Review: SSO's NOTHING HAS CHANGED pays tribute to Bowie at Sydney Opera House

Amidst the anguish of music-lovers everywhere mourning the all-too-recent passing of icons from the previous fifty years, there is bound to be offered an opportunity to gather and commune at the altar of the music that made them so dear to us. The loss of David Bowie was not felt so much by the mainstream, which brought quite an eclectic and sensitive crowd to the Sydney Opera House to see how the Sydney Symphony Orchestra would pay tribute to the man of many disguises.

The challenge of course for any tribute event is that every audience member will hold tight to their image of the artist, and Bowie had many images for people to cling to. In light of this, it seemed a good decision to allow multiple performers to connect with different facets of Bowie's creative persona, and what a canon they were! The chameleonic iOTA, zephyr Deborah Conway, underground rock rumbling Adalita, spinning star Tim Rogers, authentic Steve Kilbey, and silky Jack Ladder. Between them they spun spot-on renditions, personal interpretations and dance-in-the-aisle medleys. Although some of the transitions and on-stage antics gave a karaoke feel, there were some incredible moments that really touched the essence for the audience. Springing to mind were iOTA's Space Oddity opener, Conway belting Ziggy Stardust and Tim Rogers' heart-stopping Lazarus to close the show.

Under the conducting of Benjamin Northey, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra did incredible service to the music. Where Bowie's vocals stood him out from the crowd as much now as when he was at the pinnacle of the industry, this concert allowed audiences to truly understand the incredible layering and evolution of each track. It did appear however that there was some vocal mic trouble as much of the diction and volume was lost to the audience, perhaps as a result of technical or acoustics. Thankfully the orchestra and band truly were there to back it up. In fact highlights of the show came from the more homespun numbers by the band; musical director Ashley Naylor slaying Moonage Daydream, and Davey Lane doing Boys Keep Swinging which finally managed to nail the alluring arousal Bowie was known for as much as his music. Gratitude from this reviewer must go to iOTA and also to Tim Rogers for the interweaving of character that showed intimate connection with the theme of intimate inner expression Bowie represented no matter how flamboyant or reserved he appeared or behaved.

Creative Director Amanda Pelman's process that collated 30 songs that represented biggest hits as well as most known performances by the man himself, was truly inspired in that it allowed the performers to bring their favourites to the stage and thus show their hearts which is what all Bowie tributes should do. His music is so revealing, and it was all too clear which songs the performers - singers, band and orchestra alike - actually resonated with, making for a night of surprising authenticity.

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