From his sake commercial, to his adoration of Yukio Mishima to his canny deployment of Kansai Yamamoto’s bizarre costumery to his leading role in the 1983 Nagisa Oshima movie Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence, it’s been abundantly clear that David Bowie always felt a kinship with Japanese culture.

Whether that means that a Bowie show in Japan would be different than any other Bowie show is a matter for debate, but on the evidence of this pro-shot set from the Budokan in December 1978, he certainly didn’t mail it in. The footage was shot for a very Japanese-sounding show focusing on rock music: The Young Music Show.

This was the Isolar II tour from 1978. Brian Eno was supposed to take part in the tour but health reasons interfered. The most notable players are Adrian Belew and Carlos Alomar. Low and “Heroes” had both come out the previous year, so it’s not surprising that nine songs from the set come from those two albums. In the middle of the show there is a series of six songs from Ziggy Stardust. The Isolar II tour started in March and lasted until this show in December. In fact, this was the last concert he would play for several years, until the Serious Moonlight tour in 1983.

For the tail end of the concert Bowie dons a white captain’s hat, which only serves to show that Bowie could make anything look fashionable.
 

Setlist:
Warszawa
“Heroes”
What in the World
Be My Wife
The Jean Genie
Blackout
Sense of Doubt
Breaking Glass
Fame
Beauty and the Beast
Five Years
Soul Love
Star
Hang On to Yourself
Ziggy Stardust
Suffragette City
Art Decade
Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)
Station to Station

Encore:
TVC15

Previously on Dangerous Minds:
David Bowie on ‘Stage’: ‘Low’ and ‘Heroes’ live in concert, 1978
David Bowie: Rare footage of the ‘Diamond Dogs’ tour, 1974