How to properly encompass the legacy of a musical icon, whose career features not just a wide range of musical stylings, but also myriad different appearances.
That’s the challenge singer Michael Bell says he enjoys taking up each night he brings The Bowie Lives performance to the stage.
“We start with his first hit Space Oddity and end with Lazarus, his last hit,” says Bell, who leads the show into the Midland Cultural Centre on Nov. 24.
“As a singer, it’s fantastic, it’s challenging. I’m exploring my own vocal range.”
Bell recalls playing to an enthusiastic crowd at the MCC last fall.
“We got a great response,” he says. “There are a lot of Bowie fans out there. Bowie fans are a unique bunch because they tend to be creative types.”
That might be due to Bowie’s diverse catalogue of music that covers everything from folk to his work with Brian Eno in Berlin to glam rock, synth pop and rhythm and blues, according to Bell.
“It’s a big package,” he says of Bowie’s extensive musical offerings and counts Young Americans as the first Bowie album he grabbed off a record store’s shelves when he was 14 years old.
“If you suddenly get tired of Ziggy Stardust, just wait," he says of the show. "My personal favourites (to sing) when I’m really on are Young Americans and Changes.”
A fan of David Bowie since he was a teen, Bell took to the stage to honour Bowie following the musician's death in January of 2016. Bell teamed up with musical director Michael Beauclerc and the pair began to hold auditions to put together a band capable of recognizing the late singer.
While Bell says that Bowie’s Let’s Dance period where he appears as a suave gentleman is generally the audience’s favourite era, the show encourages audience members to dress up as “their favourite Bowie.”
There’s also audience participation sprinkled throughout the show, including having them sing the famous ‘wham, bam, thank you ma’am’ stanza from Sufraggrette City.
As well, they perform the Bowie/Annie Lennox version of Under Pressure and normally enlist a local female vocalist to perform the former Eurythmics singer’s part.
“We have different guests in different markets,” he says, noting they’re still looking for someone to perform at the Midland show, which creates wonderful exposure for that singer.
“It’s an opportunity to get on a good stage and perform.”
But he notes that discussing the man’s music doesn’t even touch on the fashion choices he inspired with his varied looks over the years.
During his recording career, Bowie would become Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane and the Thin White Duke. He’s described as both a “dapper gentleman and a stylish freak,” who is widely considered to be as much of a stylish innovator as a musical vanguard.
“He was a wonderful person,” Bell says, noting Bowie lived a life of “not taking yourself too seriously.”
Bell says they do a great job of recreating Bowie's special place an important figure in the history of modern music.
“I’ve got a really stellar band with an incredible sax player,” Bell says, noting the same core group has come together for a number of annual successful fall tours.
“We’re already booked solid for 2025.”
Besides the show and opportunity to evaluate one’s favourite Bowie persona, there’s also the Bowie Bazaar, which gives collectors of Bowie memorabilia, a chance to, perhaps, discover something new and exciting.
“I’ve really tried to create a happening,” Bell says, noting that some of the most inspiredly dressed audience members are invited onstage during Fashion to.
“They get their turn on the catwalk.”
Tickets are on sale for the Midland performance and additional details on the show are available here.
