Tin Machine Tour
Encyclopedia
The Tin Machine Tour of David Bowie
's band Tin Machine
commenced on 14 June 1989, following a performance
of Heaven's In Here at the International Music Awards in New York City
on 31 May 1989. The tour comprised 12 performances in six countries (USA, Denmark
, Germany
, Netherlands
, France
, United Kingdom
) in venues
with a capacity of 2,000 or less. Joined onstage by Kevin Armstrong, Tin Machine
performed the Tin Machine album
songbook with the exception of Video Crime, augmented with cover version of songs from Bob Dylan
and Johnny Kidd & The Pirates.
. The 17 June show was added at the last minute when Bowie saw the long lines for tickets to the 16 June show; the show was at midnight (technically the night of 16 June) and tickets were sold at half-price. For the 24 June performance in Amsterdam
, video screens
were erected outside the venue for those unable to obtain tickets. The video for Maggie’s Farm
was recorded at the same venue. The 25 June performance at La Cigale
, Paris
was recorded with excerpts broadcast on Westwood One
FM Radio. Four songs from the same performance were released as b-sides to the 1989 singles
; Tin Machine
and Prisoner of Love.
'" as receiving a rude awakening as Bowie offered "no oldies, no encores and no apologies." Reactions to the US shows were mixed as fans and critics felt that the proximity to Bowie was often more exciting than the music the band was playing. Ultimately, Rolling Stone magazine stated that it was Bowie's presence that "elevated the songs from the level of average grunge to that of theatrical avant-garage rock." They later said it helped Bowie regain some of the credibility he'd lost during from his previous album
and tour.
Opening Band : La Place (France)
Local Promoter : Alain Lahana
Opening Band : Jesus Jones
(UK)
From Tin Machine II
From Black Tie White Noise
Other songs:
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
's band Tin Machine
Tin Machine
Tin Machine was a hard rock band formed in 1988, famous for being fronted by singer David Bowie. The group recorded two studio albums before dissolving in 1992, when Bowie returned to his solo career...
commenced on 14 June 1989, following a performance
Performance
A performance, in performing arts, generally comprises an event in which a performer or group of performers behave in a particular way for another group of people, the audience. Choral music and ballet are examples. Usually the performers participate in rehearsals beforehand. Afterwards audience...
of Heaven's In Here at the International Music Awards in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on 31 May 1989. The tour comprised 12 performances in six countries (USA, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
) in venues
Music venue
A music venue is any location used for a concert or musical performance. Music venues range in size and location, from an outdoor bandshell or bandstand or a concert hall to an indoor sports stadium. Typically, different types of venues host different genres of music...
with a capacity of 2,000 or less. Joined onstage by Kevin Armstrong, Tin Machine
Tin Machine
Tin Machine was a hard rock band formed in 1988, famous for being fronted by singer David Bowie. The group recorded two studio albums before dissolving in 1992, when Bowie returned to his solo career...
performed the Tin Machine album
Tin Machine (album)
Tin Machine is the debut album of Tin Machine originally released by EMI in 1989. The group was the latest venture of David Bowie, inspired by sessions with guitarist Reeves Gabrels...
songbook with the exception of Video Crime, augmented with cover version of songs from Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
and Johnny Kidd & The Pirates.
Tour performance details
The band played in "fashionable black suits" in front of stark lighting in what was described as a departure from Bowie's previous tourGlass Spider Tour
In 1987, David Bowie embarked on The Glass Spider Tour in support of the album Never Let Me Down alongside famed guitarist Peter Frampton. The tour was named after the album track "Glass Spider." The concert tour was the most ambitious by Bowie up to that date, surpassing the Serious Moonlight Tour...
. The 17 June show was added at the last minute when Bowie saw the long lines for tickets to the 16 June show; the show was at midnight (technically the night of 16 June) and tickets were sold at half-price. For the 24 June performance in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, video screens
Projection screen
A projection screen is an installation consisting of a surface and a support structure used for displaying a projected image for the view of an audience. Projection screens may be permanently installed, as in a movie theater; painted on the wall; or semi-permanent or mobile, as in a conference room...
were erected outside the venue for those unable to obtain tickets. The video for Maggie’s Farm
Tin Machine (song)
"Tin Machine" is the song from which the band Tin Machine took their name, a track from their debut album, also of the same name. It was released as a single in September 1989, as a double A-side with a live cover of Bob Dylan’s “Maggie's Farm”....
was recorded at the same venue. The 25 June performance at La Cigale
La Cigale
La Cigale is a theater at 120, boulevard de Rochechouart near Place Pigalle, in the 18th arrondissement of Paris. The theatre is part of a complex that is connected to Le Trabendo and the Boule Noire. The hall can accommodate 1389 people or 954 people...
, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
was recorded with excerpts broadcast on Westwood One
Westwood One
Westwood One was an American radio network and was based in New York City. At one time, it was managed by CBS Radio, the radio arm of CBS Corporation, and Viacom and was later purchased by the private equity firm The Gores Group...
FM Radio. Four songs from the same performance were released as b-sides to the 1989 singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
; Tin Machine
Tin Machine (song)
"Tin Machine" is the song from which the band Tin Machine took their name, a track from their debut album, also of the same name. It was released as a single in September 1989, as a double A-side with a live cover of Bob Dylan’s “Maggie's Farm”....
and Prisoner of Love.
Tour reviews
Rolling Stone magazine described fans who had gone to see "the Thin White Duke crooning 'Young AmericansYoung Americans (song)
"Young Americans" is a single by English singer-songwriter David Bowie, released in 1975. It is included in the album with the same name.-History:...
'" as receiving a rude awakening as Bowie offered "no oldies, no encores and no apologies." Reactions to the US shows were mixed as fans and critics felt that the proximity to Bowie was often more exciting than the music the band was playing. Ultimately, Rolling Stone magazine stated that it was Bowie's presence that "elevated the songs from the level of average grunge to that of theatrical avant-garage rock." They later said it helped Bowie regain some of the credibility he'd lost during from his previous album
Never Let Me Down
Never Let Me Down is an album by David Bowie, released in April 1987. Written over a 3-month period and recorded in Switzerland, Bowie regarded the album at the time as a "move back to rock 'n roll music...
and tour.
Tour band
- David BowieDavid BowieDavid Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
- vocals, guitar - Reeves GabrelsReeves GabrelsReeves Gabrels is an American guitarist, known for virtuosity, versatility, and originality. His compositions and improvisations defy genre and "explore sonic extremes with a great, adaptive intuition for what each song needs most."...
- guitar - Tony SalesTony Sales|Tony Fox Sales is an American rock musician. A bass guitarist, Sales and his brother, Hunt Sales, played with Todd Rundgren, Iggy Pop and Tin Machine with David Bowie.-Early life and career:...
- bass guitar, vocals - Hunt SalesHunt SalesHunt Sales is an American rock and roll drummer who has played with Todd Rundgren, his brother Tony Sales, Iggy Pop and Tin Machine.- Personal life : Hunt Sales is the son of 1950s/60s television comedian Soupy Sales...
- drums, vocals - Kevin Armstrong - rhythm guitar (Blah Blah Blah, Tin Machine, Tin Machine II)
Tour dates
- 14/06/1989 The World - New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
SET LIST: Sacrifice Yourself, Heaven's In Here, Amazing, Working Class Hero, Tin Machine, Sorry,
Prisoner of Love, Bus Stop (country version), Bus Stop, I Can't Read, You've Been Around, Baby
Can Dance, Run, Crack City, Pretty Thing, Under The God
- 16/06/1989 The RoxyThe Roxy TheatreThe Roxy Theatre is a famous nightclub, on the Sunset Strip, in West Hollywood, California. The Roxy is owned by Lou Adler and Adler's son, Nic, who operates the club.- History :...
- Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, United States
SET LIST: Sacrifice Yourself, Heaven's In Here, Amazing, Working Class Hero, Tin Machine, Prisoner of
Love, Sorry, Bus Stop, Bus Stop (country version), Run, I Can't Read, Baby Can Dance, Pretty Thing,
Crack City, Under The God
- 17/06/1989 The Roxy - Los Angeles, California, United States
SET LIST: Sacrifice Yourself, Heaven's In Here, Working Class Hero, Sorry, Bus Stop (country version),
Bus Stop, I Can't Read, Run, Pretty Thing, Crack City, Baby Can Dance, Under The God
- 21/06/1989 Saga Rockteatre - CopenhagenCopenhagenCopenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, DenmarkDenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
SET LIST: Sacrifice Yourself, Heaven's In Here, Amazing, Working Class Hero, Tin Machine, Prisoner of
Love, Sorry, Bus Stop (country version), Bus Stop, Run, I Can't Read, Baby Can Dance, Pretty Thing,
Crack City, Under The God
- 22/06/1989 The Docks - HamburgHamburg-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
SET LIST: Amazing, Sacrifice Yourself, Heaven's In Here, Working Class Hero, Tin Machine, Sorry,
Bus Stop, Bus Stop (country version), Run, Maggie's Farm, Baby Can Dance, I Can't Read, Pretty
Thing, Crack City, Under The God
- 24/06/1989 ParadisoParadiso (Amsterdam)Paradiso is an iconic rock music venue and cultural center in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.-History:It is housed in a converted former church building that dates from the nineteenth century and that was used until 1965 as the meeting hall for a liberal Dutch religious group known as the "Vrije...
- AmsterdamAmsterdamAmsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, NetherlandsNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
SET LIST: Amazing, Sacrifice Yourself, Heaven's In Here, Working Class Hero, Prisoner of Love,
Tin Machine, Sorry, Bus Stop (country version), Bus Stop, Run, Maggie's Farm, I Can't Read,
Baby Can Dance, Pretty Thing, Crack City, Under The God
- 25/06/1989 La CigaleLa CigaleLa Cigale is a theater at 120, boulevard de Rochechouart near Place Pigalle, in the 18th arrondissement of Paris. The theatre is part of a complex that is connected to Le Trabendo and the Boule Noire. The hall can accommodate 1389 people or 954 people...
- ParisParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
SET LIST: Amazing, Heaven's In Here, Sacrifice Yourself, Working Class Hero, Prisoner of Love, Tin
Machine, Sorry, Bus Stop (country version), Bus Stop, Run, Maggie's Farm, I Can't Read, Baby Can
Dance, Pretty Thing, Crack City, Under The God
Opening Band : La Place (France)
Local Promoter : Alain Lahana
- 27/06/1989 The Town & Country ClubThe Town & Country ClubThe Town & Country Club was a 2,100 capacity theatre-style venue in Kentish Town in North London, England. The venue was built in 1934 and was originally an art deco cinema....
- LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
SET LIST: Amazing, Heaven's In Here, Sacrifice Yourself, Working Class Hero, Prisoner of Love, Sorry,
Bus Stop, Run, Maggie's Farm, I Can't Read, Baby Can Dance, Pretty Thing, Crack City, Under The God
Opening Band : Jesus Jones
Jesus Jones
Jesus Jones are a British rock band. The Wiltshire-based group, formed in late 1988, recorded and performed in the late 1980s, throughout the 1990s, and into the 2000s. They are best remembered for their track, "Right Here, Right Now", an international hit and subsequently globally appropriated for...
(UK)
- 29/06/1989 National Ballroom - Kilburn, London, England
SET LIST: Bus Stop (country version), Bus Stop, Amazing, Working Class Hero, Sacrifice Yourself,
Heaven's In Here, Prisoner of Love, Sorry, Now, Run, Baby Can Dance, Tin Machine, Maggie's
Farm, I Can't Read, Shakin' All Over, Pretty Thing, Crack City, Under The God
- 01/07/1989 Newport Leisure Centre - NewportNewportNewport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
, WalesWalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
SET LIST: Amazing, Heaven's In Here, Sacrifice Yourself, Working Class Hero, Prisoner of Love, Sorry,
Bus Stop (country version), Bus Stop, Shakin' All Over, Run, Baby Can Dance, I Can't Read, Maggie's
Farm, Pretty Thing, Crack City, Under The God
- 02/07/1989 St. George's HallSt George's Hall, BradfordSt George's Concert Hall is a grade II* listed Victorian building located in the centre of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. Originally designed with a seating capacity of 3,500, the Hall seats 1500 people....
- BradfordBradfordBradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
, England
SET LIST: Now, Amazing, Heaven's In Here, Bus Stop (country version), Bus Stop, Working Class Hero,
Prisoner of Love, Sacrifice Yourself, Sorry, Run, I Can't Read, Maggie's Farm, Tin Machine, Baby Can
Dance, Shakin' All Over, Pretty Thing, Crack City, Under The God
- 03/07/1989 The Forum - Livingston, ScotlandScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
SET LIST: Amazing, Heaven's In Here, Working Class Hero, Shakin' All Over, Sorry, Sacrifice Yourself,
Bus Stop (country version), Bus Stop, Run, I Can't Read, Maggie's Farm, Baby Can Dance, Tin Machine,
Pretty Thing, Crack City, Under The God
The songs
From Tin MachineTin Machine (album)
Tin Machine is the debut album of Tin Machine originally released by EMI in 1989. The group was the latest venture of David Bowie, inspired by sessions with guitarist Reeves Gabrels...
- "Heaven's in Here"
- "Tin Machine" (Bowie, Reeves GabrelsReeves GabrelsReeves Gabrels is an American guitarist, known for virtuosity, versatility, and originality. His compositions and improvisations defy genre and "explore sonic extremes with a great, adaptive intuition for what each song needs most."...
, Hunt SalesHunt SalesHunt Sales is an American rock and roll drummer who has played with Todd Rundgren, his brother Tony Sales, Iggy Pop and Tin Machine.- Personal life : Hunt Sales is the son of 1950s/60s television comedian Soupy Sales...
, Tony SalesTony Sales|Tony Fox Sales is an American rock musician. A bass guitarist, Sales and his brother, Hunt Sales, played with Todd Rundgren, Iggy Pop and Tin Machine with David Bowie.-Early life and career:...
) - "Prisoner of Love" (Bowie, Gabrels, H. Sales, T. Sales)
- "Crack City"
- "I Can't Read" (Bowie, Gabrels)
- "Under the God"
- "Amazing" (Bowie, Gabrels)
- "Working Class Hero" (originally from John Lennon/Plastic Ono BandJohn Lennon/Plastic Ono BandJohn Lennon/Plastic Ono Band was received with high critical praise upon release. Critic Greil Marcus remarked, "John's singing in the last verse of 'God' may be the finest in all of rock." In early 1971, the album reached number eight on the UK and went to number six in the US, spending eighteen...
by John LennonJohn LennonJohn Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
, written by Lennon) - "Bus Stop" (Bowie, Gabrels)
- "Pretty Thing"
- "Run" (Bowie, Kevin Armstrong)
- "Sacrifice Yourself" (Bowie, H. Sales, T. Sales)
- "Baby Can Dance"
From Tin Machine II
Tin Machine II
Tin Machine II is an album by Tin Machine, originally released by Victory Music in 1991.-Recording:The band reconvened following their 1989 tour, recording most of the album before taking a rest while David Bowie conducted his solo Sound+Vision Tour and filmed The Linguini Incident...
- "Sorry" (H. Sales)
From Black Tie White Noise
Black Tie White Noise
Black Tie White Noise is an album by David Bowie. Released in 1993, it was his first solo release in the 1990s after spending time with his hard rock band Tin Machine, retiring his old hits on his Sound+Vision Tour, and marrying supermodel Iman Abdulmajid. This album featured his old guitarist from...
- "You've Been Around" (Bowie, Gabrels)
Other songs:
- "Maggie's Farm" (from Bringing It All Back HomeBringing It All Back HomeBringing It All Back Home is singer-songwriter Bob Dylan's fifth studio album, released in March 1965 by Columbia Records. The album is divided into an electric and an acoustic side. On side one of the original LP, Dylan is backed by an electric rock and roll band - a move that further alienated...
by Bob DylanBob DylanBob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
, written by Dylan) - "Now" (unreleased outtake from Tin Machine, written by Bowie and Armstrong, later rewritten as the title track of 1995's Outside)
- "Shakin' All Over" (originally a singleShakin' All Over"Shakin' All Over" is a rock and roll song originally performed by Johnny Kidd and the Pirates. It was written by frontman Johnny Kidd and reached #1 in the United Kingdom in August 1960...
by Johnny Kidd and the PiratesJohnny Kidd and the PiratesJohnny Kidd & The Pirates were an English rock 'n' roll group led by singer/songwriter Johnny Kidd. They scored numerous hit songs from the late 1950s to the early 1960s, including the rock & roll classics 'Shakin' All Over' and 'Please Don't Touch', but their influence far outshines their chart...
, written by Johnny Kidd)