David Bowie – The Glass Spider Tour (1987)

The Glass Spider Tour (1987) remains one of the most ambitious, theatrical and visually overwhelming productions in David Bowie’s entire career. Conceived as a hybrid of rock concert, avant-garde theatre and narrative performance art, the show marked Bowie’s return to the road after the Serious Moonlight Tour of 1983.

Dominated by a towering 60-foot mechanical spider that loomed over the stage, the tour was designed as a surreal dreamworld inspired by mythology, dance, literature and Bowie’s own fascination with symbolic storytelling. Every evening began with Bowie descending from the spider itself — a visual representation of rebirth, transformation and alien identity.

Though critics were divided at the time, the tour has since been re-evaluated as one of Bowie’s most daring creative risks, setting a blueprint for the kind of multimedia spectacles that would later define artists like U2, Madonna and Lady Gaga.

Quick Facts

Year	1987
Tour Length	86 shows across Europe, North America & Oceania
Main Musicians	Peter Frampton, Carlos Alomar, Erdal Kizilcay, Alan Childs, Richard Cottle
Dancers / Choreography	Toni Basil & full dance troupe
Stage Design	Massive 60-foot spider, spoken-word openings, narrative concept
Highlights	Time Will Crawl, Glass Spider, Let’s Dance, Absolute Beginners, Day-In Day-Out

The Vision Behind the Tour

Bowie approached the Glass Spider Tour not simply as a rock tour, but as a total performance environment. He envisioned a world where music, dance, theatre, costume and architecture blended into one immersive experience. The spoken-word prologue, delivered from the spider above the stage, framed the entire show as a dream-journey through light, shadow and memory.

This tour represented Bowie’s desire to push live performance far beyond traditional boundaries. Even when the press misunderstood the scale of the concept, Bowie remained committed to the idea that concerts should be art installations as much as musical events.

The Band – A Powerful Artistic Collective

The Glass Spider band was one of the most exciting ensembles Bowie ever assembled. It included a mix of longtime collaborators and new creative voices who pushed the performances into bold territory.

Peter Frampton – Lead Guitar

Childhood friend of Bowie and former schoolmate, Peter Frampton brought emotional weight and musical firepower to the tour. His expressive guitar tone added drama to songs like “Heroes”, Let’s Dance and China Girl. Frampton later described the tour as the moment Bowie “saved his career,” reintroducing him to stadium audiences worldwide.

Carlos Alomar – Rhythm Guitar Architect

A cornerstone of Bowie’s live sound since the mid-70s, Carlos Alomar acted as the rhythmic backbone of the tour. His tight, inventive guitar patterns shaped classics such as Fame, Young Americans and Fashion. On the Glass Spider Tour, Alomar balanced precision with expressive freedom, anchoring Bowie’s more theatrical movements.

Erdal Kizilcay – Multi-Instrumentalist

A true musical powerhouse, Erdal Kizilcay handled bass, keyboards, trumpet and arrangements. His versatility allowed Bowie to expand the sound into orchestral, funky, and electronic directions within the same performance — something few musicians could achieve.

Alan Childs – Drums

Alan Childs brought a high-energy, stadium-ready drum style that grounded the entire production. His dynamic approach gave the show a powerful heartbeat, from explosive, dance-driven tracks to slower, atmospheric pieces.

Richard Cottle – Keyboards & Saxophone

Richard Cottle handled the lush synth arrangements, atmospheric pads and saxophone parts that recreated Bowie’s complex studio recordings on stage. His playing created the dreamlike textures that defined the tour’s sonic identity.

Toni Basil – Choreographer & Dance Director

Legendary dancer and choreographer Toni Basil crafted the show’s avant-garde movement language. Her troupe performed with a mixture of robotic precision, ballet grace and modern-dance abstraction, turning songs into theatrical vignettes. Bowie frequently described her contribution as “crucial to the soul of the tour.”

Performance Style & Artistic Themes

The Glass Spider Tour blended rock music with a theatrical structure rarely seen on such a massive scale. Themes included:

• Transformation – Bowie descending from the spider as an otherworldly figure
• Dream logic – scenes shifting between reality and surreal imagery
• Movement – dancers interpreting the emotional tone of each song
• Light and shadow – the huge spider functioning as both set and symbolic guardian

The show was a bold fusion of Bowie’s love for experimental theatre, contemporary dance and pop spectacle.

Historical Importance

The Glass Spider Tour has undergone a major critical re-evaluation in recent years. What was once considered excessive is now regarded as visionary. Bowie’s fusion of theatrical scale, choreography, narrative and rock concert intensity foreshadowed the multimedia experiences that dominate today’s live music industry.

Far from being a misunderstood experiment, the tour now stands as a turning point that demonstrated Bowie’s unparalleled ability to reinvent not only himself, but the entire idea of what a concert could be.

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