20 years ago today, David Bowie celebrated his 50th birthday in the most badass way possible – by rocking out to a sold out Madison Square Garden. The show, held the day after his birthday, was billed as David Bowie and Friends: A Very Special Birthday Concert, and in addition to Bowie’s own amazing band (Mike Garson, Gail Ann Dorsey, Zachary Alford and Reeves Gabrels), he was joined by a number of guests, including The Foo Fighters, Frank Black, Robert Smith, Lou Reed and Billy Corgan. The concert was filmed and aired as a Pay-Per View event a few months later, with proceeds benefiting the Save the Children charity.  It was a truly epic night of music, and although the footage is a bit grainy,  you can enjoy it in full and be reminded of what an outrageously gifted artist and performer he was. Find the full setlist below the video.

 

 

 

Setlist

  • Little Wonder
  • The Hearts Filthy Lesson
  • Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) [with Frank Black]
  • Fashion [with Frank Black]
  • Telling Lies
  • Hallo Spaceboy [with Foo Fighters]
  • Seven Years in Tibet [with Dave Grohl]
  • The Man Who Sold the World
  • The Last Thing You Should Do [with Robert Smith]
  • Quicksand [with Robert Smith]
  • Battle for Britain (The Letter)
  • The Voyeur of Utter Destruction (As Beauty)
  • I’m Afraid of Americans [with Sonic Youth]
  • Looking for Satellites
  • Under Pressure
  • “Heroes”
  • Queen Bitch [with Lou Reed]
  • I’m Waiting for the Man [with Lou Reed]
  • Dirty Blvd. [with Lou Reed]
  • White Light/White Heat [with Lou Reed]
  • Moonage Daydream

 

Encore:

  • Happy Birthday [Performed by Gail Ann Dorsey]
  • All the Young Dudes [with Billy Corgan]
  • The Jean Genie [with Billy Corgan]
  • Space Oddity