Celebrating David Bowie

Celebrating David Bowie took shape after 10 January 2016, the day the English singer, songwriter and actor died at his Lafayette Street home in New York City, two days after his 69th birthday and the release of his twenty-sixth and final studio album, Blackstar. In the wake of that loss, the project emerged as a global concert series built around Bowie’s friends, bandmates, and world-class performers he had greatly influenced, giving full live performances without pre-recorded tracks.

The group’s 2017 launch run ran from January 2 to February 2, 2017, gathering musicians and collaborators of David Bowie on one stage. Among them was Gail Ann Dorsey, Bowie’s longtime bassist and vocalist, who had joined his Outside Tour in 1995 and contributed to Earthling, Heathen, Reality, and The Next Day, and who performed on the last six of his tours. The Cult frontman Ian Astbury also took part, recording vocals on ‘Rock ‘n Roll Suicide’ for the 2017 Cast – Celebrating David Bowie release.

A 2022 tour expanded the roster into a true all-star band. Fishbone’s Angelo Moore and drummer Travis McNabb, known for his work with Sugarland and Big & Rich, signed on for multiple dates alongside Todd Rundgren, Adrian Belew, and Royston Langdon of Spacehog. The revolving lineup keeps each performance distinct while honoring the source material.

Five decades after albums like Hunky Dory, Ziggy Stardust, and ‘Heroes’ reshaped music and fashion, the ensemble carries that legacy forward on stages worldwide, guided by the spirit Visconti described: Bowie always did what he wanted to do, and did it his way.