David Bowie’s “Stage” to premiere at Berlin’s Uber Arena

By Grace Kim

David Bowie’s “Stage” will receive its world premiere on Feb. 14 at Berlin’s Uber Arena, according to Wonderworld, the David Bowie Estate and documentary filmmaker Brett Morgen. Their announcement describes the booking for the Berlinale, the Berlin Film Festival, as a rare foray into alternative programming at the European film event.

“Stage” is an immersive concert experience (one that surrounds the audience with imagery, sound and light). Its visual center comes from previously unseen, recently discovered and restored footage of Bowie’s 1978 Isolar II World Tour. During that tour, Bowie performed material from the album “Heroes.”

Rob Hallett’s Wonderworld, the David Bowie Estate and Morgen collaborate on the production in association with the Berlinale. Morgen first discovered the original camera negatives (the film exposed in the cameras) while working on his Grammy Award-winning film “Moonage Daydream.”

How the concert works

The presentation uses three screens, combining large-scale projections with transparent LED screens. LED, or light-emitting diode, is the display technology behind those transparent panels. Wonderworld, the David Bowie Estate and Morgen credited Patrick Woodroffe with the lighting design. They listed collaborations with the Rolling Stones and Elton John among his credits.

The same partners credited Academy Award winner Paul Massey with a specially created sound mix. They listed “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Michael,” and “Moonage Daydream” among his credits. The mix uses what they describe as state-of-the-art 7.1 surround technology, which distributes audio through multiple channels, and spatial audio (sound positioned around the audience). The system places viewers at the center of a concert experience built from footage of Bowie performing live.

Tricia Tuttle, director of the Berlinale, said:

“The Berlinale is a place where cinema, art and new forms of storytelling intersect. It’s like a dream come true: Bowie, Brett Morgen, a world-class sound and light team all coming together in the city’s premiere music arena. To have this world premiere in Berlin, a city so closely connected with David Bowie, makes the experience especially meaningful.”

Her stated rationale places cinema, art and new forms of storytelling at the center of the booking. For audiences, the practical distinction lies in the arena-scale sound-and-image system, rather than a conventional cinema projection alone.

Rob Hallett, founder of Wonderworld and former president of AEG International, said:

“David Bowie has bestowed upon us an extraordinary treasure — an unprecedented concert experience that has yet to be witnessed. Working hand-in-hand with David Bowie’s Estate and Brett Morgen, we are ensuring this experience is 100% faithful to his legacy while making his genius accessible to global fans and a new generation.”

Hallett’s promise of fidelity has a concrete basis in the production method: restored negatives supply the images, while a new mix and lighting design determine how audiences receive those images. The claim also sets a concrete test. The work must preserve what the cameras recorded while making that record legible through three screens, surround sound and an arena-sized presentation.

What does the premiere change for Bowie fans?

For Bowie fans, the practical change is the format: restored 1978 Isolar II footage, including performances from “Heroes,” becomes a spatial concert event centered on 7.1 sound, three screens and Woodroffe’s lighting. The restoration and spatial mix determine how much of the original stage geography and performance detail audiences can perceive.

Morgen will also serve as a headline speaker during the talks program of the Berlinale’s European Film Market. The partners say further details will emerge in the coming weeks.

The first real test arrives on Feb. 14, when restored negatives, transparent screens and spatial sound meet in the Uber Arena. Details promised in the coming weeks should clarify how the partners have organized that concert experience for the Berlinale audience.