By: John 'Nunu' Zomot
When pianist Mike Garson hooked up with David Bowie in 1972 years ago on the US leg of the Ziggy Stardust tour, the initial gig was supposed to last just eight weeks.
Over four decades later, even after Bowie's passing, Garson is leading a tour celebrating the body of work that he remained a part of for years after that initial engagement -- 20 albums and every single tour through 2004.
With a diversity of lineups, styles, and songcraft across Bowie's career, Garson's work in curating this tribute tour was cut out for him. Luckily, he was able to draw upon a set of ringers, especially in the vocal department, to help tell this musical story -- a combination of unexpected but just-exactly-perfect for the Bowie experience.
Three-decade Rolling Stones veteran Bernard Fowler kicked off the show with "Disco King" and closed the show with "Heroes" and contributed as much as anybody throughout the show.
Guatemalan musician Gaby Moreno was also impressive in the lead role, as well as a duet with Fowler on "Wild Is The Wind".
The 22 songs performed at the Vic represent only half of this band's repertoire, which itself is just a fraction of Bowie's songbook. But they certainly drew on crowd favorites and ideal pairings to round out the set.
Of course, it doesn't hurt that other former Bowie sidemen -- Earl Slick and Gerry Leonard on guitar, Carmine Rojas on bass -- are along for the ride as well.
Oh, by the way... that "Joe" you see on the setlist below. It's Joe Sumner, a highly capable vocalist in his own right. And if you're wondering why that sounds familiar, I'll save you the googling like I did. It's Sting's son!
Suffragette City
Fame
Diamond Dogs
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