David Bowie's Blackstar In Concert
May. 5th, 2024 10:56 amOmaha and I recently had the pleasure of hearing (and watching!) The Blackstar Symphony, an orchestral reconstruction of David Bowie’s last album, Blackstar. The work was authorized by Bowie after an encouter with Donny McCaslin and his band, Steps Ahead, led to both McCaslin being the saxaphonist on the Blackstar album and becoming a sort-of holder of the legacy of Blackstar after Bowie died.
John Cameron Mitchell onstage at the end of Blackstar
McCaslin performed with Gail Anne Dorsey, who was Bowie’s bassist for many years, and who also performed the lead vocals for “Under Pressure” in concert after Freddy Mercury died. (Apparently, she also did lead vocals for Boweie’s cover of Laurie Anderson’s “Oh, Superman,” which rocks my world) and with John Cameron Mitchel, who is probably best known as the composer and lead actor for Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Mitchel appeared on stage in delightfully genderfucking outfit of a tan suit with a floor-length, butch-cut, pleated stressed wool skirt that looked just about perfect on him. (Mitchel’s bio does read “pronouns he/him”, so…)
It was a beautiful presentation, although the orchestra really faded into the background most of the time as the cover artists and members of Bowie’s touring band worked the audience over, performing the entire album in a careful arrangement.
After the intermission, they performed a lot more covers of work that wasn’t from Blackstar, including Dorsey doing an incredible version of “Space Oddity,” and Mitchel and Dorsey working together to do “Under Pressure”. Mitchel really enjoyed playing up the outfit he’d chosen, making the case that men should wear skirts more often without ever having to say so out loud.
McCaslin would occasionally step in front to talk about the evolution of the orchestral version, how he got involved in the project and how much , and you could see from his expression and hear in his voice just how utterly bugfucking gobsmacked he was to be the man David Bowie chose to carry Bowie’s ghost around the world on one last tour.
Overall, a hell of a show. If it ever comes around again, I recommend seeing it.
John Cameron Mitchell onstage at the end of Blackstar
McCaslin performed with Gail Anne Dorsey, who was Bowie’s bassist for many years, and who also performed the lead vocals for “Under Pressure” in concert after Freddy Mercury died. (Apparently, she also did lead vocals for Boweie’s cover of Laurie Anderson’s “Oh, Superman,” which rocks my world) and with John Cameron Mitchel, who is probably best known as the composer and lead actor for Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Mitchel appeared on stage in delightfully genderfucking outfit of a tan suit with a floor-length, butch-cut, pleated stressed wool skirt that looked just about perfect on him. (Mitchel’s bio does read “pronouns he/him”, so…)
It was a beautiful presentation, although the orchestra really faded into the background most of the time as the cover artists and members of Bowie’s touring band worked the audience over, performing the entire album in a careful arrangement.
After the intermission, they performed a lot more covers of work that wasn’t from Blackstar, including Dorsey doing an incredible version of “Space Oddity,” and Mitchel and Dorsey working together to do “Under Pressure”. Mitchel really enjoyed playing up the outfit he’d chosen, making the case that men should wear skirts more often without ever having to say so out loud.
McCaslin would occasionally step in front to talk about the evolution of the orchestral version, how he got involved in the project and how much , and you could see from his expression and hear in his voice just how utterly bugfucking gobsmacked he was to be the man David Bowie chose to carry Bowie’s ghost around the world on one last tour.
Overall, a hell of a show. If it ever comes around again, I recommend seeing it.
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