Live: Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto

David Bowie performed at Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens on 1 May 1978, as part of the Isolar II Tour.

It was the 24th date of the tour, which began on 29 March in San Diego.

Bowie’s guitarists were Carlos Alomar and Adrian Belew. Simon House was on electric violin, Sean Mayes played piano, and Roger Powell was on keyboards and synthesizers. George Murray played bass guitar and Dennis Davis was on drums.

We were flying to Toronto. I should have been excited, I’d never been to Canada before. We had been warned about Customs – not to carry anything through as we were bound to be searched. In the event, we were treated as VIPs and David signed a couple of autographs for the officers!

Next morning I felt much brighter. The sun was shining and here I was in Canada…

Maple Leaf Gardens is the stadium of a famous team. Many of the road crew were sporting Maple Leaf t-shirts but I never managed to get one. There were some new tour shirts being handed out though – smart ones in black and orange with David as the Gigolo.

We rehearsed ‘Alabama Song’ which replaced ‘Rock ‘N’ Roll Suicide’ and became a compulsive hit of the tour.

Bowie had previously performed at the Maple Leaf Gardens on 26 February 1976 during the Isolar Tour.

The setlist

• ‘Warszawa’
• “Heroes”
• ‘What In The World’
• ‘Be My Wife’
• ‘The Jean Genie’
• ‘Blackout’
• ‘Sense Of Doubt’
• ‘Speed Of Life’
• ‘Breaking Glass’
• ‘Beauty And The Beast’
• ‘Fame’
• ‘Five Years’
• ‘Soul Love’
• ‘Star’
• ‘Hang On To Yourself’
• ‘Ziggy Stardust’
• ‘Suffragette City’
• ‘Art Decade’
• ‘Alabama Song’
• ‘Station To Station’
• ‘Stay’
• ‘TVC 15’
• ‘Rebel Rebel’