It's funny how the brain works

Sun, 11 Jan 2026 10:00:00 +0000
miscellaneous, featured

(In memorial: David Bowie)

I saw David Bowie in 1987, at the final concert of the Glass Spider Tour at Western Springs Stadium in Auckland. A local radio station had organized a couple of buses, and my friend and I - both teenagers at the time - decided we had to go (much convincing of parents then ensued). The buses were scheduled to travel together, 8-9 hours each way, meaning we’d spend all of Saturday on the road and drive straight back after the concert through the night.

It was a memorable trip, and not just the concert itself. Shortly after leaving, my friend spotted a girl he knew on our bus and went to sit with her, so I ended up spending the journey with her friend (Silke?) A number of people managed to sneak beer on board after a stop in Taupo and, a few hours later, the entire bus was desperate for the toilet - I have a vague recollection that a few even missed most of the concert by over-indulging, somewhat hilariously.

At the concert, we managed to get really close to the stage - but the air was so thick with marijuana that I started feeling ill. Silke and I moved to the back of the crowd for some fresh air. I must have looked terrible, because I remember the crowd parting for us like Moses parting the Red Sea. I recall the show itself being amazing, even though we weren’t at the front… although memory is hazy now (the one thing I do remember was Bowie being slapped by the girl he pulled from the audience, after he grabbed her butt in a dance – and she turned out to be one of his dancers).

This all popped into my head out of the blue the other night. At first, I couldn’t understand why - until I realized that yesterday marked the 10-year anniversary of Bowie’s death.

Funny how the brain works…