Los Angeles’ love for David Bowie is unwavering, and to mark the music icon’s birthday on Jan. 8, and a decade since he passed on Jan. 10, pianist Mike Garson (Bowie’s longest-serving bandmate) assembled an all-star crew of disciples for a trio of shows at the Sun Rose in West Hollywood.
Billy Corgan and Jimmy Chamberlin of the Smashing Pumpkins, Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and singer Andra Day were among the performers, providing some emotional moments and surprises on Saturday night.
Luke Spiller from the Struts kicked off the show, performing rousing renditions of “Starman,” “Life on Mars,” and “Moonage Daydream,” joined by shredding teen guitarist Elie Samouhi (who counts Garson as a mentor).
The soulful inspirations in Bowie’s work were highlighted by powerhouse singer Judith Hill (the former backup vocalist for Michael Jackson and Prince featured prominently in 20 Feet From Stardom), who took on two classics from The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars: “It Ain’t Easy” and “Lady Stardust.” Hill’s visceral vocals brought to mind Aretha Franklin’s spiritual stylings, and they moved the show into a nearly-religious realm.
Showcasing a different but no less captivating side of Bowie’s output, glam-pop crooner Jake Wesley Rogers (who wowed fans opening for Cyndi Lauper last summer) highlighted the theatricality in Bowie’s Seventies-era material and stage shows, donning his famed astral-sphere forehead makeup and crooning “Changes,” “Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide,” and the darkly prophetic “Lazarus” from Black Star, Bowie’s final studio album.
The somber interlude was followed up with funky stomps courtesy of the Chilis’ Chad Smith on “Rebel Rebel” and “Let’s Dance,” which brought everyone in the small Sunset Strip club to their feet.
Smashing Pumpkins drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, in an unannounced surprise, then joined headliner Billy Corgan, who sang “Space Oddity,” one of his favorites to do on tour, along with a stirring “All the Young Dudes.” He also performed “If There Is a God” from the Pumpkins’ sixth studio album, 2000’s Machina II/The Friends & Enemies of Modern Music, revealing that the song was inspired by Garson himself. Garson later revealed he had no idea that the track had anything to do with him until that moment.
Another surprise appearance and highpoint featured soul/jazz wonder woman and Billie Holiday biopic star Andra Day, who performed a ferocious version of her hit “Rise Up,” which felt like a cathartic exercise aimed at the current woes of the world. Underscoring the power of music like Bowie’s to provide healing and escape, Day and Hill then went into a raw yet astounding take on Bowie’s duet with Freddie Mercury, “Under Pressure.”
Hill and Wesley also sang “Aladdin Sane” as Garson — who never plays the classic live the same way twice — added jazzy flourishes and melodic meanderings that felt as vibrant and electric as the red and blue lighting bolt that’s come to represent the album, and the man who changed the keyboardist’s life.
The show ended with nearly everyone from the bill joining on a reverent “Heroes” singalong, with the young backup singers onstage (from the University of Southern California’s music department, Garson said) getting the spotlight with their own solo verses alongside the big names. Former David Bowie bassist Carmine Rojas also played backup, along with bassist Nando Raio, guitarists Nick Perri and Dave Wood, and drummers Max Garson and Shay Godwin. The Sun Rose Hotel and nightclub (now helmed creatively by producer Adam Blackstone) will see Garson and his band return for more shows later in the year.
“I hadn’t felt [Bowie’s] presence for a while. I used to feel it a lot,” Garson told Rolling Stone after the show. “But at that moment, it was like, ‘Oh, my God, I’m with you.’ He was about risk, joy and being present. If you play the music truthfully and don’t get in the way, his spirit shows up.”
