Live: Universal Amphitheatre, Los Angeles

David Bowie performed at Los Angeles’ Universal Amphitheatre on 5 September 1974.

This was the 35th date of the Diamond Dogs Tour, which had kicked off in Montreal on 14 June, and the fourth of seven consecutive sold-out nights at the venue.

Bowie had decided to ditch the elaborate Hunger City stage set, but was convinced by manager Tony Defries to retain it for the LA shows.

The musical director was Michael Kamen, who also played electric piano, Moog synthesizer, and oboe. Earl Slick and Carlos Alomar played guitar, and Mike Garson was on piano and Mellotron. The bass guitarist was Doug Rauch, and the drummer was Greg Errico.

The backing singers were Ava Cherry, Robin Clark, Geoff MacCormack (billed as Warren Peace), Gui Andrisano, Luther Vandross, Diane Sumler, and Anthony Hinton. The line-up was completed by David Sanborn and Richard Grando on saxophone and flute, and percussionist Pablo Rosario.

I had a little group at that time and I brought two of the singers [Sumler and Hinton] with me. It was the group that ended up being Luther on Atlantic Records. I told Bowie I wouldn’t leave my group at home to go on the road, so he said, ‘Well, bring them because I really want you.’

This show was filmed in its entirety by the BBC, for the 1975 Omnibus documentary Cracked Actor. Performances of ‘Cracked Actor’, ‘Time’, ‘Sweet Thing’, ‘Moonage Daydream’, ‘Diamond Dogs’, ‘Rock ‘N’ Roll Suicide’, ‘Aladdin Sane’, and ‘John, I’m Only Dancing (Again)’ appeared in the documentary.

While in LA Bowie stayed at the Beverly Wilshire hotel. His band members stayed at the Sunset Marquis.

Bowie returned to the Universal Amphitheatre on 12 and 13 September 1997, during the Earthling Tour. The 5,200-seat venue closed in September 2013 and was demolished to make way for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Hollywood.

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’
• ‘Knock On Wood’
• ‘It’s Gonna Be Me’
• ‘Space Oddity’
• ‘Future Legend’
• ‘Diamond Dogs’
• ‘Big Brother’
• ‘Chant Of The Ever Circling Skeletal Family’
• ‘Time’
• ‘The Jean Genie’
• ‘Rock ‘N’ Roll Suicide’
• ‘John, I’m Only Dancing (Again)’