Concert Review: "Celebrating David Bowie"

Graphic for the "Celebrating David Bowie" tour.

The musicians at the "Celebrating David Bowie" concert at the Pantages Theatre in Minneapolis, February 21, 2018. (Photo by Mark C. Taylor)

Last week I saw the David Bowie tribute show “Celebrating David Bowie” at the Pantages Theatre. Organized by Bowie’s longtime piano player Mike Garson, the show gathered lots of musicians who played with Bowie at different stages of his career to play some of his best songs. Garson was a member of Bowie’s band at various points from 1972 to 2004, and he played on some of Bowie’s most famous records, like Aladdin Sane and Young Americans. 

Bernard Fowler was the lead singer for most of the songs. He’s sung backing vocals for the Rolling Stones since 1989. His voice is superb, and his style is different enough from Bowie that I wasn’t constantly reminded of Bowie, or comparing him to Bowie. Other band members included guitarist Earl Slick, who first played with Bowie on one track on the Diamond Dogs album, and was the lead guitarist for the Diamond Dogs/Philly Dogs tour in 1974. He then went on to play on the Young Americans and Station to Station albums. Slick also did the Serious Moonlight tour in 1983, supporting Bowie’s Let’s Dance album. Slick returned to the Bowie fold for the 2002 album Heathen, 2003’s Reality, 2013’s The Next Day, and the 2003-4 Reality tour, which proved to be Bowie’s last. Other guitarists were Gerry Leonard and Mark Plati, who both played with Bowie in the 1990’s and 2000’s. The bassist was Carmine Rojas, who played on Let’s Dance, Tonight, and Never Let Me Down. Drums were handled by Lee John Madeloni, one of the only band members who didn’t play with Bowie. Gaby Moreno handled lead vocals superbly on songs like “Space Oddity,” “Aladdin Sane,” and “Five Years.”

It was very cool to see so many people who were very closely connected with Bowie. It wasn’t like, oh, this guy played tambourine on one song in 1973. These were musicians who worked and collaborated with Bowie over extended periods of time. 

Joe Sumner, the son of Sting, sang lead on a few songs, like “Let’s Dance,” “All the Young Dudes,” “Life on Mars,” “Ziggy Stardust,” and “Lady Grinning Soul,” one of my own personal favorite Bowie songs. I also saw Joe Sumner when he toured with his dad in 2017. (I reviewed that show here.) Sumner has an excellent voice, and he held some notes for a very long time. 

The band did a fantastic job of playing Bowie’s greatest songs live. If you’re a Bowie fan and you have the chance to see “Celebrating David Bowie,” go see it, it’s a great chance to relive some of Bowie’s magic again.

Concert Review: Sting with Joe Sumner and the Last Bandoleros at Myth in Maplewood

Ad for Sting's 57th and 9th tour, 2017.

Sting on stage at Myth in Maplewood, Minnesota, March 2, 2017. (Photo by the Star Tribune.)

Last night I had the special chance to see Sting, rock and roll superstar, at Myth, a small club in Maplewood, a suburb of Saint Paul. I went to the show with my Mom, and it was fantastic. I had seen Sting once before, on the Police reunion tour back in 2007, but to see him in a small venue was a very different experience. 

Sting opened the show solo by singing “Heading South on the Great North Road,” from his most recent album, “57^th and 9^th.” He then turned things over to his son, Joe Sumner, who sang a few songs. Joe sounds a lot like his dad-they have the same high, keening voice. Joe then turned things over to the Last Bandoleros, a San Antonio-based group that performed catchy, poppy songs. I enjoyed the Last Bandoleros, they bring a lot of energy on stage, and they were fun to watch. They’ve only released one EP, so it will be interesting to see where their career goes from here.

Sting performed a lot of songs from “57^th and 9^th,” but his lengthy back catalogue was also well represented, going all the way back to “Outlandos d’Amour,” the Police’s debut album from 1978. Sting’s voice sounded great, and he’s still able to use his falsetto to great effect on songs like “Roxanne,” and “So Lonely.” 

Sting was in an expansive mood last night, as he told several stories about the songs he was singing. After “Message in a Bottle,” which turned into an enthusiastic audience sing-along, Sting recalled playing the song to his cat after he wrote it, and the cat didn’t seem too impressed by it. He then said how amazing it is that everyone knows the words to that song, even though it’s almost forty years old. He said, “I don’t take that for granted, I really appreciate it.” 

For me the highlights of the show were the beautiful “Fields of Gold,” and the Police oldies at the end of the set, “Message in a Bottle,” “Walking on the Moon,” “So Lonely,” “Roxanne,” which merged into a cover of “Ain’t No Sunshine,” “Next to You,” and the inevitable “Every Breath You Take.” Sting’s solo catalogue has covered as many genres as Elvis Costello’s, but there’s something about the rush of energy of those Police songs that remains unique in Sting’s career. Maybe it was just the energy and passion of youth. But that isn’t to say that his later work isn’t good, because it is. “I Can’t Stop Thinking About You,” from “57^th and 9^th,” hearkens back to the sound of the Police. 

Another highlight was the closing song, “The Empty Chair,” which Sting just performed at the Oscars on Sunday night. It was a beautiful and moving ending to a very memorable night. 

Set list:

Heading South on the Great North Road

Synchronicity II

Spirits in the Material World

Englishman in New York

She’s Too Good for Me

I Can’t Stop Thinking About You

One Fine Day

I Hung My Head

Fields of Gold

Down, Down, Down

Petrol Head

Shape of My Heart

Pretty Young Solider

Message in a Bottle

Ashes to Ashes-sung by Joe Sumner

50,000

Walking on the Moon

So Lonely

Desert Rose

Roxanne/Ain’t No Sunshine

Next to You

Every Breath You Take

The Empty Chair