The It's My Life Tour was a concert tour headlined by Anglo-American hard rock band

Tin Machine Tin Machine were a British–American rock band formed in 1988, and fronted by English singer-songwriter David Bowie. The band consisted of Bowie on lead vocals, saxophone and guitar; Reeves Gabrels on guitar and vocals; Tony Fox Sales on ba ...

. The tour commenced on 5 October 1991 after two warm-up shows, one press show and three trade-industry shows, visiting twelve countries and concluding after sixty-nine performances, a larger outing than their first tour in 1989. The band purposefully booked intimate venues of a few thousand seats or less so that they could focus on the music without any theatrical trappings, a stark change from Bowie's previous

Glass Spider ''Glass Spider'' is a concert film by English singer David Bowie. The release was sourced from eight shows during the first two weeks of November 1987 at the Sydney Entertainment Centre in Australia during the last month of the Glass Spider Tour ...

and Sound+Vision tours."David Bowie Music Interview" by George Varga for The Star Entertainment Weekly, 1–7 January 1992, pp 2 & 10 Bowie also wanted to avoid playing larger venues and arenas lest his fans show up "hoping I'd be doing old songs or something. We don't want that feeling at all."

Tour details

The band rehearsed and warmed up for the tour in Dublin in August 1991. Joined onstage by guitarist Eric Schermerhorn,

presented songs from the ''

'' album and the ''

Tin Machine II ''Tin Machine II'' is the second and final studio album by Anglo-American rock group Tin Machine, released on 2September 1991 through Victory Music in association with London Records. The band, composed of English singer-songwriter David Bowie ...

'' album, augmented with cover versions of songs from the

Pixies A pixie (also pisky, pixy, pixi, pizkie, and piskie in Cornwall and Devon, and pigsie or puggsy in the New Forest) is a mythical creature of British folklore. Pixies are considered to be particularly concentrated in the high moorland areas aro ...

Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Fur ...

and

The Moody Blues The Moody Blues were an English rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1964, initially consisting of keyboardist Mike Pinder, multi-instrumentalist Ray Thomas, guitarist Denny Laine, drummer Graeme Edge and bassist Clint Warwick. The g ...

. To start the show at some venues, an old TV was placed on stage, playing old sitcoms while the prelude to

Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...

's ''

Tristan and Isolde Tristan and Iseult, also known as Tristan and Isolde and other names, is a medieval chivalric romance told in numerous variations since the 12th century. Based on a Celtic legend and possibly other sources, the tale is a tragedy about the illic ...

'' played over loudspeakers."Bowie, Tin Machine offer what may be rock's new frontier" by Cary Smith, Journal-American, December 1991 Bowie claimed that the setlist for the tour was made on the fly each night, saying "We have no setlist whatsoever. We have a complete list of all our songs on the floor of the stage and we yell it out as we feel it. If you catch us on a bad night, it can be one of the most disastrous shows you've ever seen. But on a good night – and fortunately with this band most nights have been good nights – it really happens."Beaming Bowie excited about current direction of his life, music" by Patrick MacDonald, The Seattle Times, 20 December 1991 Their performance on 1 September 1991 at the Los Angeles airport was taped for broadcast in America as part of the ABC In Concert series, and was aired on 6 September 1991. Tin Machine were the musical guest on ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. ...

s 17th season on 23 November 1991.

Live recordings

The

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

Docks performance on 24 October 1991, was filmed and later released on the video, '' Oy Vey, Baby: Tin Machine Live at the Docks'', with the song "Baby Can Dance" from the same performance appearing on the compilation album ''Best of Grunge Rock''. Songs from the

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, New York City,

Sapporo ( ain, サッ・ポロ・ペッ, Satporopet, lit=Dry, Great River) is a city in Japan. It is the largest city north of Tokyo and the largest city on Hokkaido, the northernmost main island of the country. It ranks as the fifth most populous cit ...

and

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

performances were recorded and released on the July 1992 album '' Tin Machine Live: Oy Vey, Baby''.

Contemporary reviews

The review of the performance at the trade show at Slim's in San Francisco was not kind: "It's hard to imagine people walking out on a David Bowie show at Slim's, but all you had to do was look around the room Thursday at the end of the appearance by Tin Machine. ... Bowie and his associates gave a more than hour-long display of his latest incarnation, and the music turned out to be nearly unlistenable.""Bowie's Band Unimpressive at Slim's" by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 14 September 1991, C4 The show in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

was met with positive reviews: "Let it first be said that on every level, Tin Machine is an outstanding band. ...

hey Hey or Hey! may refer to: Music * Hey (band), a Polish rock band Albums * ''Hey'' (Andreas Bourani album) or the title song (see below), 2014 * ''Hey!'' (Julio Iglesias album) or the title song, 1980 * ''Hey!'' (Jullie album) or the title s ...

may well represent the next evolutionary step in rock and roll – or just another blind alley. In any event, it is powerful stuff." During the show Bowie played alto and baritone sax and electric, acoustic and 12-string guitar. The ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...

'' had a positive review of the first New York show, complimenting the band on their desire to tinker with songs' arrangements and appreciating Bowie's "theatrical gift" for performing.

Tour band

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

– vocals, guitar, alto & tenor saxophone *

Reeves Gabrels Reeves Gabrels (born June 4, 1956) is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer. A member and guitarist of British band the Cure since 2012, Gabrels worked with David Bowie from 1987 to 1999, and was a member of the band Tin Machine. ...

– lead guitar, vocals *

Tony Sales Tony Fox Sales (born September 26, 1951) is an American rock musician and composer. Normally on bass guitar, Sales and his brother, Hunt Sales, have worked with Todd Rundgren, Iggy Pop, and in Tin Machine with David Bowie. Early life and career ...

– bass guitar, vocals *

Hunt Sales Hunt Sales (born March 2, 1954) is an American rock drummer, who has played with Todd Rundgren, Iggy Pop and Tin Machine with David Bowie. He has often worked with his brother Tony Sales, a bass guitarist. Personal life Hunt Sales is a son o ...

– drums, vocals *

Eric Schermerhorn Eric Schermerhorn is an American guitarist and composer. He played with Iggy Pop on the '' American Caesar'' and ''Naughty Little Doggie'' albums, and David Bowie on the Tin Machine '' It's My Life Tour'' (as background vocalist and guitarist ...

– rhythm guitar, vocals

Tour dates

Songs

Notation: * ^CD Included on the '' Oy Vey, Baby'' album * ^VHS/LD Included on the ''Oy Vey, Baby'' video album * ^CD/VHS/LD Included on both versions of the ''Oy Vey, Baby'' album From '' Live Santa Monica '72'' * "My Death" (originally from '' La Valse à Mille Temps'' (1959) by Jacques Brel; written by Brel &

Mort Shuman Mortimer Shuman (12 November 1938 – 2 November 1991) was an American singer, pianist and songwriter, best known as co-writer of many 1960s rock and roll hits, including "Viva Las Vegas". He also wrote and sang many songs in French, such as " ...

) * " I'm Waiting for the Man" (originally from ''

The Velvet Underground & Nico ''The Velvet Underground & Nico'' is the debut album by the American rock band the Velvet Underground and German singer Nico, released in March 1967 through Verve Records. It was recorded in 1966 while the band were featured on Andy Warhol's Ex ...

'' (1967) by

The Velvet Underground The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City in 1964. The original line-up consisted of singer/guitarist Lou Reed, multi-instrumentalist John Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison, and drummer Angus MacLise. MacLise ...

and

Nico Naftiran Intertrade Company limited (NICO) is a Swiss-based subsidiary of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC). NICO is a general contractor for the oil and gas industry. NIOC buys the vast majority of Iran's gasoline imports. NICO is a key pl ...

, written by Lou Reed; outtake from various Bowie sessions 1966–72) From ''

'' * " Heaven's in Here" ^CD/VHS/LD * "

" (Bowie,

) * "Crack City" ^VHS/LD * " I Can't Read" (Bowie, Gabrels) ^CD/VHS/LD * " Under the God" ^CD/VHS/LD * "Amazing" (Bowie, Gabrels) ^CD * "Bus Stop" (Country version) (Bowie, Gabrels) ^VHS/LD * "Pretty Thing" * "Sacrifice Yourself" (Bowie, H. Sales, T. Sales) ^VHS/LD * "Baby Can Dance" From ''

'' * " Baby Universal" (Bowie, Gabrels) ^VHS/LD * " One Shot" (Bowie, Gabrels) ^VHS/LD * " You Belong in Rock 'n' Roll" (Bowie, Gabrels) ^CD/VHS/LD * "

If There Is Something "If There Is Something" is a song written by Bryan Ferry and recorded by Roxy Music for their Roxy Music (album), eponymous debut album in 1972. A live version appears on their ''Viva! (Roxy Music album), Viva!'' live album. Song structure and t ...

" (originally from ''

Roxy Music Roxy Music are an English rock band formed in 1970 by Bryan Ferry—who became the band's lead vocalist and principal songwriter—and bassist Graham Simpson. The other longtime members are Phil Manzanera (guitar), Andy Mackay (saxophone ...

'' (1972) by

; written by

Bryan Ferry Bryan Ferry CBE (born 26 September 1945) is an English singer and songwriter. His voice has been described as an "elegant, seductive croon". He also established a distinctive image and sartorial style: according to ''The Independent'', Ferry an ...

) ^CD/VHS/LD * "Amlapura" (Bowie, Gabrels) ^VHS/LD * "Betty Wrong" (Bowie, Gabrels) ^VHS/LD * "You Can't Talk" (Bowie, Gabrels) ^VHS/LD * "Stateside" (Bowie, H. Sales) ^CD/VHS/LD * "Shopping for Girls" (Bowie, Gabrels) * "A Big Hurt" * "Sorry" (H. Sales) * "Goodbye Mr. Ed" (Bowie, H. Sales, T. Sales) ^CD/VHS/LD From ''

Black Tie White Noise ''Black Tie White Noise'' is the 18th studio album by English musician David Bowie, released on 5 April 1993 through Savage Records in the United States and Arista Records in the United Kingdom. Conceived following the disbandment of Bowi ...

'' * "

I Feel Free "I Feel Free" is a song first recorded by the British rock band Cream. The lyrics were written by Pete Brown, with the music by Jack Bruce. The song showcases the band's musical diversity, effectively combining blues rock with psychedelic pop. ...

" (originally from ''

Fresh Cream ''Fresh Cream'' is the debut studio album by the British rock band Cream. The album was released in the UK on 9 December 1966, as the first LP on the Reaction Records label, owned by producer Robert Stigwood. The UK album was released in both ...

'' (1966) by

Cream Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this process ...

; written by Pete Brown &

Jack Bruce John Symon Asher Bruce (14 May 1943 – 25 October 2014) was a Scottish bassist, singer-songwriter, musician and composer. He gained popularity as the primary lead vocalist and ‍bassist ‍of British rock band Cream. After the group disband ...

) Other songs: * "

A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall" is a song written by American musician and Nobel Laureate Bob Dylan in the summer of 1962 and recorded later that year for his second album, ''The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan'' (1963). Its lyrical structure is modeled after ...

" (from ''

The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan ''The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan'' is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on May 27, 1963 by Columbia Records. Whereas his self-titled debut album ''Bob Dylan'' had contained only two original songs, this album ...

'' (1963) by

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

; written by Dylan) * " April in Paris" (from the

Broadway musical Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), 130 of the 144 extant and extinct Broadway venues use (used) the spelling ''Th ...

'' Walk A Little Faster'' (1932); written by

Vernon Duke Vernon Duke ( 16 January 1969) was a Russian-born American composer/songwriter who also wrote under his birth name, Vladimir Dukelsky. He is best known for " Taking a Chance on Love," with lyrics by Ted Fetter and John Latouche (1940), "I Can' ...

and E. Y. Harburg) * "

Baby, Please Don't Go "Baby, Please Don't Go" is a traditional blues song that was popularized by Delta blues musician Big Joe Williams in 1935. Many cover versions followed, leading to its description as "one of the most played, arranged, and rearranged pieces in ...

" (a single (1935) by Big Joe Williams) * " Debaser" (from '' Doolittle'' (1989) by the

; written by Black Francis) * " Don't Start Me Talkin'" (a single (1955) by

Sonny Boy Williamson II Alex or Aleck Miller (originally Ford, possibly December 5, 1912 – May 24, 1965), known later in his career as Sonny Boy Williamson, was an American blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter. He was an early and influential blues harp st ...

) * "Dream On Little Dreamer" (from '' The Scene Changes'' (1965) by Perry Como; written by

Jan Crutchfield Jan Crutchfield (February 26, 1938 – October 30, 2012) was an American country music singer and songwriter. He is best known for writing "Statue of a Fool", which was first recorded in 1969 by Jack Greene and was a No. 1 hit on the Hot Count ...

and Fred Burch) * "

Fever Fever, also referred to as pyrexia, is defined as having a temperature above the normal range due to an increase in the body's temperature set point. There is not a single agreed-upon upper limit for normal temperature with sources using val ...

" (a single (1956) by Little Willie John; written by

Eddie Cooley Edward James Cooley (April 15, 1933 – April 15, 2020) was an American R&B singer and songwriter, who co-wrote the much-recorded song "Fever." He also had a US pop hit in 1956 with "Priscilla," credited to Eddie Cooley and the Dimples. ...

and John Davenport (a.k.a. Otis Blackwell)) * " Go Now" (a single in 1964 by

Bessie Banks Bessie Banks (born February 8, 1938) is an American soul singer, best known for her original 1964 recording of " Go Now," successfully covered in the same year by UK band the Moody Blues. Life and career She was born Bessie White in New Bern, ...

and later made famous by

the following year; written by Larry Banks and Milton Bennett) ^VHS/LD * "

I'm a King Bee "I'm a King Bee" is a swamp blues song written and first recorded by Slim Harpo in 1957. It has been performed and recorded by numerous blues and other artists and in 2008, Slim Harpo's original received a Grammy Hall of Fame Award. Original song ...

" (a single (1957) by

Slim Harpo Slim Harpo (born James Isaac Moore; January 11, 1924 – January 31, 1970) was an American blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spiri ...

; written by Harpo) * " In Every Dream Home a Heartache" (from ''

For Your Pleasure ''For Your Pleasure'' is the second album by English rock band Roxy Music, released by Island Records in 1973. It was their last to feature synthesiser and sound specialist Brian Eno. Production The group was able to spend more studio time on ...

'' (1973) by Roxy Music; written by Ferry) * " I've Been Waiting for You" (originally from ''

'' (1968) by

; written by Young), later included on Bowie's 2002 album,

Heathen (David Bowie album) ''Heathen'' (stylised as ''uǝɥʇɐǝɥ'') is the 23rd studio album by English musician David Bowie, originally released in Europe on 10 June 2002, and the following day in America. His first release through his own ISO label, it reunite ...

. * "

Shakin' All Over "Shakin' All Over" is a song originally performed by Johnny Kidd & the Pirates. It was written by leader Johnny Kidd, and his original recording reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart in August 1960. The song is sometimes credited to Frederick ...

" (originally a single (1960) by Johnny Kidd and the Pirates; written by Johnny Kidd; B-side to " You Belong in Rock n' Roll") * " Somewhere" (from the musical ''

West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play '' Romeo and Juliet'', the story is set in the mid ...

'' (1957); written by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim) * "Throwaway" (from '' Primitive Cool'' (1987) by

Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English singer and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the lead vocalist and one of the founder members of the rock band the Rolling Stones. His ongoing songwriting partnershi ...

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the g ...

, written by Jagger) * " Wild Thing" (by The Wild Ones (1965) and made famous by

The Troggs The Troggs (originally called the Troglodytes) are an English garage rock band formed in Andover, Hampshire in May 1964. Their most famous songs include the US chart-topper " Wild Thing", " With a Girl Like You" and " Love Is All Around", all ...

; written by

Chip Taylor Chip Taylor (born James Wesley Voight; March 21, 1940) is an American songwriter and singer noted for writing " Angel of the Morning" and " Wild Thing". Early life Taylor was born on March 21, 1940, in Yonkers, New York. He is the brother of ...

) * "(You Caught Me) Smilin'" (from '' There's a Riot Goin' On'' (1971) by

Sly & the Family Stone Sly and the Family Stone was an American band from San Francisco. Active from 1966 to 1983, it was pivotal in the development of funk, soul, rock, and psychedelic music. Its core line-up was led by singer-songwriter, record producer, and multi- ...

; written by

Sylvester Stewart Sylvester Stewart (born March 15, 1943), better known by his stage name Sly Stone, is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer who is most famous for his role as frontman for Sly and the Family Stone, playing a critical role in the ...

) * " You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby" (from the '' Hard to Get''

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack ...

(1938) by Dick Powell; written by Harry Warren and Johnny Mercer)

References

* Nicholas Pegg, ''The Complete David Bowie'', Reynolds & Hearn Ltd, 2004, * David Buckley, ''Strange Fascination: The Definitive Biography of David Bowie'', Virgin Books, 1999, {{David Bowie 1991 concert tours 1992 concert tours David Bowie concert tours