David Bowie Returns to Arenas in Stage

David Bowie Returns to Arenas in “Stage,” Built From Lost 1978 Isolar II Tour Footage

Arena Tour · Berlin Premiere February 14, 2027 · David Bowie

David Bowie Returns to Arenas in “Stage,” Built From Lost 1978 Isolar II Tour Footage

A hybrid of cinema and concert, with no cover band and no hologram: just Bowie himself, restored from 35mm film and scaled up for the biggest rooms.

David Bowie is heading back to arenas. Stage is a newly announced, hybrid multimedia production that bridges the gap between cinema and a live concert. Instead of a live cover band or a hologram, the show uses previously unreleased, meticulously restored 35mm footage of Bowie himself, captured by filmmaker David Hemmings during the legendary 1978 Isolar II World Tour performances at London’s Earls Court.

The project is led by director Brett Morgen, best known for the Bowie documentary Moonage Daydream. It uses transparent, colossal LED screens together with full-scale live lighting rigs and an immersive audio mix, all designed to recreate the feeling of attending a real, arena-sized Bowie concert in his prime.

The Premiere and the Tour

World premiere	February 14, 2027, at Uber Arena in Berlin
Festival tie-in	Part of the 77th Berlin International Film Festival
After Berlin	A global arena circuit

Opening in Berlin carries a special meaning. The city is closely tied to Bowie’s late-1970s work, and the premiere there as part of the Berlin International Film Festival places the show in both the film world and the live music world from its first night.

Who Is in the Lineup?

Because the show is a restored document of the 1978 Isolar II tour, it presents Bowie at the height of his powers, backed by a group of musicians widely regarded as one of his finest live bands:

David Bowie: Lead vocals
Carlos Alomar: Rhythm guitar and musical director
Adrian Belew: Lead guitar
George Murray: Bass
Dennis Davis: Drums
Roger Powell: Keyboards and synthesizers
Sean Mayes: Piano
Simon House: Electric violin

The Brains Behind the Production

Brett Morgen, director and visual architect: He spent nearly a decade hand-painting, color-grading, and configuring the raw 35mm archival film rolls to prepare the show for arena scale.
Patrick Woodroffe, lighting designer: The world-renowned designer created an integrated live arena light show that moves in real time with the archived performance footage.
Paul Massey, sound engineer: The Academy Award-winning engineer made a brand-new, immersive, multi-channel theatrical audio mix tailored for large indoor arenas.

That combination of restored film, live lighting, and a purpose-built sound mix is what separates Stage from a standard concert screening. The light show is performed live and tracks the footage, so the room reacts to the performance on screen.