A Bowie Celebration

Bowie Alumni Play Diamond Dogs & Ziggy Stardust 

TBA at 7:30 PM at Lebanon Opera House

Join key alumni musicians of David Bowie’s bands and world class vocalists from across the decades, for an unforgettable and critically acclaimed evening of Bowie songs featuring in their entirety the albums Diamond Dogs and Ziggy Stardust.  For those who never saw Bowie live, this is the closest you are going to get to hear the original music the way it was intended to be played.

Anchored by Mike Garson along with a revolving selection of additional amazing Bowie band alumni including Gerry Leonard, Carmine Rojas, Kevin Armstrong and Alan Childs, 2020’s A BOWIE CELEBRATION: The David Bowie Alumni Tour will focus on David Bowie’s fifth album Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, and Bowie’s eighth studio album Diamond Dogs – both ranked amongst the greatest albums of all time.

Keyboardist and band leader Mike Garson is the longest-standing member of any of Bowie’s bands, having performed with David at over 1,000 concerts and brings with him Gerry Leonard who was a Bowie music director and guitar player tour. Joining them are Let’s Dance/Serious Moonlight/Glass Spider bassist Carmine Rojas and Alan Childs who was Bowie’s drummer on his 1987 Glass Spider world tour.  Kevin Armstrong also joins the David Bowie alumni tour having recorded and played with Bowie including his famous Live Aid performance and Bowie’s first Tin Machine album and tour amongst other Bowie projects.  Between them, the alumni band have over 40 years experience of recording, writing and playing live with Bowie.  Joining the band are guest vocalists Corey Glover, founding member of Living Colour, Joe Sumner, and Sass Jordan.

The Bowie Celebration Band

Mike Garson, who performed on numerous Bowie albums, including his much talked about masterly solo on the Aladdin Sane track, was Bowie’s longest and most frequent band member. They performed together for both David’s first and last concerts in the United States as well as 1,000 concerts around the globe in between. On Garson, Bowie said “It is pointless to talk about his ability as a pianist. He is exceptional. However, there are very, very few musicians, let alone pianists, who naturally understand the movement and free thinking necessary to hurl themselves into experimental or traditional areas of music, sometimes, ironically, at the same time. Mike does this with such enthusiasm that it makes my heart glad just to be in the same room with him.”

Gerry Leonard was music director and guitar player for David Bowie on his “Reality” world tour and DVD along with Bowie’s previous two records, “Heathen” and “Reality”,  and their subsequent tours along with his “The Next Day” album. Further credits include recording and touring as guitar player and music director for artists such as Suzanne Vegas, Rufus Wainwright, Laurie Anderson, Duncan Sheik and Roger Waters.

Carmine Rojas toured the world with David Bowie, playing bass on several multi-platinum hits such as “Let’s Dance”, “China Girl”, “Modern Love” and “Blue Jean” on the Serious Moonlight and Glass Spider tours. He’s also recorded and toured with Julian Lennon and Rod Stewart as musical director and bassist.  In addition, Carmine has recorded and toured with the likes of Tina Turner, Keith Richards, Stevie Wonder, BB King, Mick Jagger, Eric Clapton and many more.

Kevin Armstrong first met Bowie in 1985 on sessions for Absolute Beginners after which he helped David put the band together and play for his Live Aid performance followed by recording the Bowie / Jagger song “Dancing in the Street” together. Kevin played on the Bowie’s first Tin Machine album and tour and wrote and played on the Outside album with Bowie who introduced him to Iggy Pop and was featured on their Blah Blah Blah album. Kevin continues to play with Iggy Pop today.

Alan Childs was Bowie’s drummer on his 1987 Glass Spider world tour and is featured on the tour album and DVD. Alan has also played with the likes of Julian Lennon, Rod Stewart, John Waite and many others.

GUEST VOCALISTS

Corey Glover is a founding member of Living Colour that earned numerous industry awards including back-to-back Grammys for Best Hard Rock Performance and has emerged as one of the most influential rock acts of all time: regularly selling out arenas and selling millions of albums.

Joe Sumner is a singer-songwriter and bassist for the rock band Fiction Plane. Sumner, a native of England, learned to play guitar and drums when he was a teenager, and was inspired to write songs when he heard Nirvana’s album Nevermind. An accomplished musician and singer, in 2017, Sumner toured with Sting on the massively successful 57th and 9th world tour.

Sass Jordan has received a Canadian Juno Award, Billboard’s Best Female Rock Vocalist award and was a judge on the hit Canadian Idol television program. Sass starred in the Off-Broadway production of “Love, Janis” and has worked with Aerosmith, The Rolling Stones, AC/DC, Steve Miller Band, Van Halen, The Foo Fighters, Cheap Trick, Santana, Joe Cocker, Styx, Rodger Hodgson, April Wine, Jeff Healy, and countless others. Her powerful voice has been compared to a cross between Janis Joplin and Melissa Etheridge.