David Bowie’s “MOST MAGICAL MOMENT” BY FANS at the Isle of Wight Festival in 2004
David Bowie’s performance at the Isle of Wight Festival in 2004 was revealed as the winner of a fan-voted poll last night. The announcement was made at the launch of Experience 25, an exhibition celebrating the festival’s entire history, held at London’s O2.
Fans were able to vote from a long list of previous Isle of Wight Festival performances on the festival’s official socials. Bowie topped a number of other iconic moments, including Joni Mitchell silencing a 500,000 strong crowd and Amy Winehouse joining The Rolling Stones onstage in 2007.
John Giddings, the festival’s organiser recalled “It was during the Euros and I’d decided to put France versus England on the main screens. When I went to collect David from the dressing room it was 1 - 0 to England. By the time we’d gotten to the stage it was 2 - 1 to France, so he walked on to a silent crowd. I tell you, if it was anybody else they would have died completely but he came on, opened with “Rebel Rebel” and the rest is history”.
The Isle of Wight Festival Magic Moments top 5 were as follows:
5) Andrea Corr & Gary Kemp performing Starman in tribute to David Bowie to a crowd of thousands wearing masks with his face on (2016)
4) The Rolling Stones playing their first UK festival since 1976 and being joined on stage by Amy Winehouse for an iconic performance of Ain’t too Proud to Beg (2007)
3) Jimi Hendrix last ever UK Performance (1970)
2) Fleetwood Mac one of their first shows as a full band since the late 90s (2015)
1) David Bowie’s last ever UK performance (2004)
In a speech by John Giddings at the launch, he also explained “In 07 I came up with the idea of putting Amy Winehouse onstage with The Rolling Stones. I thought the hardest bit would be to get Mick Jagger to let Amy up there. So I went to him and he jumped at the opportunity... but then I went to Amy who said she could never do it; she was too nervous! It took me about half an hour to persuade her to do it but when you see the result of it... it was amazing”
Additional notes:
Experience 25 incorporates the three Isle of Wight Festivals that were organised by Ray Foulk and his brothers – the 1970 one being ‘The Last Great Event’ at which everyone played, including Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, The Who and Joni Mitchell and over half a million people came to see them!
Plus the new Isle of Wight Festival exhibition from 2002 onwards – the hugely successful international Festival, which was restarted by John Giddings, and now sees 60,000 music fans arrive on the Isle of Wight every year to see artists such as Green Day, The Pet Shop Boys and The Prodigy (this year); Robbie Williams, Blondie and Pulp (2023); Fleetwood Mac (2016); The Red Hot Chili Peppers (2014); Bruce Springsteen (2012); Dave Grohl (2011); Paul McCartney, Pink and Jay Z (2010), The Rolling Stones and Amy Winehouse (2007) and David Bowie and The Who (2004).
Experience 25 is open from 19th September - 13th November 2024 at the O2’s Innovation Centre (next door to the Las Iguanas restaurant).
