It’s Bowie week here on EP as we celebrate and commemorate his birth and his death, both conveniently, but sadly, falling in the same week. It’s been two years today since lost him – our Blackstar, the StarMan – if we can sparkle he may land tonight…
This Friday night we’ll be attending the ‘Celebrating David Bowie’ show at Shepherds Bush Empire, a special concert featuring artists who peformed with the legend, as well as guest artists.
Legendary Bowie keyboard player Mike Garson comments,
“We will have surprise guest artists plus we are travelling with our in house vocalists like Fishbone’s Angelo Moore and Fiction Plane’s Joe Sumner (Sting’s son). Adrian Belew who worked with David is a great singer and master guitarist. Paul Dempsey from Australia who joined us at the Sydney Opera House shows this year is joining us again in Europe”.
Adrian Belew, speaking about Bowie in 2017, adds,
“David was, for lack of a better term, magical to be around. He was deservedly a superstar, and people treated him as such so to be in his orbit was always fascinating. He always encouraged me to play what I felt.”
Additionally, Angelo Moore, who toured with the show in 2017, said,
“It was great to see the audience appreciate every performance from each artist’s perception of what it would be like to own the song and perform it as if it was their own.”
The lineup for ‘Celebrating David Bowie’ see the show as more Bowie future than Bowie past, giving a new shine to popular songs from his extensive catalogue. Songs featured in the performance will include the well-known, such as ‘Fame’, ‘Heroes’, ‘Changes’, ‘Life On Mars’, ‘Rebel Rebel’, ‘Space Oddity’, ‘Ashes To Ashes’, ‘Golden Years’ and ‘China Girl’, as well as lesser-known but equally loved Bowie favourites, like ‘Lady Grinning Soul’, ‘Moonage Daydream’, ‘Aladdin Sane’, ‘Quicksand’, and ‘The Heart’s Filthy Lesson’.
Adrian Belew continues,
“With such a large catalogue to choose from, different songs affected us and the audience in varying measure. It’s always amazing to feel the excitement of an audience beamed directly at you. Pure adrenaline! So much love for David.”
‘Celebrating David Bowie’ is a 10 piece group created and led by guitarist Angelo “Scrote” Bundini, and includes legendary Bowie keyboardist and longest and most frequent band member Mike Garson, who worked with Bowie from the early 1970s and plays on no fewer than 12 of his albums. As well, Bowie guitarist/vocalist/musical director Adrian Belew, who worked on the Sound & Vision Tour in 1990; Bowie musical director Gerry Leonard (A Reality Tour); Bowie bassist Carmine Rojas (Let’s Dance/Serious Moonlight Tours), and renowned multi-instrumentalists who have played with the likes of Sting, Italian singer songwriter Luciano Ligabue, Todd Rundgren, Joe Bonamassa, Puscifer, and Jarvis Cocker.
“It’s an exciting show from start to finish with some of the most imaginative musicians in the world interpreting some of the most revered songs ever. Poignant and creative but still focused first & foremost on David and his music as we knew and loved it” says Angelo Bundini.
Special guests on the previous tours of ‘Celebrating David Bowie’ have included Sting, Gary Oldman, Seal, Perry Farrell, The B-52’s Kate Pierson, Ewan McGregor, Simon Le Bon, Gavin Rossdale, La Roux, Joe Elliott, Mr Hudson, Gail Ann Dorsey, Spandau Ballet’s Steve Norman, Corey Taylor, Ian Astbury, Darren Criss, Tony Hadley, Living Colour, The London Community Gospel Choir, and The Harlem Gospel Choir, among many others.
‘Celebrating David Bowie’ starts its UK and Irish tour on Friday January 12 at London’s Shepherd’s Bush Empire, before moving to mainland Europe and the USA. You can find out more information on their official website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
