Concerts

Celebrate Bowie the great in Beverly

The third incarnation of the Celebrating David Bowie tour will bring an all-star cast to The Cabot on Oct. 20.

2 minutes to read

The inaugural 2017 trek of the Celebrating David Bowie tour was limited to London, New York, LA, and Sydney.

2018’s itinerary included Europe, the UK, South America, and each segment of North America. This year, the participants will be on the road in the U.S. and Canada from Oct. 6 through Nov. 13.

Having visited Medford’s Chevalier Theatre in 2018, the all-star lineup is now set to take over The Cabot.

For the third time, the tour will include guitarist Adrian Belew, who got the job as Bowie’s axeman in 1978 at the recommendation of Brian Eno, who had seen Belew perform live with his then-employer, Frank Zappa. (This post at The Music Aficionado tells that story infinitely better than I ever could.)

Belew went on to appear on Bowie’s live 1978 recording “Stage” and the 1979 studio album “Lodger.” Eleven years later, he would return to Bowie’s employ as the guitarist and music director for the Thin White Duke’s 1990 Sound+Vision Tour.

Also returning to the CDB fold are Fishbone lead singer Angelo Moore (on many but not all dates) and Angelo “Scrote” Bundini, who organized the 2017 tour and coproduced this one with music executive Miles Copeland.

Newcomers include solo artist and touring guitarist Jeffrey Gaines (from Oct. 27-Nov. 5), Royston Langdon of Spacehog, saxophonist Ron Dziubla, bassist Angeline Saris, percussionist Travis McNabb, and a fella whom you may have heard of named Todd Rundgren.

Scrote told Rolling Stone, “One of the things we’re doing differently on this tour is featuring a three-guitar attack. David has always been famous for his spectacular guitarists – the epic solos of Mick Ronson, the bluesy feel of Earl Slick, the funkiness of Carlos Alomar and Nile Rodgers, the bombast of Reeves Gabrels, and the otherworldly guitar of Adrian Belew, who is still one of the most original guitarists working today. To explore all of these guitar sides of Bowie’s songs, we’re highlighting Adrian’s brilliance, Todd’s guitar wizardry, and whatever guitar mayhem I can muster in between.”

Belew told me when I spoke to him in July, “My friend Scrote is going to put together a great package!” Given the roster of consummate pros that he ended up assembling, it’s hard to imagine all but the most exacting of Bowie fans being disappointed with their recreation of the master’s magic.