Ethereal encore: The final time David Bowie ever performed ‘Heroes’
It’s difficult to think of enough superlatives to laud the immense talent of David Bowie. Known to many as ‘Starman’, Bowie’s contribution to our earthly existence felt closer to astrological deity than it did human divination. While he spent the majority of his life rooted in the very fabric of what it means to be an artist, one might argue his greatest work was the grace and humour with which he approached his death.
Releasing his final record, Blackstar, as cancer took his life, Bowie would define his time on earth with one final masterpiece, putting the finishing touch on a canvas he had spent decades endlessly splashing with vibrant colour. It was his unique approach to death and the knowing comfort from which he delivered his work that confirmed jus how special he was. In truth, Bowie always gave himself over to the artistic process, whether that be songwriting or performance.
In what might be one of the most remarkable performances of his career, David Bowie delivered a full live show while struggling through unbearable pain — and did so with his usual glamour.
Taking to the stage of Germany’s Hurricane Festival in the summer of 2004, Bowie was coming off the back of a shortened concert two days before after being forced to cut his show short due to pain from what he thought was a trapped nerve. The reality, however, became terrifyingly clear following his exit from the stage when he collapsed and was rushed to hospital by helicopter where he underwent surgery for a blocked artery—a situation made so unbelievable given the fact that ‘The Starman’ had delivered a 21-song show with encore moments before.
As part of that set, Bowie, who was uncharacteristically wearing jeans and a hoody, performed what became his final live rendition of his iconic track ‘Heroes’ to rapturous applause. While the crowd didn’t detect any issues at the time, bassist Gail Ann Dorsey, who was on the stage, noticed Bowie was struggling. “I remember we were playing the song ‘Reality’,” she remembered. “He was supposed to be singing at the very end of the song, and he wasn’t. I was kind of watching him from behind. Everyone was soaking wet because it was really hot in there, but his shirt was just drenched. He was just soaking wet and holding the microphone out with his left hand straight out. And he was just standing there, posturing, but not singing. And I was thinking, ‘Why is he not singing the last bit?'”
She continued: “Then he looked over his shoulder at me and he was just white, pale, translucent almost. His eyes were wide and he was kind of gasping for air a little bit, having trouble catching his breath. And then I remember looking down at the audience, and I could see their expressions in the front row, looking up at him, had changed. They went from joy and dancing to looking kind of concerned. At that point, his bodyguard and helper guy saw the same thing. He ran onto the stage and took him off. We went back on and played a few more songs. He asked for a stool and he sat down. He just hated to cancel shows.”
She added: “I remember walking down the stairs behind him after we finished. When he got to the bottom, he actually collapsed. He was so tired and so sick. They rushed him to the hospital and we sat and waited in Hamburg for a few days, and that was the end. The last show.”
As part of his final headline show, Bowie’s rendition of ‘Heroes’ closed the set with emphatic triumph, as the song so neatly did on many occasions. The song, which was co-written by Bowie and Brian Eno and subsequently produced by long-term contributor Tony Visconti, was released on September 23rd 1977, as the lead single from his 12th studio album of the same name.
Perhaps one of Bowie’s most loved songs, was written after the singer caught a glimpse of Visconti and his mistress hugging on the wall itself. It was a startling message of unity written about something so divisive and became part of the reason Bowie performed it in the city over a decade later, even pointing the speaker toward East Berlin.
It is a song which has seen not only people connect to and enjoy one another but also hold hands while bringing down those who oppress them. It has become the montage sequence of Bowie’s entire career.
