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David Bowie

Serious Moonlight

Virgin | 2006 | Album

Biography

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Vancouver seems like a very staid place to catch someone as vibrant as David Bowie live in action. Nonetheless, it was at Pacific National Exhibition Coliseum on a September night in 1983, when the iconic rocker was captured in all of his Thin White Duke glory. Having set aside the androgynous Ziggy Stardust as the glam 70s faded, Bowie remade himself in the image of a lounge singer with a cool new wave twist. Serious Moonlight catches the forever in style rocker decked out in a powder blue suit with sun-kissed blond hair, delivering a long set full of what are now considered to be pop classics.

For those looking for a seminal concert film experience, this probably isn’t it. The concept of filming concerts for some sort of official release was a relatively new concept in the 1980s and the lack of experience shows. There are numerous shots taken from an angle that is above and behind the suited singer - not flattering to anyone. But, if you can get past a few unfortunate moments here and there, you won’t be able to stop yourself from singing along with great takes of “Rebel Rebel” and “Let’s Dance”. For those who prefer the rawer zanier Bowie, the old hit “Space Oddity” from the album of the same name is thrown in the mix.

One of those most surprising things about this DVD is that it does feature a decent amount of extras. There are some film segments from the Far East leg of the Serious Moonlight Tour. It’s always worthwhile to see western rock and rollers mix and mingle with the locals. The sight of Bowie walking the narrow streets of these cities is worth the price of the DVD alone.

While Serious Moonlight, may not be heavy on technical achievements, it’s still a good portrait of a moment in a seminal artist’s past. If you’re a David Bowie fan by all means, add this one to your collection.

Amy Wagner