Review: LOSER'S LOUNGE TRIBUTE TO DAVID BOWIE at Joe's Pub Is Lovely
The band paid tribute to the legendary musician, with help from many guest singers
Joe McGinty and the Loser’s Lounge put together a lovely tribute to David Bowie, capturing the celebrated singer-songwriter’s many facets. Songs from throughout his career were performed by a wide variety of singers. All eras of Bowie were present, from his beginnings in the 60s to his later work - with many stops in between.
Michael Goodman performed "Oh! You Pretty Things," a tune inspired by British occultist Aleister Crowley that originally appeared on Hunky Dory, one of the musician’s earliest projects. Interestingly, David Bowie was born David Jones, but chose Bowie as his stage name to avoid potential confusion with Davy Jones of The Monkees. "Oh! You Pretty Things" is a jangly pop tune that wouldn’t be out of place among other 60s hits, showing why such a choice was necessary. Meanwhile, Robert Conroy performed "Lazarus," off of Bowie’s often-overlooked final album, Blackstar. Conroy’s performance of the number is a bold choice, given that the song is remarkably specific to Bowie himself - it’s a number about his feelings towards his own impending death, and the music video for the track was the last new material he ever released. Conroy makes it a moving homage to the man at his end - still full of life and creativity, even then. From the middle of Bowie’s career, Alyson Greenfield takes on "I’m Afraid of Americans." For this one, the band leaves the stage except for keyboardist and bandleader Joe McGinty, who recreates the iconic industrial synthesizer-driven beat as Greenfield ah-ah-ah-ahs in platform boots.
The Losers Lounge are wonderful, and many get their own turn in the spotlight. Gideon Forbes takes some wonderfully 80s saxophone solos when appropriate, and guitarist David Terhune takes on lead vocals for "Suffragette City." Bandleader Joe McGinty is given the honor of closing out the show with "Fashion," ending things on a high note. Connie Petruk and Katia Floreska, who provide backing vocals for much of the evening, each get to lead a number as well - Floreska sings China Girl following Paul Stovall’s performance of "Let’s Dance" - two numbers that had the audience dancing in the aisles. Connie Petruk tells a story of when she worked with David Bowie as a backup singer, and how he once showed her some magic tricks he learned from Dick Cavett. She chose to sing "Cat People" - a deep cut off of "Let’s Dance," and a truly inspired choice. Her performance was a major highlight of the show. There’s even a number where the band has the audience sing along - naturally, "Space Oddity" was the choice for that. It’s a fun moment, literally bringing the audience into the performance.
Lenny Zenith speaks on Bowie’s queerness, as did several other performers. Zenith, sporting an elaborate eye shadow look, brings a great rendition of "Time," belting the final refrain with great gusto. Christina Ames performs Heroes, and recreates the iconic blue stripe across the face. Piege Seigwardt and Devon Perry don brightly-colored suits for "Under Pressure," as bassist Jeremy Chatzky plays the iconic bass line.
Some singers chose to model their performance close to Bowie’s original, such as Anna Roisman’s performance of "Life on Mars," where she excellently channels the starman. Mike Fontaine does the same on "Moonage Daydream," another classic from that era of Bowie. David Milone takes on "Changes" and gives an appropriately emotive performance. Jana Peri brings a great rendition of "Rebel Rebel," infused with that 70s glam-rock edge. David Mosey provides his vocals for "Big Brother," a lesser known song off of Diamond Dogs, in a performance that resonates nonetheless.
Overall, the show was much like Bowie himself. Dynamic, always ready with something different, but maintaining that signature offbeat charm and boundless charisma.
The Losers Lounge are doing another Bowie tribune show January 11th in Jersey City, N.J. Tickets available at www.loserslounge.com
Find more upcoming shows at Joe's Pub on their website.
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