[addicted to noise]
While '95 seemed like it was gonna be the year of the Big Bowie Revival, it looks like '96 is the real deal. Certainly Bowie kicked things off the right way at his Madison Square Garden birthday party (a benefit for the global relief agency Save the Children) this past Thurs. (Jan. 9) night. While its hard for us to imagine a concert going serious astray with the likes of Sonic Youth, Billy Corgan, Robert Smith (look, we know everyone is down on the Cure of late, but just try to resist Boys Don't Cry), the Foo Fighters, Frank Black and Lou Reed, the concert kept the focus solidly (and rightly) on Bowie.

And Bowie, who has built a career on the constant reinvention of his persona, didn't allow his night to dwell on the past. Sure he sang "All the Young Dudes" and "Jean Genie" with the help of Corgan, but for much of the night he concentrated on material from '95's Outside and the upcoming, jungle-ized Earthling (Feb. 11). All in all, smart moves that let the world know in a big way that 1) Bowie is respected by important late '90s rockers; and 2) That he continues to look forward, and isn't afraid to make Bowie music out of the latest club sounds.

During the two-hour-plus, 24-song concert, Bowie performed seven songs off Earthling including "Telling Lies" (the first single), "Little Wonder," "Seven Years In Tibet," "The Last Thing You Should Do" (with Robert Smith) and "I'm Afraid of Americans" (with Sonic Youth). He dipped into Outside for "Heart's Filthy Lesson" and "Hallo Spaceboy" (with the Foo Fighters), and Frank Black joined Bowie for "Fashion" and "Scary Monsters."

The highlight of the evening came with a tribute of sorts to Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground, huge influences on Bowie. They performed Reed's solo number, "Dirty Blvd.," Bowie's "Queen Bitch" and two Velvet Underground classics: "Waiting for the Man" and "White Light/White Heat." After all the help from his friends, Bowie chose to end the show the right way. Just himself singing "Space Oddity."

[rolling stone online]
Most people shy away from publicity acknowledging a 50th birthday, but not David Bowie. He invited some musical friends and some 19,000 paying guests to party with him at Madison Square Garden, in a benefit for Save the Children. The ever chameleon-like performer gave the audiences something of a mini-career retrospective as well as generous doses of his current passion -- jungle and electronic music.

The more one hears of Bowie's latest musical mode, the less convincing it seems to be. The-ever-so-hip musical genre of the moment doesn't particularly translate well to arena shows, as the singer found out during last year's tour with Nine Inch Nails.

Although it made a strong impression during his last New York gig at Roseland, Bowie's music from his forthcoming CD largely failed to connect with this arena crowd, who treated it with respect but a notable lack of enthusiasm. It wasn't until three quarters into the three hour show, when Gail Ann Dorsey started the familiar bass line from "Under Pressure," that the crowd began screaming. The moment was sustained with a stirring version of "Heroes."

Prior to that, Bowie had performed more obscure selections from throughout his career, as well as a great deal of new, techno-oriented music, starting with "Little Wonder," the lead-off single from his upcoming CD, followed by the industrial flavored "Heart's Filthy Lesson" (to be found on "Outside" and the "Seven" soundtrack).

The big draw for the evening was the presence of "special guests," but their impact was underwhelming. Such performers such as Frank Black, the Foo Fighters, Robert Smith of the Cure and Sonic Youth showed up to lend a hand on a couple of numbers each, but they were often reduced to little more than back-up singers.

It wasn't until Lou Reed (Bowie proclaimed him the "King of New York") appeared that things really heated up. The pair, who share more than a little history, sang on a series of blistering numbers, including the Velvet Underground's "Waiting for the Man" and "White Light/White Heat," as well as Reed's "Dirty Boulevard." The affection between the two iconic performers was palpable, and the crowd ate it up. Another highlight was the encore appearance of Billy Corgan, who lent his trademark vocals to the crowd pleasing "All the Young Dudes" and "Jean Genie."

Bowie, looking better at fifty than anybody has a right to, sported spiky hair and a goatee. He enlivened the proceedings with his usual theatrical flair, throwing giant, inflatable bloodshot eyeballs into the crowd (they were quickly decimated) and providing much in the way of stylish video and lighting effects.

One number featured giant shadow imagery that looked like the outtakes from a James Bond credit sequence. Most effective was the encore, a solo acoustic version of "Space Oddity," in which the singer dueted with a giant video image of himself.

The guest of honor was suitably presented with a birthday cake towards the end of the show, and was treated to the sound of 19,000 voices singing "Happy Birthday."