Bowing to Bowie, bluegrass heroine & the King of Pop

by Chris Aaland

I saw David Bowie live in concert twice: the Glass Spider Tour at Mile High Stadium in August 1987, with Duran Duran and The Outfield opening; and three years later on the first Sound+Vision Tour stop at McNichols Arena in June 1990. The first was a monstrously glorious spectacle … critically panned but financially successful. I was one of about 6 million people worldwide to catch the tour. His band featured three guitarists – Peter Frampton, Carlos Alomar and Charlie Sexton. The setlist, though, featured mostly late ‘70s and ‘80s songs and few of his classic hits. The second featured a stripped-down set, smaller band (Adrian Belew was the only guitarist other than Bowie, who also played all of the saxophone parts). It was pure, balls-out rock & roll.

The two shows contrasted each other, much like one era of David Bowie differed from another. He was the ultimate rock superstar, someone who seemingly crashed into Earth from outer space and made us all a little bit better because of it. Bowie will be missed, but his legacy will rival that of Beethoven, Mozart, Elvis and Lennon.

Four Corners favorite Martha Scanlan plays the Henry Strater Theatre on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

Longtime Four Corners favorite Martha Scanlan plays the next KSUT 40th anniversary concert series collaboration with the Henry Strater Theatre at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. She first gained notoriety locally by performing at such festivals as the Durango Bluegrass Meltdown, Silverton Jubilee and Telluride Bluegrass in the early 2000s with her old-time string band, Reeltime Travelers. Following their breakup a decade ago, Scanlan launched a solo career, with such acclaimed albums as “The West Was Burning” and her latest, “The Shape of Things Gone Missing, The Shape of Things to Come.” On the latter, she collaborated with her longtime musical partner Jon Neufeld (who will accompany her on her Durango date), Amy Helm and members of the Decemberists and Black Prairie.

Who’s Bad, the ultimate Michael Jackson tribute band, plays the Community Concert Hall at 7 p.m. Tuesday. Called an “unrivaled celebration of pop music’s one true king,” Who’s Bad has earned its name by paying studious attention to Jackson’s every original groove and gravity-defying dance move. It’s the longest-running Michael Jackson tribute band around and the only one to predate Jackson’s passing.

The Plateros, headed up by Levi Platero, return to Crash Music in the historic Aztec Theatre at 7:30 p.m. Saturday for the fourth time. Hailing from the Navajo Nation in New Mexico, the blues rock trio plays a mix of Texas blues and a touch of ‘70s rock. Levi was 12 years old the first time he performed on stage at the Gathering of Nations, North America’s biggest powwow. The trio’s first album, “Hang On,” was twice nominated for a Native American Music Award, in 2006 and 2008. They have been touring as part of the band Indigenous over the past year and are now rearing to release their second album.

The mixed quartet enhake returns to the St. Mark’s Recital Series at 7 p.m. Friday at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church. Possessing a knack for adventurous yet accessible programming, enhake has consistently distinguished itself with performances of startling quality. The quartet of Wonkak Kim (clarinet), M. Brent Williams (violin), Katherine Decker (cello) and Eun-Hee Park (piano) tackles everything from baroque to the Romantic era, classical to contemporary.

The Mancos Valley Distillery features The Barefoot Band, a one-man invention of singer-songwriter Micah Wyatt, at 7 p.m. Saturday. Wyatt uses a mix of acoustic instruments, instrumental effects, looping technology and beatbox skills, melding an old-time roots feel with contemporary traditions that cross genres.

The Met: Live in HD continues at 10:55 a.m. Saturday in the Vallecito Room of the FLC Student Union with Georges Bizet’s Les Pêcheurs de Perles. Bizet’s opera of lust and longing set in the Far East explores the timeless themes of pure love, betrayal and vengeance that vividly creates an undersea world.

Moe’s lineup includes dancing to DJ Kaztro on Friday, DJ Noonz on Saturday and hip-hop karaoke with Coolzey on Sunday.

Of note: Kirk James goes solo at 6512 at 6 p.m. Friday and brings the full band to Purgy’s from 2:30-5:30 Saturday afternoon; Black Velvet performs as a trio at the Derailed Pour House at 7 p.m. Friday and as a duo at the Sky Ute Casino’s Seven Rivers Steakhouse in Ignacio at 6 p.m. Saturday;

This week’s Top Shelf list features my 10 favorite Bowie recordings. Narrowing this to just 10 songs was difficult, so I cheated and picked 12.

1. “Life on Mars,” from “Hunky Dory,” 1971. Bowie’s craziest lyrics of all. The British music press went batshit crazy over this one. One ranked it as the greatest song of all time. Another called it “a cross between a Broadway musical and a Salvador Dali painting.” Tough to argue such logic.

2. “Ziggy Stardust,” “Suffragette City” and “Rock & Roll Suicide,” from “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust & the Spiders from Mars,” 1972. I couldn’t narrow it down to just one of these three. There’s no greater three-song ending to any album. Ever. Best played at ear-splitting decibels.

3. “Rebel Rebel,” from “Diamond Dogs,” 1973. Hot tramp, I love you so!

4. “Space Oddity,” from “David Bowie,” 1969. Both Bowie and his Major Tom character were introduced to the world on this tune.

5. “Ashes to Ashes,” from “Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps),” 1980. Major Tom reappears in what Bowie calls a 1980s nursery rhyme.

6. “Changes,” from “Hunky Dory,” 1971. It all started with Bowie’s sax, Rick Wakeman’s keys and Mick Ronson’s guitar, ushering in the Age of Glam.

7. “The Man Who Sold the World,” from the album of the same title, 1970. Bowie’s version was epic. Kurt Cobain and Nirvana cemented its legacy on “MTV Unplugged in New York.”

8. “Blue Jean,” from “Tonight,” 1984. Arguably Bowie’s finest ‘80s moment. The huge horn parts, which Bowie always had a great fondness for, make the tune.

9. “Across the Universe,” from “Young Americans,” 1975. Bowie switched gears for this cover of a late-era Beatles classic, transitioning from Ziggy Stardust glam rocker to a man obsessed with the swanky R&B of Philly soul.

Mickey Mouse has grown up a cow? Email me at chrisa@gobrainstorm.net.