THE PURPOSE OF the Celebrating David Bowie show is simply that — to praise Bowie’s music and rejoice in the joy of listening to some of his greatest songs in the rock canon. The band is assembled from fans and former Bowie band members, who play with passion and verse as they aim to capture the essence of what made his music so iconic and influential.
The show has been put together by music business veteran Miles Copeland and guitarist Scrote, who has a long track record of producing shows celebrating landmark artists, including the Beatles and Miles Davis. While the Bowie show has toured sporadically since 2015, this year sees the first full tour of North America and features the unique talents of Adrian Belew, who not only played on Bowie’s 1979 album, Lodger, but also toured extensively with him, acting as musical director for his global run in 1990. Longtime Bowie admirer Todd Rundgren also features in the show, which covers material from the artist’s earliest days to the end of his career.
While all three guitarists are about to release new albums — Scrote’s Magnificent Bastard, Rundgren’s Space Force and Belew’s Elevator — and commence on intensive rehearsals for the Bowie tour, they were happy to speak to Guitar Player about the project’s background and what audiences can expect from the upcoming shows.
