August 23, 2004

Two Dublin stops on David Bowie’s recent wildly successful world tour are the basis for the upcoming DVD “David Bowie – A Reality Tour.” Due Oct. 19 via ISO/Columbia, the 30-track collection was shot Nov. 22-23, 2003, at the Point Depot. It was mixed in 5.1 Surround Sound by longtime collaborator Tony Visconti, co-producer of Bowie’s 2003 studio album “Reality.”

Beyond such classics as “Ashes to Ashes,” “Fame,” “The Man Who Sold the World,” “Under Pressure,” “Heroes” and “Ziggy Stardust,” the DVD sports such live rarities as “Hang on to Yourself” and “Five Years,” which have not been a part of Bowie’s concert repertoire since the early 1980s.

The North American portion of the A Reality tour was the top-grossing trek of the first half of 2004, according to Billboard Boxscore. It grossed $45.4 million from 82 shows that drew 722,158 fans.

Bowie was forced to cancel the final 10 dates on the European leg of the tour in June. At the time it was said he was suffering from a pinched nerve. Shortly after, he underwent emergency heart surgery for a blocked artery.

According to a spokesperson, “he’s recovering nicely.”

Here is the “A Reality Tour” DVD track list:

“Rebel Rebel”
“New Killer Star”
“Reality”
“Fame”
“Cactus”
“Sister Midnight”
“Afraid”
“All the Young Dudes”
“Be My Wife”
“The Loneliest Guy”
“The Man Who Sold the World”
“Fantastic Voyage”
“Hallo Spaceboy”
“Sunday”
“Under Pressure”
“Life on Mars?”
“Battle for Britain”
“Ashes to Ashes”
“The Motel”
“Loving the Alien”
“Never Get Old”
“Changes”
“I’m Afraid of Americans”
“Heroes”
“Bring Me the Disco King”
“Slip Away”
“Heathen”
“Five Years”
“Hang on to Yourself”
“Ziggy Stardust”

Source billboard.com.

The Foo Fighters are about to begin pre-production on their next studio album, which, as first revealed here last month, will likely be a double-disc set.

“Having a year to write and demo things at your own pace sure makes for better songs,” frontman Dave Grohl writes on the Foos’ official Web site. “In preparing for today’s pre-production, I dumped all of the things I’ve recorded onto my computer and I wound up with five-and-a-half hours of music. I just laughed.”

Explaining his hopes for a double LP with one disc each of acoustic and electric material, Grohl says, “I’d love to have an album that requires us to stretch farther in both directions, eliminating any middle ground. The idea also comes from the fact that we’ve always explored both dynamics, just not to their fullest potential. Why not get heavier? Or quieter? Why try and cram all of that onto one CD? Why not make two albums, and call it one?”

Grohl is in the midst of rebuilding his Virginia home studio in Los Angeles. “We came up with a plan: Buy a warehouse,” he says. “Build a bigger, better studio. Have a massive space to store our mountains of gear that we’ve amassed over the past decade. Have somewhere to jam that we don’t have to move out of at the end of the week. A full-on headquarters, designed to further the idea of self-sufficiency. We will never have to go anywhere else as long as we live.”

The lone date on the Foos’ upcoming schedule is Aug. 28 at San Diego’s Street Scene festival, but the band’s name is already being whispered as part of a major package tour next summer. “I’m dying to get this sh*t on tape and play it live,” Grohl says. “The whole album every night — Something we haven’t done in a long, long time.”

As for his drum work on Nine Inch Nails’ forthcoming Interscope album, “Bleed Through,” Grohl enthuses, “you’re gonna flip when you hear [it].”

Source billboard.com.

Fans can pre-order DJ Harry