A Bowie Celebration concert review: Riverside, Calif.

Mike Garson: A Bowie Celebration

David Bowie never performed in Riverside, California during his lifetime, but the British rock legend's spirit was strongly felt last Thursday during a thoroughly satisfying show by A Bowie Celebration.

Held at the Fox Performing Arts Center, ABC - not your average "tribute" band - featured four musicians who had previously recorded and toured with Bowie: longest serving pianist/keyboardist Mike Garson, frequent lead guitarist Earl Slick (heard on LPs spanning Diamond Dogs to The Next Day and four other albums), bassist Carmine Rojas (Let's Dance, Tonight, Never Let Me Down) and guitarist Mark Plati (Earthling, Hours, Heathen, Reality).

Rounding out the lineup was vocalist Bernard Fowler, who has sung behind Mick Jagger for more than 20 years; vocalist Joe Sumner, known for his six albums with Fiction Plane and touring with Gordon Sumner AKA Sting; Latin Grammy winning vocalist Gaby Moreno and drummer Lee John, the son of Slick. He previously played with his father and Fowler in a tour that spotlighted Bowie's Station to Station album overseas.

After a few special shows to mark the first anniversary of Bowie death, the band did a tour earlier this year with a slightly revised lineup (various cities tend to have special guests dropping in, like Evan Rachel Wood did in San Diego this past Friday) and hit elsewhere in Southern California. Another return is scheduled for 2019; see all the dates below.

In Riverside, Garson introduced the singers and provided warm anecdotes. Occasionally, he'd ask Slick, "do you remember this" about the '70s. ABC covered many Bowie bases. As an introduction, the pianist praised Bowie as someone who was "like our Gershwin or Bacharach." 

Bernard Fowler: A Bowie Celebration

He mentioned "this used to be our encore on the Reality tour" before the band launched the two-hour set with a jazzy "Bring Me the Disco King," off that same release. Fowler's deep vocal register served the haunting song well and he went into spoken word bit at the end.

Switching gears, Fowler yelled "we're gonna have a party" and it was time to rock out on "Rebel Rebel" and "Moonage Daydream." Plati, Sumner and Moreno strummed acoustic guitars during the latter and Slick - still the epitome of Keith Richards-styled coolness - provided searing electric lines.

Everyone locked into a solid groove on "Fame," where Fowler was all over the stage. He exited for awhile, so Sumner could handle lead on "Changes," "Space Oddity" (a crowd favorite) and "Starman." An enthusiastic Sumner acquitted himself well on those tracks and urged a crowd singalong (it wasn't necessary; people dutifully did it unprompted).

Moreno took over during "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide" and "Time," elevated by Garson's memorable music hall-styled piano work. Rojas got to spotlight his famous bass lines during fun set standout "Let's Dance" and audience members took the title to heart. She also provided some understated drama on "Where Are We Now," from Bowie's final album Blackstar, and "5 Years."

Earl Slick: A Bowie Celebration

Once Slick and Fowler came back, they were both forces to be reckoned with on a powerful "Station to Station," the guitarist adding eerie feedback and sonic shards. Garson relayed how Bowie loved the ballad "Wild is the Wind," a riveting duet between Moreno and Fowler. It was another highlight.

"Ziggy Stardust" and "Suffragette City" rocked with abandon. Come encore time, "Diamond Dogs" was lean 'n' mean; Sumner really impressed while belting out "Life on Mars." The haunting "Aladdin Sane" featured a classy piano solo by Garson, who incorporated melodic signatures from Lennon and McCartney's "Let it Be" and "Imagine."

Finally, Fowler infused one of Bowie's frequent concert closers, "Heroes," with just the right amount of gravitas. All told, the show was a fine way for Bowie enthusiasts to remember their idol. I would definitely see it again.

2019 North American Tour Dates:

Wed 2/6 Mesa, AZ Mesa Arts Center
Thu 2/7 Los Angeles, CA Orpheum Theatre
Sat 2/9 Cerritos, CA Cerritos Center
Sun 2/10 Modesto, CA Gallo Center
Tue 2/12 Livermore, CA Livermore PAC
Wed 2/13 San Francisco, CA The Warfield
Fri 2/15 Seattle, WA Benaroya Hall
Sat 2/16 Vancouver, BC Commodore Ballroom
Sun 2/17 Portland, OR Revolution Hall
Tue 2/19 Denver, CO Paramount Theatre
Thu 2/21 Madison, WI Orpheum Theatre
Fri 2/22 Chicago, IL Vic Theatre
Sat 2/23 Detroit, MI Royal Oak Music Hall
Sun 2/24 Cleveland, OH Agora Theatre & Ballroom
Tue 2/26 Buffalo, NY Town Ballroom
Wed 2/27 Kitchener, ON Centre In The Square
Fri 3/1 Toronto, ON Danforth Music Hall
Sat 3/2 Montreal, QC MTelus
Sun 3/3 Boston, MA Wilbur Theatre
Tue 3/5 New York, NY Irving Plaza
Wed 3/6 Albany, NY Palace Theater
Thu 3/7 Syracuse, NY Palace Theater
Sat 3/9 New Brunswick, NJ State Theater
Sun 3/10 Philadelphia, PA Keswick Theatre
Tue 3/12 Louisville, KY The Brown Theatre
Wed 3/13 Nashville, TN Polk Theatre
Fri 3/15 Ponte Vedra, FL Ponte Vedra Concert Hall
Sat 3/16 Fort Lauderdale, FL Parker Playhouse
Sun 3/17 Clearwater, FL Capitol Theatre
Wed 3/20 Houston, TX Heights Theatre
Thu 3/21 Austin, TX Paramount Theatre
Fri 3/22 Dallas, TX Majestic Theatre

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