David Bowie

David Bowie's 1987 tour has been enshrined in history among his most ill-judged steps ever, a bloated ultra-theatrical outing that accompanied, contrarily, one of his most underwhelming albums ever (only its immediate predecessor, the wretched Tonight, can claim to have been more disappointing). It is not, however, always wise to believe history. True, there are moments as this disc winds on when one wishes that someone had had the courage to rein in some of Bowie's more preposterous notions, musically and visually. But, for the most part, Glass Spider offers up an impressive stage set dominated by the titular glass spider, some well-executed dance routines, and a live repertoire that embraces past and present with considerably more sincerity than he had mustered on the last couple of tours. "Absolute Beginners," "Rebel Rebel," "Time," and "Young Americans" are all highlights both onscreen and on disc, while "Sons of the Silent Age" serves up a surprise that few people could have been expecting. There's also a triumphant rush through Iggy Pop's "I Wanna Be Your Dog" and Lou Reed's "White Light/White Heat," and a couple of selections from Tonight to prove that even that benighted disc was not all bad. Of course, Glass Spider cannot even begin to compete with the true highlights of Bowie's visual catalog. But placed alongside the visual evidence from 1974, 1978, 1983, and Tin Machine, it really isn't as bad as you might be expecting. ~ Dave Thompson, All Music Guide