# Isolar – 1976 Tour

The Isolar – 1976 Tour was a concert tour by the English singer-songwriter David Bowie, in support of the album Station to Station. It opened on 2 February 1976 at the Pacific Coliseum, Vancouver, and continued through North America and Europe, concluding at the Pavillon de Paris in Paris, France, on 18 May 1976. The tour is commonly referred to as Thin White Duke Tour, The Station to Station Tour, and The White Light Tour.

## History

The performances began without introduction with a showing of the 1928 surrealist film by Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí, Un Chien Andalou, which includes a famous section of a razor blade cutting into a woman's eyeball. Bowie appeared on stage immediately as the film finished, while the audience was still disoriented. The visual element of the performances incorporated banks of fluorescent white light set against black backdrops creating a stark spectacle on a stage largely devoid of props or other visual distractions.
The Public Auditorium, Cleveland, Ohio performance on 28 February 1976 was recorded by a concert-goer and released as the bootleg entitled NeoExpressionism on the TSP (The Swingin' Pig) label. It would be digitally re-mastered in 2007 and the entire set released on 2 CDs. The only song not done at this performance is "Sister Midnight."
The Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York, performance on 23 March 1976 was recorded by RCA Records with extracts broadcast by The King Biscuit Radio Network. Two songs from the performance were later included on the 1991 Rykodisc re-issue of the Station to Station album. The entire Nassau performance is available on the 2010 deluxe edition of Station to Station as well as the 2016 box set Who Can I Be Now? (1974–1976). It was released separately on LP, CD and digitally in February 2017 as Live Nassau Coliseum '76.
Tour keyboardist Tony Kaye has soundboard recordings of the 26 March 1976 Madison Square Garden and 17-18 May Pavillon de Paris shows, and has expressed hope that they might eventually be released.
Bowie took friend and fellow musician Iggy Pop along as his companion on the tour. Following a March 21, 1976, show, Bowie and Pop were arrested together for marijuana possession in Rochester, New York, although charges were later dropped.

## Title

The tour has been described under numerous different names. Although officially referred to as the Isolar tour, it has also been given the names the Thin White Duke tour, the Station to Station tour, and the White Light Tour. According to biographer Nicholas Pegg, the word "Isolar" is an anagram of "sailor", one of Bowie's favourite words. Isolar also derives from the company Bowie launched to handle music publishing after his acrimonious split with MainMan Publishing. Bowie himself later clarified: "Isola is Italian for island. Isolation plus Solar equals Isolar. If I remember correctly, I was stoned."

## Set list

This set list is representative of the performance on 7 May 1976 in London, UK, at Empire Pool. It does not represent all concerts for the duration of the tour.
* "Station to Station"
* "Suffragette City"
* "Fame"
* "Word on a Wing"
* "Stay"
* "I'm Waiting for the Man"
* "Queen Bitch"
* "Life on Mars?
* "Five Years"
* "Panic in Detroit"
* "Changes"
* "TVC 15"
* "Diamond Dogs"

### Encore

* "Rebel Rebel"
* "The Jean Genie"

## Tour dates

| Date | City | Country | Venue | Attendance | Revenue |
| North America ||||||
| 2 February 1976 | Vancouver | Canada | Pacific Coliseum | | |
| 3 February 1976 | Seattle | United States | Seattle Center Coliseum | | |
| 4 February 1976 | Portland | United States | Portland Memorial Coliseum | | |
| 6 February 1976 | Daly City | United States | Cow Palace | | |
| 8 February 1976 | Inglewood | United States | The Forum | | |
| 9 February 1976 | Inglewood | United States | The Forum | | |
| 11 February 1976 | Inglewood | United States | The Forum | | |
| 13 February 1976 | San Diego | United States | San Diego Sports Arena | | |
| 15 February 1976 | Phoenix | United States | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum | | |
| 16 February 1976 | Albuquerque | United States | Albuquerque Civic Auditorium | | |
| 17 February 1976 | Denver | United States | McNichols Sports Arena | | |
| 20 February 1976 | Milwaukee | United States | MECCA Arena | | |
| 21 February 1976 | Kalamazoo | United States | Wings Stadium | | |
| 22 February 1976 | Evansville | United States | Roberts Municipal Stadium | | |
| 23 February 1976 | Cincinnati | United States | Riverfront Coliseum | | |
| 25 February 1976 | Montreal | Canada | Montreal Forum | | |
| 26 February 1976 | Toronto | Canada | Maple Leaf Gardens | | |
| 27 February 1976 | Cleveland | United States | Public Auditorium | | |
| 28 February 1976 | Cleveland | United States | Public Auditorium | | |
| 29 February 1976 | Detroit | United States | Olympia Stadium | | |
| 1 March 1976 | Detroit | United States | Olympia Stadium | | |
| 3 March 1976 | Chicago | United States | International Amphitheatre | | |
| 5 March 1976 | St. Louis | United States | Kiel Auditorium | | |
| 6 March 1976 | Memphis | United States | Mid-South Coliseum | 11,673 | $85,015 |
| 7 March 1976 | Nashville | United States | Nashville Municipal Auditorium | 7,700 | $51,000 |
| 8 March 1976 | Atlanta | United States | Omni Coliseum | | |
| 9 March 1976 | Jacksonville | United States | Jacksonville Coliseum | | |
| 11 March 1976 | Pittsburgh | United States | Civic Arena | | |
| 12 March 1976 | Norfolk | United States | Norfolk Scope | | |
| 13 March 1976 | Landover | United States | Capital Centre | | |
| 14 March 1976 | Landover | United States | Capital Centre | | |
| 15 March 1976 | Philadelphia | United States | The Spectrum | 36,000 | $260,000 |
| 16 March 1976 | Philadelphia | United States | The Spectrum | 36,000 | $260,000 |
| 17 March 1976 | Boston | United States | Boston Garden | | |
| 19 March 1976 | Buffalo | United States | Buffalo Memorial Auditorium | 12,000 | $87,235 |
| 20 March 1976 | Rochester | United States | Rochester Community War Memorial | 8,358 | $58,720 |
| 21 March 1976 | Springfield | United States | Springfield Civic Center | 6,752 | $46,572 |
| 22 March 1976 | New Haven | United States | New Haven Coliseum | | |
| 23 March 1976 | Uniondale | United States | Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum | | |
| 26 March 1976 | New York City | United States | Madison Square Garden | | |
| Europe ||||||
| 7 April 1976 | Munich | West Germany | Olympiahalle | | |
| 8 April 1976 | Düsseldorf | West Germany | Philipshalle | | |
| 10 April 1976 | West Berlin | West Germany | Deutschlandhalle | | |
| 11 April 1976 | Hamburg | West Germany | Congress Center Hamburg | | |
| 12 April 1976 | Hamburg | West Germany | Congress Center Hamburg | | |
| 13 April 1976 | Frankfurt | West Germany | Festhalle Frankfurt | | |
| 14 April 1976 | Ludwigshafen | West Germany | Friedrich-Ebert-Halle | | |
| 17 April 1976 | Zürich | Switzerland | Hallenstadion | | |
| 24 April 1976 | Helsinki | Finland | UKK Hall | | |
| 26 April 1976 | Stockholm | Sweden | Kungliga Tennishallen | | |
| 27 April 1976 | Stockholm | Sweden | Kungliga Tennishallen | | |
| 28 April 1976 | Gothenburg | Sweden | Scandinavium | | |
| 29 April 1976 | Copenhagen | Denmark | Falkonersalen | | |
| 30 April 1976 | Copenhagen | Denmark | Falkonersalen | | |
| 3 May 1976 | London | England | Empire Pool | | |
| 4 May 1976 | London | England | Empire Pool | | |
| 5 May 1976 | London | England | Empire Pool | | |
| 6 May 1976 | London | England | Empire Pool | | |
| 7 May 1976 | London | England | Empire Pool | | |
| 8 May 1976 | London | England | Empire Pool | | |
| 11 May 1976 | Brussels | Belgium | Forest National | | |
| 13 May 1976 | Rotterdam | Netherlands | Rotterdam Ahoy | | |
| 14 May 1976 | Rotterdam | Netherlands | Rotterdam Ahoy | | |
| 17 May 1976 | Paris | France | Pavillon de Paris | | |
| 18 May 1976 | Paris | France | Pavillon de Paris | | |
| Total ||||||

### Cancellations and rescheduled shows

| 14 April 1976 | Ludwigshafen, West Germany | Friedrich-Ebert-Halle | Cancelled. |
| 17 April 1976 | Bern, Switzerland | Festhalle Bea Bern Expo | Rescheduled to Hallenstadion in Zurich. |
| 27 April 1976 | Oslo, Norway | Ekeberghallen | Cancelled. |
| 19 May 1976 | Paris, France | Pavillon de Paris | Cancelled. |