Bowie will have Las Vegas seeing double

Spencer Patterson

Friday, Jan. 30, 2004 | 8:23 a.m.

He's known by such fanciful nicknames as the Thin White Duke and Ziggy Stardust, but tonight David Bowie brings a dose of reality to Las Vegas.

The legendary British rock star is touring behind last year's "Reality," an album hailed by many critics as a return to form for the 57-year-old.

Bowie most recently played Southern Nevada more than eight years ago. This time his tour makes two stops at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel, one tonight and another on Feb. 6.

Tonight's show is sold out. Just a handful of tickets remained available for the second show as of press time.

In 1990 Bowie insisted that year's "Sound + Vision" tour would mark the final appearances of his most-famous songs, enduring radio hits such as "Changes," "Space Oddity" and "Rebel Rebel."

Since then Bowie has relented, however, and set lists from his current tour have been filled with classic numbers, as well as deeper cuts from his most-revered 1970s albums.

Bowie kept his fans busy in 2003. Along with "Reality," he released expanded versions of 1973's "Aladdin Sane," his "Best of Bowie" compilation and the "Sound + Vision" boxed set. This month EMI Records reissued 1993's "Black Tie White Noise" with a bonus disc and a companion DVD.

R&B vocalist Macy Gray opens both concerts.

Who: David Bowie.

Where: The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel.

When: 8 p.m. tonight and Feb. 6.

Tickets: Tonight -- sold out; Feb. 6 -- $104, $304.

Call: 693-5066.

Opening act: Macy Gray. Personnel: David Bowie (vocals, guitar), Sterling Campbell (drums), Gail Ann Dorsey (bass, vocals), Mike Garson (keyboard), Gerry Leonard (guitar), Catherine Russell (keyboard, vocals), Earl Slick (guitar).

Latest release: "Reality" (2003, Columbia).

Album feedback: "Bowie again returns to a sound from the past, yet tweaks it enough to make it seem modern, not retro." (All Music Guide, 4 stars); "It's another of Bowie's ambivalent farewells to the era in which he wreaked such havoc." (Rolling Stone, 3 stars).

Essential releases: "The Man Who Sold the World" (1970), "Hunky Dory" (1971), "Ziggy Stardust" (1972), "Aladdin Sane" (1973), "Low" (1977), "Heroes" (1977).

What to expect: Bowie's recent shows have included a handful of songs from "Reality" and 2002's "Heathen," along with a solid sampling of his best-known songs. The singer has also been heard covering the Pixies and the Velvet Underground in recent nights.

Recent set list: Paramount Theatre, Seattle, Sunday: "Rebel Rebel," "New Killer Star," "Reality," "Fame," "Cactus," "All the Young Dudes," "China Girl," "I've Been Waiting For You," "Days," "A New Career in a New Town," "Breaking Glass," "The Man Who Sold the World," "Hallo Spaceboy," "Sunday," "Under Pressure," "Life on Mars?," "Panic in Detroit," "Ashes to Ashes," "I'm Afraid of Americans," "Heroes." Encore: "Five Years," "Suffragette City," "Ziggy Stardust."

Tour feedback: "Although not appreciated by some, the new cuts may even have infused the classics and the ageless legend himself with an extra spark, an extra dose of infectious energy." (Calgary Sun); "The best part might have been seeing Bowie wring joy -- and striking performances -- out of his biggest hits, the songs he vowed he was retiring on 1990's 'Sound + Vision' tour." (Rocky Mountain News).

Previous Las Vegas appearance: Oct. 19, 1995 (Thomas & Mack).

Says Bowie: "There is very little music that I don't like some aspect of -- except I cannot stand country and western." (Rolling Stone, September).