David Bowie - Live on Stage Earls Court London 1978 / 2023 Documentary (Part 1)

On this day 45 years ago, the 30 June 1978, David Bowie played the 2nd of 3 shows at London's Earls Court. That show and the one on the following night, were filmed for an intended concert movie. This is a short documentary about those shows, which also attempts to answer the question: “Whatever happened to the STAGE movie?” This film combines live footage from the Earls Court shows and others from the ‘78 tour, plus material from TV and radio shows, with music from the Welcome to the Blackout album and other sources. 

The David Bowie Isolar II 1978 World Tour, also known as The Low / Heroes World Tour or The Stage Tour, hit London in summer 1978. Three nights were played at the Earls Court Arena, 29 & 30 June & the 1 July. The never-completed and never-shown David Bowie-produced, David Hemmings-directed STAGE movie, was shot at two of the Earls Court shows. The forty+ years old undigitised reels for which were, until recently gathering dust at the Bowie archive. The STAGE movie is perhaps the ultimate lost treasure of the Bowie cannon. For decades it’s been the subject of much speculation among fans, who are desperate to see it. 

When I started this project in 2016, I wanted to make use of the various bits of Earls Court footage and other sources from the ‘78 UK tour. I soon became hungry for information about the mythical STAGE movie, shot at the Earl’s Court shows. David Bowie had of course passed away in 2015 and David Hemmings in 2007. So how could definitive information be found? Bowie ‘78 collector Mike Jewel suggested contacting Rory McLean, Hemings assistant during that era. I contacted Rory, who is now a celebrated author. He was very forthcoming, providing me with an abundance of information. He knew intimately the story of the film and the original hopes and intentions for it, and the reason why it was not released. A year or so later, we met up and became fast friends. Eventually Rory and I decided to approach the Bowie Estate with an offer to remake the STAGE movie from scratch, the way Bowie had originally intended it. We sent the Estate a comprehensive thoroughly researched 3,000 word proposal. But unfortunately no response was received. I went back to my own humble Earls Court project. I decided to incorporate into it something of the events that led to the films production and eventual abandonment. Still, with so little footage available, and uneven audio sources, I was unable to complete it. When Welcome to the Blackout, an official live album recorded at the Earls Court shows was released in 2018, more possibilities presented themselves. But there was still a deficit of visual material, and the results were unsatisfactory. In 2022, I produced a semi-finished 20 minute rough-cut “Part 1”, and premiered it at the David Bowie World Fan Convention, in Liverpool. Shortly after that, actual footage shot by the Hemmings crew, intended for the STAGE movie, surfaced in Brett Morgen’s Bowie film Moonage Daydream. Utilising some of that footage, I swapped out some scenes in my “Part 1” that had formerly used poor sources.

It is strongly rumoured, almost a certainty as far as I’m concerned, that Brett Morgen is creating a new concert movie from the STAGE film footage. Assuming that concert film does indeed surface, my little documentary will become rather superfluous. So I feel some impatience to get it out there. A few weeks ago, I showed the present version at the David Bowie World Fan Convention, in NYC. And now, finally it’s online. Thanks for watching, hope you dig it!

Video: LWT David Bowie Special | 1978 Moonage Daydream | 2022 | Brett Morgen Live in Tokyo | 1978 Live on Stage | Dallas | 1978 | Stanley Dorfman Northern Lights | Tyne Tees | 1978 Reporting Scotland | BBC | 1978 Various Super 8 1978 tour footage 

Audio: David Bowie | Joe the Lion [Soundcheck Rehearsal] | from Alabama Song 7” | Recorded Earls Court | 1 July 1978 | Mixed By John Prestage David Bowie | Warsawa | “Heroes” | What in the World | Blackout | Beauty and the Beast | 5 Years | from Welcome to the Blackout | Recorded 30 June & 1 July 1978 | Produced by David Bowie | Mixed by David Bowie & David Richards Interview with Nicky Horn | Capital Radio | 1979 

Musicians: David Bowie | Vocals Dennis Davis | Drums Carlos Alomar | Rhythm guitar, backing vocals George Murray | Bass, backing vocals Adrian Belew | Lead guitar, backing vocals Simon House | Violin Sean Mayes | Piano, backing vocals Roger Powell | Keyboards, backing vocals 

Documents, photos courtesy Rory MacLean

Always more videos to follow, so please keep your electric eye on me babe! I don't own the rights, and I'm not making any money out of this etc. Just a fan making videos for other fans. 

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I was at the Glasgow Apollo gig and weird to see the footage after all this time