 October 1995AustinSouth Park Meadows16,000/17,000
16 October 1995DenverMcNichols Sports Arena17,000/18,500
18 October 1995PhoenixDesert Sky Pavilion20,000/20,100
19 October 1995Las VegasThomas & Mack Center14,700/15,300
21 October 1995Mountain ViewShoreline Amphitheatre22,500/22,500
24 October 1995TacomaTacoma Dome23,000/23,000
25 October 1995PortlandThe Rose Garden19,490/21,000
28 October 1995InglewoodGreat Western Forum35,000/35,000
29 October 1995
31 October 1995Los AngelesHollywood Palladium3,450/3,700
Europe
14 November 1995LondonEnglandWembley Arena50,000/50,000
15 November 1995
17 November 1995
18 November 1995
20 November 1995BirminghamNational Exhibition Centre30,000
21 November 1995
23 November 1995BelfastNorthern Ireland(Re-scheduled for 5 December 1995) King's Hall - Played Zenith de Paris (MTV EMA) performed The Man Who Sold The World
24 November 1995DublinRepublic of IrelandPoint Depot13,000/13,000
26 November 1995ExeterEnglandWestpoint Arena7,500/7,500
27 November 1995CardiffWalesCardiff International Arena12,500/12,500
29 November 1995AberdeenScotlandExhibition Centre8,500/8,500
30 November 1995GlasgowScottish Exhibition and Conference Centre10,000/10,000
3 December 1995SheffieldEnglandSheffield Arena26,000/26,000
4 December 1995(Cancelled) Sheffield Arena
5 December 1995BelfastNorthern IrelandKing's Hall6,540/6,974
6 December 1995ManchesterEngland(Re-scheduled) Nynex Arena
7 December 1995Newcastle upon TyneNewcastle Arena11,000/11,000
8 December 1995ManchesterNynex Arena21,000/21,000
13 December 1995BirminghamNational Exhibition Centre (Hall 5)
(Big Twix Mix Show)
15,000/15,000
17 January 1996HelsinkiFinlandHelsinki Ice Hall8,200/8,200
19 January 1996StockholmSwedenGlobe Arena16,000/16,000
20 January 1996GothenburgScandinavium14,000/14,000
22 January 1996OsloNorwaySpektrum9,700/9,700
24 January 1996CopenhagenDenmarkValby-Hallen15,000/15,000
25 January 1996HamburgGermanySporthalle7,000/7,000
27 January 1996BrusselsBelgiumVorst Forest Nationaal8,000/8,000
28 January 1996UtrechtNetherlandsPrins Van Oranjehall6,000/6,000
30 January 1996DortmundGermanyWestfalenhalle16,000/16,000
31 January 1996FrankfurtFesthalle13,500/13,500
1 February 1996BerlinDeutschlandhalle10,000/10,000
3 February 1996PragueCzech RepublicSportovni Hala15,000/15,000
4 February 1996ViennaAustriaStadthalle16,000/16,000
6 February 1996LjubljanaSloveniaHala Tivoli6,000/6,000
8 February 1996MilanItalyPalatrussardi8,479/8,479
9 February 1996BolognaPalasport Casalecchio5,271/5,271
11 February 1996LyonFranceHalle Tony Garnier17,000/17,000
13 February 1996GenevaSwitzerlandSEG Geneva Arena9,500/9,500
14 February 1996ZürichHallenstadion11,000/11,000
16 February 1996AmnévilleFranceLe Galaxie12,000/12,000
17 February 1996LilleZénith de Lille6,000/7,000
18 February 1996RennesSalle Expos-Aeroport3,000/3,000
20 February 1996ParisPalais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy19,095/19,095
Total 1,040,925 / 1,050,958 (99%)

"Summer Festival" tour dates

Date City Country Venue Attendance Box Office
Asia
4 June 1996 Tokyo Japan Nippon Budokan
5 June 1996
7 June 1996 Nagoya Century Hall
8 June 1996 Hiroshima Kousei Nenkin Kaikan
10 June 1996 Osaka Osaka-jo Hall
11 June 1996 Kitakyushu Kousei Nenkin Kaikan
13 June 1996 Fukuoka Fukuoka Sunpalace
Europe and Middle East
18 June 1996 Moscow Russia Grand Kremlin Palace
20 June 1996[lower-alpha 1] Reykjavík Iceland Laugardalshöll
22 June 1996[lower-alpha 2] Sankt Goarshausen Germany Freilichtbühne Loreley
23 June 1996[lower-alpha 3] Lisbon Portugal Passeio Marítimo de Alcântara
25 June 1996 Toulon France Zénith Oméga de Toulon
28 June 1996 Halle Germany Freilichtbühne Peißnitz
30 June 1996[lower-alpha 4] Roskilde Denmark Darupvej
1 July 1996 Athens Greece Leoforos Alexandras Stadium
3 July 1996 Tel Aviv Israel Yarkon Park
5 July 1996[lower-alpha 5] Torhout Belgium Achiel Eeckloo Rockweide
6 July 1996[lower-alpha 6] Werchter Festival Park Werchter
7 July 1996[lower-alpha 7] Belfort France Presqu'île de Malsaucy
9 July 1996 Rome Italy Stadio Olimpico
10 July 1996 Fontvieille Monaco Chapiteau de l'Espace Fontvieille
12 July 1996[lower-alpha 8] Alt Camp Spain El Pla de Santa Maria
14 July 1996 Sankt Pölten Austria Grabung Domplatz
16 July 1996 Rotterdam Netherlands Rotterdam Ahoy
18 July 1996[lower-alpha 9] Stratford-upon-Avon England Long Marston Airfield
20 July 1996[lower-alpha 10] Balingen Germany Messegelände Balingen
21 July 1996 Bellinzona Switzerland Piazza del Sole
North America
6 September 1996 Philadelphia United States Electric Factory
7 September 1996 Washington, D.C. Capital Ballroom
13 September 1996 Boston Avalon
14 September 1996 New York City Roseland Ballroom

Cancelled shows

4 December 1995 Sheffield Sheffield Arena Poor ticket sales
15 June 1996 Saint Petersburg Palace Square (White Nights Festival) Sponsor pulled out of the show

Notes

  1. The 20 June 1996 concert in Reykjavík was part of the Arts Festival.
  2. The 22 June 1996 concert in Sankt Goarshausen was part of Rockpalast Open Air.
  3. The 23 June 1996 concert in Lisbon was part of Super Bock Super Rock.
  4. The 30 June 1996 concert in Roskilde was part of Roskilde Festival.
  5. The 5 July 1996 concert in Torhout was part of Rock Torhout.
  6. The 6 July 1996 concert in Werchter was part of Rock Werchter.
  7. The 7 July 1996 concert in Belfort was part of Eurockéennes.
  8. The 12 July 1996 concert in Alt Camp was part of Doctor Music Festival.
  9. The 18 July 1996 concert in Stratford-upon-Avon was part of Phoenix Festival.
  10. The 20 July 1996 concert in Balingen was part of Open Air Balingen.

Songs

From The Man Who Sold the World

From Hunky Dory

From The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars

From Live Santa Monica '72

From Ziggy Stardust: The Motion Picture

From Aladdin Sane

From Diamond Dogs

From Low

From "Heroes"

From Lodger

From Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)

From Tin Machine II

From Black Tie White Noise

From Outside

From Earthling

Other songs:

References

  1. "Readers' Poll: The 10 Best Opening Acts in Rock History". Rolling Stone. 11 July 2012. Archived from the original on 26 October 2013. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
  2. Pegg 2016, pp. 423–430.
  3. Pegg 2016, pp. 596–597.
  4. Alexander, Alex (1998), Outside Tour Ultimate Guide
  5. Hendrickson, Mark (November 1995), David Bowie: Outside Looking in, archived from the original on 28 March 2002, retrieved 1 August 2013
  6. Pareles, Jon (29 September 1995), "POP REVIEW; Bowie and Nails Mesh (Sometimes)", New York Times, archived from the original on 20 May 2013, retrieved 29 October 2013
  7. "Can the Real David Bowie Rise, Please?", HUMO, 5 December 1995, archived from the original on 16 June 2013, retrieved 6 June 2013
  8. Weisel, Al (2 November 1995), "Performance: Nine Inch Nails / David Bowie", Rolling Stone magazine (720): 28
  9. Newquist, HP (January 1996). "No Longer A Lad Insane". Guitar. Archived from the original on 6 January 2011.
  10. Pegg 2016, p. 19.
  11. "David Bowie, Alexander McQueen, and the Making of That Iconic 90s-Era Union Jack Coat". vanityfair.com. Vanity Fair. 11 January 2016. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  12. Gundersen, Edna (14 September 1995), "Cover Story: Bowie, Beyond fame and fashion", USA Today: D1-2
  13. Pegg 2016, p. 598.
  14. Catlin, Roger (15 September 1995). "Bowie opens tour with a splash - and Nine Inch Nails". The Hartford Courant.
  15. Sprague, David (February 1997), "David Bowie Interview", Pulse Magazine: 34–37, 72–73
  16. Nicholas Pegg, The Complete David Bowie, Reynolds & Hearn Ltd, 2004, ISBN 1-903111-73-0
  17. "1996". davidbowie.com. David Bowie. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  18. "Ouvrez Le Chien streaming next week". David Bowie Official Website. 25 June 2020. Archived from the original on 31 October 2020. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  19. "Ouvrez Le Chien out now". David Bowie Official Website. 30 October 2020. Archived from the original on 1 November 2020. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  20. "David Bowie's 'Ouvrez Le Chien' Live Album Set for Streaming Release". Rolling Stone. 25 June 2020. Archived from the original on 28 June 2020. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  21. "David Bowie > Artists > Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Archived from the original on 30 November 2019. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  22. "David Bowie Brilliant Live Adventures Six Album Series Kicks Off October 30". Rhino Entertainment. 2 October 2020. Archived from the original on 16 September 2021. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
  23. Blistein, Jon (9 November 2020). "David Bowie's 'Brilliant Live Adventures' Set to Continue With 'No Trendy Réchauffé'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
  24. @nicholaspegg (19 December 2020). "In happier news, I'm now playing the new live Bowie album No Trendy Réchauffé, recorded at the Birmingham NEC in 1995" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 19 December 2020. Retrieved 22 December 2020 via Twitter.
  25. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100 27 November 2020 - 03 December 2020". Official Charts. 4 December 2020. Archived from the original on 5 December 2020. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  26. "Discogs - Zachary Alford - (profile & discography)". Discogs. Archived from the original on 29 November 2016. Retrieved 22 January 2018.

Sources

  • O'Leary, Chris (2019). Ashes to Ashes: The Songs of David Bowie 1976–2016. London: Repeater. ISBN 978-1-91224-830-8.
  • Pegg, Nicholas (2016). The Complete David Bowie (Revised and Updated ed.). London: Titan Books. ISBN 978-1-78565-365-0.

References

  • David Buckley, Strange Fascination: The Definitive Biography of David Bowie, Virgin Books, 1999, ISBN 1-85227-784-X
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