Rehearsal: RCA Nippon Victor, Tokyo

A day ahead of their first show in Japan, on 7 April 1973 David Bowie and the Spiders From Mars undertook an evening rehearsal.

The rehearsal took place at RCA Nippon Victor in Tokyo. Bowie and the Spiders performed the following night at the city’s Shinjuku Kōsei Nenkin Kaikan.

On our very first evening in Tokyo, in order to make minor changes to the set we had played in the USA, the band rehearsed at a studio provided by RCA. In particular, we rehearsed ‘Starman’ for inclusion in Japan, and I remember it well for Mick Ronson’s patient persistence in trying to get me to play the chunky rhythm guitar part to his exact requirements. Mick, though always a very easygoing guy, was also a perfectionist and was as insistent as he had been at our previous rehearsal in New York. I got it right in the end; it’s something to do with how you stand.