David Bowie

Fans that missed Bowie's Reality Tour, or went but had really crappy seats, can now catch all the relaxed, feel-good action of the Thin White Duke's recent global jaunt close up and in 5.1 audio. Shot before a typically adoring crowd in Dublin, the performance features 30 songs including familiar oldies Bowie swore he was playing for the last time back in 1990, a few old tracks he's rarely trotted out on stage (like "Fantastic Voyage" and his Queen duet "Under Pressure"), a dandy cover of the Pixies' "Cactus" and a handful of engaging new tunes that stand up remarkably well alongside some of his fabric-of-our-culture numbers. Not surprisingly, Bowie's backing band — including guitarist Earl Slick and long-time keyboard pal Mike Garson — gleams like polished rock. But the overall performance is largely free of pretence, which in itself is almost pretentious given Bowie's penchant for role playing. All told, this is basically just a well shot, well recorded and subtly edited concert from a tour that would, in this day and age, be remiss if not commemorated with a DVD release. It's also a document of the ridiculously ageless Bowie's obvious deal with Satan. (Columbia)