I’m a relatively new-comer to the world of David Bowie
fandom. I became a fan on September 6,
1996. That was the day I went with a
friend to see my first Bowie concert.
She had been a life-long fan and I could never quite understand why
someone her age was willing to travel to God-knows-where and stand in line for
God-knows-how-long to listen to this person sing. So when she invited me to tag along to a
concert, I thought it would be a good chance to conduct an anthropological/sociological
study. She said that, if I liked it, she
would take me to a concert in New York City a week or so later. Convinced I wouldn’t like the concert, she
arranged for my sister to go to the New York concert instead.
We arrived in Philadelphia at the Electric Factory in the
afternoon and stood outside in a light rain.
When we got inside, lo and behold, no seats. I was not happy – I wanted to sit down! Oh well.
So, I start to look around at the crowd that was smooshed in the
smallish room. I was shocked at both the
number of people and the span of ages – young kids to “old people”, senior
citizens even! Just what was going on?
My back was aching.
Finally, Bowie came out on stage. The crowd erupted. Then it happened. He started to sing. I could not believe what I was hearing. I swear it was on the first note out of his
mouth that I became a “die-hard fan”.
My sister never got to go to the New York concert. I attended fourteen more (including his 50th
birthday concert at Madison Square Garden) before he stopped touring in 2004.
Like everyone else, I’m very grateful to Bowie for his
catalog of incredible music. But for me
it was more than the music. It
was…is…the people. It was through Bowie,
his concerts and fan websites that I’ve met some of my closest friends around
the world. The Earthling Tour in 1997
was one of the most exciting times in my life.
The months leading up to the tour involved scores of his fans gathering
on the Teenage Wildlife fanpage chat
room. We all discussed the where we were
going to be seeing him and as the concerts happened, we raced home to post the
set lists. We made arrangements to “meet
up” with our on-line friends at the shows.
Somehow, I was able to convince my parents to allow a fellow fan from
Sweden come and stay with us so he could attend the shows here on the east
coast with me. We would wait in line for
hours and hours before the show.
Sometimes I think waiting in line was more fun than the concert! We all “knew” each other from the chatroom so
it became a huge tailgate party of sorts.
I ended up seeing Bowie five times in a two week period during that
tour, traveling to Philadelphia, Washington, DC and New York City.
Since then, I’ve been fortunate to attend several more
concerts and to travel abroad to finally meet in person many of my on-line
“Bowie friends”. I’ve been to see them
several times and some have been here to visit me. Interestingly, we rarely discussed Bowie when
we got together, instead focusing on each other and our lives (but with Bowie
playing in the background!). I’m happy
to say that they have become and remain some of my closest and most important
friends. We’ve become more than just
“Bowie friends”, we’ve become real friends, sharing in each other’s
“real life” joys and sorrows.
I learned of David Bowie's death at 5:00 in the morning when
I woke up as my cell phone exploded with texts, emails and Facebook messages
from my friends around the world - “Bowie friends” and others – wanting to make
sure I knew the news. While I am
mourning the loss of this incredible musician, I'm also smiling as I think
about all of the experiences and friends he has made possible for me. It's amazing the impact a musician has had on
the past twenty-years of my life.
And it all started with a concert on a rainy afternoon in
Philadelphia.
