Live: Sydney Showground, Sydney

David Bowie performed at the Sydney Showground in Sydney, Australia, on 25 November 1978, as part of the Isolar II Tour.

It was the 72nd date of the tour, which began on 29 March in San Diego, and the second of two consecutive nights at the Showground.

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.

The show that night was our last in Australia and it was a stunner, one of the best of the whole tour. Everyone was electrified – eight of us on-stage and 12,000 out there…

The second half was a romp. We came off after ‘Station To Station’ and Coco handed David his sailor cap. He put it on backwards and we ran out again.

Oh my TVC 15… oh-oh!

For the second encore, David returned alone. He stood there leaning on the mike stand, the spotlights holding him while the rapturous noise broke over him like heavy surf.

What would you do if I sang out of tune – would you stand up and walk out on me? NO!!!

Then he started everyone singing along to a beer commercial – Have another Tooey, have another Tooey, have another Tooey or two!

‘We’ll be back next year – I promise!’

Bowie returned to the Sydney Showground on 19 and 20 November 1983 during the Serious Moonlight Tour.

The setlist

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