Youthful Bowie shows off impressive body of work

Spencer Patterson

Monday, Feb. 2, 2004 | 8:32 a.m.

Apart from a few deep lines in his well-tanned face, the 57-year-old British rock icon looked like a man half his age Friday night at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel.

In fact, when Bowie removed a burgundy-colored velvet jacket to reveal toned arm muscles, he appeared in far better shape than his pasty, skinny 1970s "Thin White Duke" counterpart.

More important to the sold-out crowd of about 1,800, Bowie's voice sounded as vibrant as it ever has during his 30-plus year career.

Proof of the man's amazing vocal prowess came about halfway through the 95-minute performance, during "Life on Mars?," a brilliant (not to mention topical) cut from 1971 album "Hunky Dory."

Backed only by quiet piano accompaniment from Mike Garson, Bowie's voice was laid bare.

He belted out the lyrics with an emotion belying his detached persona: "Take a look at the lawman beating up the wrong guy / Oh man, wonder if he'll ever know / He's the best-selling show / Is there life on Mars?"

By the time the rest of Bowie's six-piece band joined in, the song had already won a place as one of the night's peak moments.

There were plenty of others. From the start, Bowie seemed eager to distinguish his Vegas stopover from others on his "Reality" tour. He plays again at The Joint this Friday.

"It's nice to do a club show," he announced before foregoing usual opening number "Rebel Rebel" in favor of the back-to-back frenzy of "Hang Onto Yourself" and "Panic in Detroit."

Bowie appeared to call out changes in his set list all night, keeping his supremely tight band on its toes and keeping a diverse crowd on its feet for most of the show.

"Fashion" and "Ashes to Ashes," a pair of danceable, synthed-up tracks from 1980's "Scary Monsters" album, were rather unexpected. The sinister, stripped-down "The Man Who Sold the World" provided a stark counterpoint.

Bowie tapped two of his favorite bands for cover songs. His version of the Pixies' "Cactus" recalled that outfit's late-80s ferocity, but his take on the Velvet Underground classic "White Light/White Heat" did little to expand on the original.

Bowie also performed two songs he wrote or co-wrote for other groups: Mott the Hoople's folk-rock hit, "All the Young Dudes" and Queen's magnificent, "Under Pressure."

Bowie picked carefully through his more recent material, including one song apiece from 1995's "Outside," 1997's "Earthling" and 2002's "Heathen" and nothing from 1993's "Black Tie White Noise."

Four numbers came from September's "Reality" CD, a solid disc that recalls Bowie's late '70s "Berlin period," when he worked with collaborator Brian Eno.

Of that quartet of tunes, the rockers ("New Killer Star," "Reality") jelled best with the headliner's classic cuts. "Days," which featured guitarist Earl Slick on acoustic, created a welcome peaceful vibe for a few moments, but the ballad "The Loneliest Guy" proved to be a real downer, sending nearly everyone to their seats for the only time all night.

Surprisingly, Bowie opted against an encore. Instead, after finishing his usual set closer "Heroes," he motioned to his band to remain onstage, then launched into "Rebel Rebel" and two songs that typically come after a short break, "Suffragette City" and "Ziggy Stardust."

The crowd appeared stunned when lights and house music came on moments later. Some speculated Bowie might have been required to finish by 11 p.m., but a musician of his stature shouldn't be concerned with such restrictions.

Even one more song -- "Ziggy Stardust" leadoff track "Five Years" has been a common encore recently -- could have put an exclamation point on an otherwise near-perfect night.

Opening act Macy Gray also deserves credit for winning over a late-arriving and initially ambivalent audience with a superb 50-minute set.

Dressed in a slinky brown dress with a pink scarf hanging down past her knees and topped with a giant afro (wig?), Gray delivered many of the best songs from her three albums, including 1999 mega-hit "I Try."

At times, her jazzy band overpowered her vocals, but Gray's throaty voice ultimately won out, reminding us why she made it big after reaching the golden (by industry standards) age of 30.

"It's Saturday night, and Saturday nights in Las Vegas are not for fuddy duddies," the eccentric singer announced at one point. Then, informed it was actually Friday, she added, "Well, I've been drinking more than you have."

While she was at it, maybe Gray also had a quick sip of whatever magic elixir Bowie has discovered.