Shelved David Bowie Concert Film Revived for Immersive Live Show

The unreleased David Bowie concert film “Stage”, recorded on his 1978 tour behind Low and “Heroes”, will tour arenas as a novel multimedia experience in 2027. Moonage Daydream director Brett Morgen has adapted footage from Bowie’s Isolar II tour—originally shot by David Hemmings—for a multi-screen live show, also called “Stage”. It will premiere at Berlin’s Uber Arena on February 14 before further, as-yet-unannounced shows. Watch a trailer below.

Morgen originally conceived the project in 2018, while sifting Bowie’s archives for his 2022 documentary. (Hemmings’ footage of “Heroes”, the song, made the cut of Moonage Daydream.) Bowie had intended Hemmings’ film from Earls Court, in London, to play in unorthodox spaces, such as live venues, as an alternative to touring himself, The Guardian notes. In the end, Bowie released a live album, 1978’s Stage, but shelved the footage to focus on other projects; he also quit touring until 1983. “I simply didn’t like the way [Hemmings’ footage] had been shot,” Bowie told Uncut in 2001. “Now, of course, it looks pretty good and I would suspect that it would make it out some time in the future.”

Morgen spent years meticulously remastering Hemmings’ 35mm film and configuring it for multiple screens. The event will feature an integrated lighting show from Patrick Woodroffe and immersive audio mixed by Paul Massey. The elaborate LED displays and audio mix, the press release notes, are designed for “auditoriums and venues with capacities starting at 5,000, enveloping audiences in the atmosphere of a full-scale rock concert.” Rob Hallett’s Wonderworld and the David Bowie Estate also collaborated on the project.

Jazz Monroe is a music and culture writer based in London. His work also appears in The Guardian, The Independent, and elsewhere. ... Read More