Live: Forum, Montreal

David Bowie performed at the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Canada, on 3 May 1978, as part of the Isolar II Tour.

It was the 26th date of the tour, which began on 29 March in San Diego.

Bowie’s guitarists were Carlos Alomar and Adrian Belew. Simon House was on electric violin, Sean Mayes played piano, and Roger Powell was on keyboards and synthesizers. George Murray played bass guitar and Dennis Davis was on drums.

At the Montreal Forum there was a bit of a bomb scare – nothing too serious – apparently, there is always a bomb scare. They had to check the area under the stage in case a French (Quebec) Nationalist had planted something. The show went very well but David didn’t sing “Heroes” in French though the single was out in both languages here.

‘I can’t remember the words now,’ he said when I asked him.

Bowie had previously played at the Forum on 14 June 1974, for the first date of the Diamond Dogs Tour, and on 25 February 1976 during the Isolar Tour.

On 12 and 13 July 1983 Bowie performed there again as part of the Serious Moonlight Tour, and returned for a final time on 6 March 1990, during the Sound+Vision Tour.

The setlist

• ‘Warszawa’
• “Heroes”
• ‘What In The World’
• ‘Be My Wife’
• ‘The Jean Genie’
• ‘Blackout’
• ‘Sense Of Doubt’
• ‘Breaking Glass’
• ‘Beauty And The Beast’
• ‘Fame’
• ‘Five Years’
• ‘Soul Love’
• ‘Star’
• ‘Hang On To Yourself’
• ‘Ziggy Stardust’
• ‘Suffragette City’
• ‘Art Decade’
• ‘Alabama Song’
• ‘Station To Station’
• ‘Stay’
• ‘TVC 15’
• ‘Rebel Rebel’