New Bowie just can’t compete in new scene

Jonathan Weber

Friday, June 25, 1999 | 3:18 a.m.

When the man left the stage, he did not come back.

Maybe he noticed the uncanny electricity with which opening frontman Trent Renzor utterly hypnotized 8,000-plus fans. Perhaps he noticed the steady stream of T&M'ers walking up the stairs and out the exits after several of his newer songs (from the album "Outside") appeared to have little or no effect. (He intentionally left out crowd-pleasers like "Let's Dance" and "Modern Love.")

Whatever, David Bowie refused to encore.

It wasn't like his new material was worthless. Though considerably less played than he used to be, Bowie proved a respectable commodity, offering the percussion-driven "Hallo Spaceboy" and an unplugged-turned-plugged version of "Scary Monsters." And both of those with all of the energy of any Nine Inch Nails tune, without that gritty aftertaste.

Bowie showed patient style and class. He refused to rely on old standards, ignoring calls for songs so old and overplayed he wretches at the thought of them. He did drag one out of the closet: "Under Pressure," accompanied on lead vocals by bassist Gail Ann Dorsey, who provided flawless Freddie Mercury falsettos.

The remaining crowd responded predictably: They loved the old stuff. And Bowie just didn't feel like it.

He scored the most points with Trent Reznor at his side, providing the cream in an otherwise dreary cup of Nine Inch Nails coffee on "Hurt" and "Reptile." Old standards during the Bowie set, such as "Andy Warhol" and "The Man Who Sold the World," got him nowhere fast.

Though musically Bowie is red hot, an inescapable truth looms as he competes for the same crowd as such extremely forceful bands as Nine Inch Nails.

Bowie's era may be coming to a close.

DAVID BOWIE delivers new material to the Thomas & Mack Center crowd Thursday night.

ETHAN MILLER / STAFF