David Bowie performed at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, Japan, on 22 October 1983, as part of the Serious Moonlight Tour.
It was the 76th date of the tour, which began on 18 May in Brussels, and the third of four nights at the Budokan.
Bowie’s guitarists were Carlos Alomar and Earl Slick. Dave Lebolt was on keyboards and synthesizers, and Steve Elson, Stan Harrison, Lenny Pickett played saxophones. Carmine Rojas played bass guitar and Tony Thompson was on drums and percussion. George and Frank Simms were the backing singers.
Bowie had previously played the Nippon Budokan on 11 December 1978 during the Isolar II Tour.
He returned to the venue on 17 February 1992 for Tin Machine’s It’s My Life Tour; 4 and 5 June 1996 for the Outside Tour; and 8 and 9 March 2004 for A Reality Tour.
The setlist
- ‘Look Back In Anger’
- “Heroes”
- ‘What In The World’
- ‘Golden Years’
- ‘Fashion’
- ‘Let’s Dance’
- ‘Breaking Glass’
- ‘Life On Mars?’
- ‘Sorrow’
- ‘Cat People (Putting Out Fire)’
- ‘China Girl’
- ‘Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)’
- ‘Rebel Rebel’
- ‘White Light/White Heat’
- ‘Station To Station’
- ‘Cracked Actor’
- ‘Ashes To Ashes’
- ‘Space Oddity’
- ‘Young Americans’
- ‘Fame’
- ‘Star’
- ‘Stay’
- ‘The Jean Genie’
- ‘Modern Love’
Also on this day...
- 1991: Live: Tin Machine, Konserthus, Oslo
- 1974: Live: Arie Crown Theater, Chicago
- 1969: Radio: 3XY Melbourne
- 1966: Live: David Bowie and the Buzz, University of Sussex
Want more? Visit the David Bowie history section.