Tin Machine Tour

Tin Machine Tour
Tour by Tin Machine
Location
  • North America
  • Europe
Associated albumTin Machine
Start date14 June 1989
End date3 July 1989
Legs1
No. of shows12
Tin Machine concert chronology
David Bowie tour chronology
Glass Spider Tour
(1987) 		Tin Machine Tour
(1989) 		Sound+Vision Tour
(1990)

The Tin Machine Tour was a concert tour headlined by the Anglo-American hard rock band Tin Machine. Following a performance of "Heaven's in Here" at the International Music Awards in New York City on 31 May 1989,[1] the tour started on 14 June 1989 at The World in New York City, and finished on 3 July 1989 at The Forum in Livingston, Scotland. The tour comprised 12 performances in six countries, in venues with a capacity of 2,000 or less. Joined onstage by Kevin Armstrong, the band performed the entirety of their eponymous debut album with the exception of "Video Crime", augmented with cover version of songs from Bob Dylan and Johnny Kidd & The Pirates.

Tour performance details[edit]

The band played in "fashionable black suits" in front of stark lighting in what was described as a departure from lead vocalist David Bowie's previous solo tour. The second concert at The Roxy Theatre in Los Angeles on 17 June, 1989, was added at the last minute, when Bowie saw the long lines for tickets to the first show on 16 June; the show was at midnight (technically the night of 16 June), and tickets were sold at half-price.[2] For the concert in Amsterdam on 24 June, 1989, video screens were erected outside the venue for those unable to obtain tickets.[3] The video for "Maggie's Farm" was recorded at the same venue.

Critical reception[edit]

The Los Angeles Times had a positive review of Tin Machine's first show of the tour in New York City, saying "the band was full of life, raucous and brash, good-natured and smart."[4] Rolling Stone described fans who had gone to see "the Thin White Duke crooning 'Young Americans'" as receiving a rude awakening as Bowie offered "no oldies, no encores and no apologies." Reactions to the shows in the United States 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 stated that it was Bowie's presence that "elevated the songs from the level of average grunge to that of theatrical avant-garage rock",[2] and later said it helped Bowie regain some of the credibility he had lost during his previous album and tour.[5]

Live recordings[edit]

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." 8 songs performed at this show were released digitally on the album Live at La Cigale, Paris, 25th June, 1989 in August 2019, to coincide with the album's 30th anniversary. The digital release was mastered by original album producer Tim Palmer.[6]

Setlist[edit]

The following set list was obtained from the concert held on 14 June, 1989, at The World in New York City. It does not represent all concerts for the duration of the tour.

  1. "Sacrifice Yourself"
  2. "Heaven's in Here"
  3. "Amazing"
  4. "Working Class Hero" (John Lennon song)
  5. "Tin Machine"
  6. "Sorry"
  7. Prisoner of Love
  8. "Bus Stop" (country version)
  9. "Bus Stop"
  10. "I Can't Read"
  11. "You've Been Around"
  12. "Baby Can Dance"
  13. "Run"
  14. "Crack City"
  15. "Pretty Thing"
  16. "Under The God"

Tour dates[edit]

List of concerts, showing date, city, country, venue and opening act
Date City Country Venue Opening act
North America
14 June 1989 New York City United States The World —
16 June 1989 Los Angeles The Roxy —
17 June 1989 —
Europe
21 June 1989 Copenhagen Denmark Saga Rockteatre —
22 June 1989 Hamburg West Germany Docks —
24 June 1989 Amsterdam Netherlands Paradiso —
25 June 1989 Paris France La Cigale La Place
27 June 1989 London England Town & Country Club Jesus Jones
29 June 1989 National Ballroom —
1 July 1989 Newport Wales Newport Leisure Centre —
2 July 1989 Bradford England St. George's Hall —
3 July 1989 Livingston Scotland The Forum —

Songs performed[edit]

From Tin Machine

  • "Heaven's in Here"
  • "Tin Machine"
  • "Prisoner of Love"
  • "Crack City"
  • "I Can't Read"
  • "Under the God"
  • "Amazing"
  • "Working Class Hero" (John Lennon song)
  • "Bus Stop"
  • "Pretty Thing"
  • "Run"
  • "Sacrifice Yourself"
  • "Baby Can Dance"

From Tin Machine II

  • "Sorry"

From Black Tie White Noise

  • "You've Been Around"

Other songs:

Personnel[edit]

Tin Machine
Additional musicians

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Fantino, Lisa (August 1989), "International Rock Awards – May 31", The Music Paper: 14
  2. ^ a b Ressner, Jeffrey (10 August 1989), "Bowie's Bicoastal Blitz", Rolling Stone: 24
  3. ^ Nicholas Pegg, The Complete David Bowie, Reynolds & Hearn Ltd, 2004, ISBN 1-903111-73-0
  4. ^ Pareles, Jon (16 June 1989), "Review/Rock; Bowie and Band, Without Disguises", Los Angeles Times, retrieved 29 October 2013
  5. ^ "June 1989", Rolling Stone: 96, 14–28 December 1989
  6. ^ Tin Machine at La Cigale in Paris 1989, 31 August 2019, retrieved 4 September 2019

References[edit]

  • David Buckley, Strange Fascination: The Definitive Biography of David Bowie, Virgin Books, 1999, ISBN 1-85227-784-X
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tin_Machine_Tour&oldid=1198692034"