The Battalion
LIFESTYLES
Thursday, June 14,1990
Classy Bowie buries Ziggy, historic past
with 6 Sound + Vision’ tour in Houston
Battalion File Photo
David Bowie stands in front of his alter-ego, Ziggy Stardust
By JOHN RICHTER
Of The Battalion Staff
Ch-ch-ch-changes.
Drawing the final signature on an
era of musical excellence, David Bo
wie, alias Ziggy Stardust, alias Alad
din Sane, alias Thin White Duke,
paid his last respects in classic style
Thursday night in Houston.
Performing to the sold out Cyn
thia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, Bowie
laid off the glitter, but lost none of
his legendary pizazz, in sending off
twenty-five years of historic record
ings.
Bowie is not retiring from the mu
sic industry, but he fervently swears
that the promotional tour for last
year’s Sound + Vision collection on
Rykodisc is the last time he will per
form any of his past catalogue.
Whether he can keep that promise
remains to be seen, but assuming it’s
Tin Machine (his current group)
from here on out, Thursday’s per
formance of greatest hits couldn’t
have been better.
I’ve always held greatest-hits tours
in high contempt. If a band is so in
secure of their newer material (i.e.
the Rolling Stones and the Who) that
they must bury a token single or two
from their recent recordings and
shower the Pavlov-trained audience
with greatest hits, then they have no
business being on the road.
Bowie’s performance trans
gressed this routine of hit after hit.
For him it was more of a burial cere
mony that can be desecrated only by
reneging on his historic promise, in
which case I curse the whole thing.
Opening with his three most en
during singles (“Space Oddity,”
“Changes” and “Rebel, Rebel”), Bo
wie spent little effort in enrapturing
and sustaining the 10,000-plus audi
ence. “Space Oddity” was partic
ularly amazing, with a sequestered
Bowie flanked by a gigantic black-
and-white image of himself — via a
projector on a mesh screen across
the front of the stage.
It was the projected Bowie that
drew the audience’s attention, peer
ing over the stage in several choreo
graphed poses and outfits, while
singing in synchronized fashion with
the silhouetted Bowie onstage.
The large projections were an im
pressive use of multi-media images
that were made even more valuable
in light of the outdoor confines.
The screen projected images of
Bowie and a blond, female dancer,
both together and alone, throughout
the show. Especially impressive was
the screen’s dramatic use during
“Space Oddity,” “Ashes To Ashes”
and “Fame.”
Bowie also implemented three
smaller screens stationed above and
to the sides of the stage’s mesh
screening (which was only down
when images were projected onto it
— about half the show). The smaller
screens displayed both recorded
images of Bowie and live shots of
Bowie and his supporting band.
Apart from the visuals, it was all
Bowie. After the tumultuous experi
ence with the extravagant “Glass Spi
der” tour of three years ago, Bowie
seemed more at ease and in sync
with the show’s less dramatic,
stripped-down production.
His job was made even easier by
his accompanying cast (guitarist
Adrian Belew, bassist Erdal Kizilcay,
keyboarist Rick Fox and drummer
Michael Hodges). Belew, former
singer and guitarist for King Crim
son, was especially impressive, tak
ing his role to improvise freely on
lead guitar (Bowie added some
rhythm guitar during the perfor
mance).
Following in the tradition of other
outstanding Bowie complements
such as Stevie Ray Vaughn, Robert
Fripp and Peter Frampton, Belew’s
creative spark added flair to the eve
ning, particularly during “Stay,”
“Fame,” “Fashion” and “Station To
Station” (a guitarist’s dream song for
improv).
As payment, Bowie teamed with
Belew on Belew’s current single,
“Pretty Pink Rose,” a song they
wrote and performed together.
My only complaints with Bowie’s
performance were the lack of
obscure singles chosen and a supri-
singly subpar encore.
Breaking his performance into
two 50-minute sets, I figured the
first set and the encore would be
heavy on hits, and the second set
would feature a greater portion of
his lesser known, but equally attrac
tive singles.
Apart from “Stay,” “Queen
Bitch,” “Station To Station” and
“Life On Mars,” Bowie performed
all hits. Of course, there are many
who would argue that even the hit
singles were not inclusive enough,
neglecting such gems as “Golden
Years,” “John, I’m Only Dancing,”
“Aladdin Sane” and “Starman.”
Still, being this is the last time
(theoretically) to hear him perform
any of his early material, I was disap
pointed not to hear something like
“Panic In Detroit,” “Up The Hill
Backwards” or “What In The
World.”
The encore was also disappoint
ing. Most likely this was the result of
an oversaturation of hits, leaving no
punches for the finish. A drawn out
“Jean Genie,” (which I’ve never con
sidered to be one of Bowie’s better
singles) interpolated by the Them’s
“Gloria” and a shabby offering of
“Modern Love,” closed the night
out.
Unfortunately, Bowie chose not to
end the evening with “Rock-n-Roll
Suicide,” the perfect closer. Bowie
even teased the audience (at least
me) by leaving a lone spotlight on
the stage for several minutes after
the band had departed.
It will be interesting to see and
hear the future changes and direc
tions of David Bowie, one of the first
real rock-n-roll innovators. My guess
is that he won’t stay with Tin Ma
chine too long. The punk image and
band-member rigidness don’t fit him
(nor does the beard).
I just hope that the “Sound -t- Vis
ion” tour is the final resting ground
for these songs and that Bowie main
tains an integrity sacrificed too easily
by many of his ’60s and ’70s breth
ren.
If so, he couldn’t have ended it
better.
Outdoor Pavilion offers comfortable surroundings,
diverse performances with initial Houston season
Battalion File Photo
The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
By JOHN RIGHTER
Of The Battalion Staff
The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pa
vilion in The Woodlands is concert
luxury to the fullest. Compared to
the downtrodden Summit, Sam
Houston Coliseum/Music Hall and
the Astrodome, the Pavilion is a wel
come addition for either the sophis
ticated or the infrequent Houston
music goer.
The $9-million venue was built to
provide a seasonal (April through
October) venue for the Houston
Symphony, touring arts and broad-
way performances, and the best in
“acceptable” contemporary concerts
(acceptable since the Pavilion is situ
ated smack dab in the middle of The
Woodlands — an enormous resi
dential area).
Designed in the style of other ma
jor outdoor pavilions such as Wolf
Trap, near Washington, D.C.; Tan-
glewood, near Boston; and Concord,
near San Francisco; the Pavilion is
the latest step in the rise of the
Houston’s arts and entertainment
community.
The Pavilion’s diversity is appar
ent with its list of first-season acts.
Frank Sinatra, Alabama, David Bo
wie, Depeche Mode, the Houston
Symphony Orchestra, the Judds,
Stevie Ray Vaughn and the JVZ Jazz
Festival are a sample of the sched
uled performances for this summer.
The outdoor arena’s seating ca
pacity is divided into two sections. A
reserved seating section for 3,000 is
protected by a 37,000 square-foot
roof. Beyond the reserved seating is
an expansive lawn that seats an addi
tional 7,000.
Performance wise, the 60-by-100
foot stage is more than adaptable
with a 60-foot high fly loft for lights
and sound equipment. And, surpris
ingly, the acoustics are very sharp
for an outdoor venue.
Also convenient is the facility’s
easy access, though once you arrive
it’s a long hike to the front gates. At
best, you’re in for a half a mile walk.
The parking is inconvenient in
comparison to the Summit or Astro
dome, not benefiting from a single,
organized parking area. Instead, the
Pavilion utilizes several lots situated
throughout The Woodlands.
The outdoor trade off for the
Woodland’s scenic-forest surround
ings (the Pavilion is engulfed by fo
liage) is the summer’s extreme hu
midity. Little relief is available from
the heat before sunset. Also suspect
is the event of a rainstorm, in which
case the Pavilion says all perfor
mances are still go, without refunds.
Mother nature could be a bitch for
customers sitting on the uncovered
lawn this summer.
WRRD
The Pavilion is perfect (in good
weather) for the clientele and events
it purports to attract. Its safe, clean
surroundings will more than satisfy
the luxurious and the timid. As for
being a commendable rock venue
(not its full purpose). I’ll take some
thing more worn and breakable like
the Summit, or better yet, the Ax
iom.
The Pavilion can be reached from
College Station by taking Highway 6
to Navasota. At Navasota exit onto
105 East, to Conroe. Stay on 105 un
til you reach 1-45 South. Take 1-45
South. The Pavilion is accessed from
Research Forest Drive off 1-45 in
The Woodlands.
fhursds
Lifestyles Editor
Todd Stone
Boring ‘Another 48Hours'
replaysjokes of originalfilm,
hindered by lackluster script
By DON ATKINSON JR.
Of The Battalion Staff
so overdone it’s i
Watching “Another 48 Hours” is
like having someone tell you the
same joke over and over again for
two hours.
It would be hard to describe this
movie as a sequel because it’s almost
a complete recreation of the original
film. Everything from the original
“48 Hours” is here: Reggie Ham
mond (Eddie Murphy) singing
“Roxanne” while a walkman blares
in his ears, a barroom brawl, psycho
killers and enough off-color lan
guage to make your average sailor
blush.
In fact, the only thing missing
from “Another 48 Hours” is the wit
and humor that made the original so
enjoyable.
With the exception of a few good
chuckles, there is not a single sus
tained laugh in the entire movie. “A-
nother 48 Hours” is so predictable
that you can see the lame jokes com
ing a mile away. Everybody in the
film, especially Murphy, seems to be
straining to get a laugh.
A lot of things happen in “A-
nother 48 Hours” that are supposed
to be funny, but the laughs just
never materialize. Perhaps that is
why Murphy keeps trying to remind
us again and again that this is a
funny movie.
Example: “I’ve had a very bad
day,” he shouts. “I just got out ofjail,
my car got blown up, this guy has all
my money...” Ana then later on:
“My car got blown up, a bus flipped
over on me, I got shot at...”
Yeah,yeah.
If it all sounds a bit excessive,
that’s because it is. Even the action
scenes are
lous.
A good example is the afore:
tioned bus crash. The vehicle
shot up, flips over several times-
hit by an 18-wheeler, then flips
again. Even though Murphy's
acter, Hammond, is standings
the bus when all this happens
emerges without even a wrinh
his suit.
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gun battle, fire about 200 shots
out reloading, then jump out
window, fall four stories (h
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through two walls, a window
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perfectly in the middle of the thi
aisle) and then through twodoon
Guess what? They getawayton
Things also happen in “An«
48 Hours” that don’t make
sense. Like when Jack Cates (S
Nolle) gets suspended from the
lice force, and nobody botheti
take his gun and badge away
him until the movie is almost
Further, Cates is charged with
slaughter and gets into seit:
shootouts later on, but he neverp | • ”
arrested. ■£' _
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nother 48 1 lours" got made:i:|y| |(
studio executives somewherewati ^ town ii
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Several oi
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ByTODD STONE
Of The Battalion Staff
Acclaimed pianist Abbey Si
mon highlighted the second per
formance of Chamber Music
Concerts at Rudder Theatre. The
chamber series is part of the
Texas Music Festival, and it is
sponsored by the Brazos Valley
Humana Hospital and Texas
A&M College of Liberal Arts.
This summer’s series theme,
“Brahms and his times,” focuses
on composers from the romantic
movement of the 19th century.
For concert pianist fans, Si
mon’s performance of “Fantasia
in C Major” by Robert Schumann
was a treat. I enjoyed Simon’s me
ticulous playing of the softer, in
trospective moments of the piece.
Concert enthusiasts may get a
rush from a pianist’s fast and fla
shy playing, but Simon’s effort to
achieve the perfect tone should
be appreciated as well.
Simon was appreciated. The
audience acknowledged his disci
plined effort by applauding the
performance at two different
times when “Fantasia” seemed to
end. But Simon wasn’t finished,
and the applause was not a com
pliment, rather an interruption.
Unfortunately, the program
did not list “Fantasia” as a multi
movement piece. The audience
naturally interpreted the pause
between movements as endings.
I admit that I was confused
since I had never heard “Fanta-
But I have a rule to help nov-
piece. Once the performer ret
the audience can do hand start:
if they want.
To Simon’s credit, he did:
seem to let the applause distra
him, and he returned to the®
for two encore performances
“Prelude in G# Minor” by Rae
maninoff and “Etude in FMajoti
by Chopin.
“Etude” was a flashy piecetki
was wr itten to show off a pianist
technique. “Prelude” was an :
teresting selection because Rad
maninoff is generally known
music he wrote during this ce:-
tury. However, “Prelude'’
written in the late 19th centup
so the theme of the series was®
contradicted
The performance began wi:J
four romantic pieces for twos
lins and viola by Antonin Dvorai
The pieces were uplifting, and
enjoyed the perfect timing, plaj
ing and teamwork of violinist
David and Linda Cerone oftfc
Cleveland Musical Institute ad
violist Kenneth Goldsmith.
An intermission followed St
mon’s performance of “Fantasia
and he returned with the 0
rones, Lawnrence Wheeler (vioit
and David Tomatz (cello) to pet
form “Quintent in F Minor'll
Johannes Brahms.
This four-part piece featured:
lively introduction and a mode!
.t*
ly DON i
The Be
Stageci
iproductk
“now” is
ver seen
ry to the
Cle
Mo
ices of orchestral performances
— Never applaud until the pia
nist rests his arms at his sides,
which signals the end of the
ate second part that led intoafc
Scherzo (dance), before a serent
ending.
“Quintent in F Minor” is just:
great piece of music, and tk
playing couldn’t have been betit!
As a matter of fact, the saffi
could be said about the entiri
show.
The«
Battalion FilePk
\bbey Simon performed Monday at Rudder Theater