FEATURE:
Kate Bush’s The Tour of Life at Forty-Five
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush performing live onstage on The Tour of Life/PHOTO CREDIT: Jorgen Angel/Redferns
Merchandise, Memorabilia and Artefacts
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I have written…
a couple of features about The Tour of Life, as it turns forty-five on 2nd April. That was the warm-up gig at Poole. On 3rd April, 1979, the first official night took place. It was a phenomenal and groundbreaking tour that received huge reviews and adulation. The crowds packed in to see Kate Bush perform her magnificent songs. Mixing theatre, mine and poetry, this was a Pop/Rock concert like nothing else. I have been looking at the build-up and preparation for the tour. How it all came together and how it was received. In the final feature to mark the forty-fifth anniversary of The Tour of Life, I am looking more at the memorabilia and merchandise. I am not sure how much is available on sites like eBay and other auction places. To get a sense of what was available in 1979, you can look at this website. I have been thinking to The Tour of Life and what fans were buying at the various dates. In addition to the programme, there were posters and a sweatshirt. It would have been amazing to snap up this merchandise to commemorate witnessing a live extravaganza. Although there is more merchandise out there to buy from 2014’s Before the Dawn than 1979’s The Tour of Life, I do wonder how much of the original memorabilia from the tour is still out there. I would give anything to have a crew jacket or sweatshirt in my possession! There are the tour posters and, if you want something rarer, set/floor designs and costume designs. One reason why I am discussing memorabilia and merchandise from The Tour of Life is because there is not a great deal in terms of archive. You can see various videos from particular nights of the tour, though the quality is not good. I would love to think that, someday, there will be a 4K/HD official release from Kate Bush. A chance to see one of the sets in all of its glory!
Also, in terms of audio releases and available options, we do not really have that much out there. I have been asking around and looking on websites to see if there is anything available to buy. It is quite rare to find anything from forty-five years ago. I think The Tour of Life is one of my favourite times and events from Kate Bush. So fascinating. I feel one of the criticisms for Before the Dawn was how expensive the merchandise was. Of course, if I was at one of the dates in 2014, I would have bought quite a few bits. It would have been wonderful to have some physical proof that I was at the gig. I could keep it for years and remember being there. Despite the merchandise being expensive, I feel it would be worth it in the long run. One reason why I want The Tour of Life merchandise and artefacts is because I could not be there. The tour happened years before I was born, so I can never get a sense of what it was like. I wonder how many people are going to mark the anniversary. Such an important moment in Kate Bush’s career, it would introduce The Tour of Life to new generations. I have said before how, in addition to the official merchandise, how there is a whole other level of memorabilia and artefacts. I know there have been Kate Bush auctions before. To the best of my knowledge, I don’t think anything From The Tour of Life has been auctioned. Think about the costumes and set that would have been taken across the country and Europe. How magnificent it would be to have something like that. If you think about the effort and planning that went into The Tour of Life, there would be something magnificent and very special owning a small piece of it.
I have seen on social media a few people who were at one of the dates for The Tour of Life. Forty-five years later, it still resounds and resonates. I think that it changed what a Pop concert could be. In terms of its scale and scope. Mixing various forms of art. Having the wireless head mic (which was designed and pioneered for The Tour of Life). If you watch clips of the songs performed, there are so many different costumes and props. I guess the actual set has been destroyed and there is nothing available. To have a collectable like a staff pass or sweatshirt would be popular with fans. If anyone knows if there is anything available, then do let me know. I do know that tour posters have been put onto eBay but, aside from that, there is not a lot. You feel it must be out there somewhere. I am not sure how expensive it would be to reproduce the tour posters and clothing, though it would be an investment many fans would be willing to make. Perhaps I am dreaming. Maybe there is nothing remaining from The Tour of Life in circulation. Regardless, we are approaching forty-five years of The Tour of Life. With a warm-up gig on 2nd April, 1979 and the first night happening the following day, Kate Bush and her crew delivered something extraordinary. Magnificent and immaculate, this was a massive moment in her career! After a couple of studio albums – 1978’s The Kick Inside and Lionheart -, I feel many still perceived Kate Bush as being odd and inexperienced. Someone who was this stranger artist. She was being parodied and subjected to ridicule. The Tour of Life firmly announced her as this serious and ambitious artist who was also one of the finest live performers of her generation. I envy anyone who got to see her perform in 1979. Looking at the merchandise that was out there for the tour, I am not the only one who would love to own a piece of that. To have a connection and something I can keep for years. I have not lost hope that out there somewhere, there is precious reminder…
FROM The Tour of Life.