Tibet House Benefit Concert - 28th February 2003

As for last years Tibet Concert, I was eagerly awaiting my trip to New York City, this one being my 8th. I'm getting to quite like New York now. The flight was booked for Weds 26th, giving an extra day in NY before the show, time to chill out and anticipate! I was accompanied this time by my boyfriend Dave, making his first trip to New York. Again, my friends at Heathrow managed to upgrade our seats to the economy plus section which was a bonus. They left me a message on the screen at the gate as I boarded the plane, wishing me a pleasant flight and holiday. Bless em! Approximately 8 hours later we landed in NY, to be told by the captain that it was -5°. Brrrr!!! It had been cold at home but nowhere near that. Good job I'd got my big coat with me. Got a taxi into Manhattan, checked into the hotel and then out for a beer at the Pig, our usual haunt. Went for a meal at Hard Rock Cafe before retiring for an early night due to the early start (and 5 hour extension to our day on arrival).

The following day was spent wandering around, starting with a trip to Madison Square Garden to see if we could acquire tickets for the ice hockey game that night, as Dave is a bit of a fan. No, all gone, only a few single seats here and there. We then went along to Carnegie Hall so I could collect the tickets for the show. I always feel more secure when I have them in my possession! We met some of our friends that flew in that afternoon in the Pig & Whistle as usual and whiled away the evening with a few beers and a bite to eat. Again, it wasn't a particularly late night.

Friday, gig day was finally upon us. We walked up to Carnegie Hall, arriving around 1230. No sign of life so we went for lunch at a diner down the road. A few people arrived when we got back and by mid afternoon there was a reasonable crowd of fans lining the street by the stage door. While waiting for David to arrive we saw other artists on the bill go in including Ziggy Marley and Rufus Wainwright. Lou Reed stopped to sign some autographs, I asked him to sign the Uncut magazine that had a special Bowie feature. It also had an article on Lou so I held that page open for his signature. He looked at it in wonder and took it off me, asking what it was. while nosing over the page and flicking the magazine over to see the cover. Quite amusing. Should have taken him a spare copy! David finally arrived around 1615, later than last year. He didn't stop, just went straight in. We hung around hoping to catch a glimpse of him coming out (or maybe, even better, an autograph) but were later told he wasn't leaving, would stay there for the duration of the show. Oh well. We went off for a drink before heading back to the venue around 1900 and taking our seats in the theatre.

As last year, the show started with the Monks of the Drepung Gomang Monastry, dressed in their customary robes with orange "smurf" hats. Their throaty, gutteral vocals echoed around the room to begin proceedings. Other performers that evening were: Angelique Kidjo, Rufus Wainwright, Tsering Wangmo, Ziggy Marley, Lou Reed and Ray Davies.

Bowie performed 2 songs initially for us, accompanied only acoustically and with strings by The Scorchio Quartet. He was in good spirits, joking with the crowd before opening with "Loving The Alien", a beautiful and haunting impression of this song. This was followed by "Heathen", which was also a stunning interpretation. Bowie got the crowd clapping the familiar clap, hands echoed around the theatre, not one out of time. You could tell there were a few Bowie fans in the audience! David then introduced Ray Davies and together they sang "Waterloo Sunset" with full accompaniment. This was excellent, quite a crowd pleaser. David's harmonising was amazing, really standing out against Ray's vocal. Bowie then left the stage for Ray to continue with two more songs on his own. He performed a new one, followed by the old favourite "You Really Got Me" which resulted in the majority of the audience jumping to their feet. The entire company then came together for a rousing rendition of "Stand Up For Your Rights", Bowie standing between Lou Reed and Ray Davies. What a sight, those three icons on the one stage.

We left the theatre and headed to the stage door, hoping to see Bowie emerge. Luckily he wasn't long and ran out as quick as he had run in. We then headed for Rosie O'Grady's to discuss the evening and have a drink. We had Saturday to spend exploring New York, heading south to the East Village and Greenwich before finishing the evening in TGI's and the Pig back up by Times Square. We flew home Sunday evening, so spent our time shopping before leaving for the airport. It was the warmest day so far, but it was raining! The four days had flown, as usual. Hardly seemed five minutes since we arrived.