‘Lost’ 1978 David Bowie tour film to play arenas in 2027, remastered by Moonage Daydream director Brett Morgen

Bowie originally commissioned David Hemmings to film two shows at London's Earls Court arena in 1978, centered on the "Heroes" and Low albums. The musician had recently worked with Hemmings on the critically maligned Just a Gigolo, alongside Marlene Dietrich. Bowie intended for the footage to be released as a concert film that could play in venues in lieu of touring himself, as he wouldn't tour again until 1983's Serious Moonlight run.

Lost footage rediscovered

While an acclaimed live album from the tour, Stage, was released in autumn 1978, the footage never saw the light of day. "I simply didn't like the way it had been shot," Bowie said in 2000. "Now, of course, it looks pretty good and I would suspect that it would make it out some time in the future." For fans, it became a holy grail of Bowie footage, alongside his lost TV debut in 1966 and the original 1972 TV performance of Starman.

Morgen's meticulous restoration

When Morgen got the Moonage Daydream gig, he asked to see Hemmings' original film. The idea of bringing it to arenas was born in 2018, and Morgen subsequently spent years working on the original 35mm, including meticulous colour grading, relighting and hand painting. Hemmings' footage of "Heroes" had already made its way into Morgen's documentary – which won best music film at the 2024 Grammy awards – and was noted by fans as a highlight.

Pivotal career moment

The Earls Court shows "stand among the most important British concerts" of Bowie's late-70s career, according to fan site David Bowie World. "A period in which Bowie had moved away from the elaborate stage characters of earlier years and placed an increasing emphasis on musicianship, arrangements, sound and atmosphere." The tour featured Bowie's finest band by a mile, including guitarist Carlos Alomar, bassist George Murray, drummer Dennis Davis, keyboardist Roger Powell, pianist Sean Mayes and violinist Simon House. NME's Nick Kent wrote: Bowie was constantly onstage, a model of agility, and physical grace, determinedly 'projecting' while singing loud and dear in a voice that has seldom sounded better... That shimmering sizzle, that fizzy brilliance that is undeniably attuned to Bowie's work, was all there. The Isolar II tour ran from March to December 1978, split between performances of Low and "Heroes" and his early 70s hits.