One of the most sought-after pieces of David Bowie footage is finally getting an audience, and it will be shown in arenas rather than cinemas. Promoter Wonderworld, the David Bowie Estate and Moonage Daydream director Brett Morgen announced on Tuesday, October 27, that film of Bowie’s 1978 Isolar II tour will be presented as Stage, an immersive concert experience that opens with a world premiere at the Uber Arena in Berlin on February 14, 2027, as part of the 77th Berlin International Film Festival.
A film Bowie shelved
Bowie hired actor-turned-director David Hemmings to film his shows at London’s Earls Court in the summer of 1978, when the tour leaned heavily on the Low and “Heroes” albums. The live album Stage, drawn from American dates earlier that year, came out that autumn, but the Earls Court film never did. As The Guardian notes, Bowie explained in 2000 that he was unhappy with the way the concerts had been shot, while predicting the footage would surface eventually.
Morgen came across the 35mm material about a decade ago while making Moonage Daydream, which used Hemmings’ performance of “Heroes” and later won the Grammy for best music film. He and the estate began talking about an arena version in 2018, and the plan gained momentum in 2024 when Rob Hallett, the former president of AEG’s international live business and founder of Wonderworld, came on board. Morgen has spent close to ten years editing, color grading and hand-painting the footage, favoring long, unbroken takes so the show plays out like a real-time concert.
How it will look and sound
The film will run across multiple transparent LED screens intended to make Bowie and his band appear to be on stage. Lighting designer Patrick Woodroffe, known for his work with the Rolling Stones and ABBA, is creating the light show, and Oscar winner Paul Massey has prepared a 7.1 surround mix for a Clair Global system. The production is built for venues holding 5,000 people or more.
On screen, Bowie is backed by his 1978 touring band: Carlos Alomar and Adrian Belew on guitars, George Murray on bass, Dennis Davis on drums, Roger Powell on synthesizers, Sean Mayes on piano and Simon House on electric violin. The set mixes material from Low and “Heroes” with hits such as “Rebel Rebel,” “Fame” and “The Jean Genie.”
Hallett said the show will tour widely after Berlin, including markets in Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America, but no further dates have been set. A presale for the premiere begins October 28 at 9 a.m. GMT, with general sales from October 30. The project lands as the estate prepares BOWIE80, a year of events in 2027 marking what would have been his 80th birthday.
Photo: David Bowie at Earls Court, 1978. PR still via The Guardian.
Source: The Guardian; additional details from DavidBowie.com and Pollstar.