Now on to the east coast where a further four shows were to be played - one each in Melbourne and Brisbane and two in Sydney.

First up, however, was a special, unscheduled television interview.

In Melbourne, Bowie played a single outdoor show at VFL Park - the current home of Victorian football.

On rare occasions, the 78,000 capacity stadium was used for concerts (KISS Destroyer and U2's Pop Mart). According to Starzone, the rush for telephone sales was so sudden, that Melbourne phone lines went down a few hours after sales began.

Above: VFL Park at three different stages - Left: In it's hey day as the centre of AFL. Middle: As the abandoned white elephant of outer suburbia. Right: Following demolition in 2001 (the oval and part of the grandstand have been retained whilst the area surrounding is being re-developed into housing).

At VFL Park, the giant V shaped screen normally used to project football, now projected Bowie's Serious Moonlight emblem.





Due to the massive size of the ground, the images seen on the big screen looked out of sync for those sitting further back (soundwaves travelling slower than light).

Nute Jenson recalls that "Bowie drove into the oval in a white Rolls Royce flanked by motorcycle security. There was no encore, but the concert was fantastic none the less."

Left: Above relaxing backstage in Melbourne. Right: One of the Simms Brothers showing some serious moon. Images from David Bowie's Serious Moonlight The World Tour.

In Melbourne, Bowie stayed at the Hilton Hotel - the same place he had stayed in 1978 - just opposite the MCG where he had played on that occasion.

David Bowie's concert at Lang Park in Brisbane was set to be a point of contention.

Back in 1978, Bowie had caused a stir among residents due to the high decibel levels. Before permitting the 1983 show, the City Council demanded that the promoter Paul Dainty post a $50,000 bond as insurance against excessive volume.

Residents on Charlotte Street, Red Hill, Milton and Castlemaine even held Bowie parties to hear - or not hear - the noise from Bowie's show. They did not and Dainty's bond was saved.

Brisbane's Lord Mayor Alderman Roy Harvey was not surprised, since he was at the show, meeting Bowie.

"I liked him. I found him to be a very down-to-earth guy".

~ Alderman Roy Harvey, Lord Major.

Despite the sound problems being resolved, the show at Lang Park was to be one of the last due to government noise restrictions.

"The concert was great. David was in good voice and Carlos Alomar had a few problems with his guitar and had to hit it a few times and then the guitar string broke which caused a lot of laughing amongst the band for some reason."

~ Sharon from Brisbane

At Lang Park, fans again camped outside the venue like they did in 1978. When Bowie heard of this, he had his hotel provide steak sandwiches for the fans on a silver serving tray. The group of campers at one point were told to leave by the Police. When they refused, the controversy hit the newspapers.

"There were TV cameras everywhere and my mother was horrified to see her teenage daughter all over the 6 o'clock news screaming and hysterically proclaiming her love for Bowie :-) He was and still is, simply the best."

~ Jen from Sydney

In Brisbane, Bowie managed to find some time out on the town - incognito. According to Starzone, he dined at a Mexican restaurant and was given seats in the nearby cafeteria when the restaurant didn't have enough room to seat his party.

To finish up the Australia tour, Bowie played two back to back shows at Sydney's RAS Showgrounds.

Once again, the local council and residents objected. Paul Dainty considered the (newly built) Entertainment Centre as an alternative but it was deemed too small.

After a lengthy, well publicised hearing, the Sydney concerts were given the go ahead but with restrictions (no rehearsals were allowed and the concerts had to be over by 10:15 PM).

At the first concert, thousands apparently lined up from 9 AM. As the morning went on, TV cameras were sent to film the scene for the evening news, and radio stations gave bulletins. It was a long, hot wait until the gates opened at 2:00 PM. By 4:00 PM the crowds were so thick that members of he roadcrew, and David's entourage were coming instage with cameras to capture the scene.


Sydney RAS Showgrounds, 1983. Photo by Geofrey Schuck.

At 6:00 PM, the support band - the Models - were due to go on. They apparently performed a good show although the crowd remained subdued.

"At one point someone with very bright blonde hair walked out....and screams erupted. People stood up, but the poor man stood still, shocked. He shook his head, waved and left. He was the drummer for from the support band."

- Starzone.

By the time Bowie hit the stage, it was nearly dark and the large video screen lit up clearly on a clear, balmy night, complete with a full - and serious - moon.



Crooning under the moonlight - Sydney, 1983. Photo by Geoffrey Schuck.


Minutes before going on stage, Bowie presented members of an Aboriginal dance school a cheque for an unspecified amount. Present were the stars of the 'Let's Dance' video, and it was a welcome boost for the school as funds were running out. Bowie then walked up the stairs and strode on to the Sydney stage.

"The crowd were restless, cramped and tired. Yet within moments the atmosphere lifted when (Bowie) could be seen, and the first group of musicians ran onto the stage.

The first chords to "Look back in Anger" played and David ran out. The crowd went wild. A large group standing a few rows from the front began to push sending those near the stage further forward. People were fainting from the heat and closed atmosphere.

The crowd were mostly recent fans who had caught up with the 1983 Bowie, and this was evident at the reception he recieved for his new material after "Heroes". It was a stunning performance, the same as the shows in the other cities. Practice had certainly made perfect."

- Starzone.

With axemen Alomar (guitar) and Rojas (bass) - Sydney, 1983. Photo by Geoffrey Schuck.

In exhaustion everyone prepared to file out. But there was a surprise - the sky lit up to a magnificent fireworks display.

On the final night, the concert began extra early to avoid disturbing the nearby residents. This meant that the show was half over before the video screen was able to be seen.

Regardless, the second show was reportedly even better than the first and Bowie was in fine voice - strong, pure and carrying all around the grounds.

A 25,000 strong crowd stamped and clapped for an encore as fireworks split across the night sky to spell out:

"Goodnight Sydney and Thank You Australia".

Sydney Setlist 20 Nov, 1983 1 Look Back In Anger 2 "Heroes" 3 What In The World 4 Golden Years 5 Fashion 6 Let's Dance 7 Breaking Glass 8 Life On Mars 9 Sorrow 10 Cat People 11 China Girl 12 Scary Monsters 13 Rebel Rebel 14 White Light White Heat 15 Station To Station 16 Cracked Actor 17 Ashes To Ashes 18 Space Oddity 19 Young Americans 20 Fame 21 TVC-15 22 Star Encore 23 Stay 24 The Jean Genie 25 Modern Love

Sydney, 1983. Photo by Geoffrey Schuck.

Whilst in Sydney, Bowie went on a hired boat ride in Sydney Harbour to apparently "write some new songs, and to get away from it all".

The previous night, he had been 'nightclubbing' at Jamison Street disco.

The press told stories of how Bowie keeps fit by boxing, and mentioned that he often went to beaches to practice. Early risers were told they would get a chance to see him practice if they could guess which beach he went to.

Fans kept a vigil outside his hotel and newspapers carried stories of those lucky enough to meet him and recieve autographs. According to Starzone, 1983 wasn't the awed welcome of 1978 but more like "a special hello to an old friend".



Record store display, Sydney. (Click to enlarge). From David Bowie's Serious Moonlight The World Tour