Live: Forum, Montreal

David Bowie’s Diamond Dogs Tour kicked off on 14 June 1974 at the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Canada.

The tour underwent numerous changes before its end in December. The early dates were plagued by technical issues, including a cherry picker used during ‘Space Oddity’ that sometimes failed to move, a bridge above the set which collapsed during rehearsals, and problems with audio.

I was in a bad state of mind to have attempted that. It was pretty exciting, but I was so blocked [laughs], so stoned during the entire thing that I’m amazed I lasted with it even that one trip across America before I ditched it.

Towards the end of the tour Bowie abandoned the ambitious Hunger City set design. By then he had recorded the Young Americans album, and the later dates became known as the Soul Tour to reflect his change in direction.

The musical director was Michael Kamen, who also played electric piano, Moog synthesizer, and oboe. Earl Slick played guitar, and Mike Garson was on piano and Mellotron. The bass guitarist was Herbie Flowers, and the drummer was Tony Newman.

The backing singers were Geoff MacCormack (billed as Warren Peace) and Gui Andrisano. The line-up was completed by David Sanborn and Richard Grando on saxophone and flute, and percussionist Pablo Rosario.

David Bowie played the Montreal Forum again on 25 February 1976, during the Isolar Tour, and returned on 3 May 1978 during the Isolar II Tour.

On 12 and 13 July 1983 he performed there as part of the Serious Moonlight Tour. Bowie returned for a final time on 6 March 1990, during the Sound+Vision Tour.

The setlist

• ‘1984’
• ‘Rebel Rebel’
• ‘Moonage Daydream’
• ‘Sweet Thing’
• ‘Candidate’
• ‘Sweet Thing (Reprise)’
• ‘Changes’
• ‘Suffragette City’
• ‘Aladdin Sane’
• ‘All The Young Dudes’
• ‘Cracked Actor’
• ‘Rock ‘N’ Roll With Me’
• ‘Space Oddity’
• ‘Future Legend’
• ‘Diamond Dogs’
• ‘Panic In Detroit’
• ‘The Jean Genie’
• ‘Big Brother’
• ‘Chant Of The Ever Circling Skeletal Family’
• ‘Time’
• ‘Rock ‘N’ Roll Suicide’