Radio: David Bowie live at Maida Vale, London

David Bowie recorded a special concert for BBC Radio 2 on this day.

The show was seen by just 100 people, and took place at studio four in the corporation’s Maida Vale studio complex in west London. The concert was introduced by Jonathan Ross, and the producer was Sarah Gaston.

Bowie and his band performed ten songs, five of which were from his acclaimed 2002 album Heathen. He sang a single song – ‘Survive’ – from Heathen’s predecessor ‘hours…’.

Most remarkable, however, was the first-ever live performance of ‘The Bewlay Brothers’, the closing song on his 1971 album Hunky Dory. During the song’s performance Bowie referred to a lyric sheet, explaining “there are more words in this than War And Peace.”

• ‘Sunday’
• ‘Look Back In Anger’
• ‘Cactus’
• ‘Survive’
• ‘5:15 The Angels Have Gone’
• ‘Alabama Song’
• ‘Everyone Says ‘Hi”
• ‘Rebel Rebel’
• ‘The Bewlay Brothers’
• ‘Heathen (The Rays)’

Bowie filmed part of the show with a handheld camera, which he said would be a souvenir for his two-year-old daughter Lexi. “This is just to show my daughter exactly what sort of person I associate with,” he said as he trained the lens on the audience.

The concert was first broadcast on BBC Radio 2 at 8pm on Saturday 5 October 2002, with the title David Bowie – Live And Exclusive.