Review: Destination Live: Bowie – The Greatest Hits Show at Theatre by the Lake

“…fantastic… easily the best way to enjoy Bowie’s music live…”

Destination Live: Bowie – The Greatest Hits Show, Theatre by the Lake, Keswick

By Ken Powell

It’s hard to go wrong with an evening dedicated to music by The Thin White Duke. It would be slightly bizarre for you to get a ticket if you didn’t at least like Bowie’s music. More likely, you’re going because you love his music (and possibly the musician himself). Well, the audience at Keswick’s Theatre by the Lake were definitely fans and, despite the fixed seating in the theatre, a good number of them were stood up and bopping away for many of the songs. We were all joining in with the best known hits. It’s fair to say that a good time was had by all.

This good time included the musicians themselves, who clearly love Bowie’s music and thoroughly enjoy playing cracking arrangements that sound the way Bowie’s musicians would have played. So many great tunes including Rebel, Rebel, Heroes, Life on Mars, Starman, Changes and The Man Who Sold the World. I can’t name them all, there were so many.

The band enjoyed performing despite the fact that they appeared to be all battling the sound desk with, at times, so many hand signals going on on the stage that the semaphore could have landed Boeing 747s safely. At times the vocals were swamped by the instruments – annoyingly so for Under Pressure where one of the backing singers (Kerry Green) got a chance to shine. At other times we could barely hear key instruments like Si Brown’s keyboards on Ashes to Ashes or the horns for Changes. It was frustrating because the lead singer, Ross Kerr, had an excellent voice that, despite this band insisting that they don’t try to pretend to be Bowie, was often a really close imitation of the star’s distinctive voice. The one time the sound desk got things right was for David ‘Showtime’ Gray’s incredibly trombone solo, which was like nothing on this earth. Phenomenal sound and exceptional improv skills. If you’re on the fence about seeing this group perform at their next gig, go to hear this guy’s playing if nothing else!

Sound desk troubles aside, the band played and sang fantastically and we were wonderfully entertained for well over two hours. This eleven-piece band knew every note perfectly and revelled in going through so many of Bowie’s hits.

Which brings me on to a couple of niggles I had with the set list…

I have no idea why the band decided that arguably Bowie’s most famous song – Space Oddity – was performed midway through the first half. It felt as if it was a song they didn’t like but knew they had to perform it, so got it out of the way early on. I expected it to be an encore song – one the whole audience would surely join in with.

Secondly, I was mortified, bordering on heartbroken, that they chose not to do any song from the wonderful movie, Labyrinth – surely Bowie’s most loved film role and one which still brings in new young fans to this day, thanks to the movie’s cult status. What’s more, Underground – the main hit from the film – is a cracking gospel-inspired number. I really did expect to see it in the list.

But, to an extent, the point is that no set list is going to please every Bowie fan because there are simply too many good tunes to squeeze into a single evening. With nearly 400 songs, written and recorded over six decades, I can imagine that there are many discussions in the band about what to put in and what to leave out. I got the impression that for Ross Kerr this is an agonising set of decisions because he clearly adores Bowie. Who can blame him? Bowie was an icon and an incredible writing talent. I’m not sure I’d go as far as Kerr’s assertion that he’s the greatest songwriter ever, but he certainly ranks up there with the best of them.

And so, I didn’t allow concerns about placement of songs or missing ones to spoil my enjoyment of what was, quite simply, a nostalgia-filled evening of fantastic music, reminding all of us just how special our London boy was and how his legacy continues on, ten years after he joined Major Tom and left this Earth. I was pleased this wasn’t a tribute band, dressing up in leotards and make-up pretending to be the great man. Instead, it was a celebration of the music – a sound-bath of pure joy that emanates from all of Bowie’s music even when dealing with addiction or unfortunate accidents in space. This is a band I could listen to again and again and love the experience even more each time. Easily the best way to enjoy Bowie’s music live. If you get a chance to see them on stage – grab it.

Destination Live: Bowie – The Greatest Hits Show plays at Theatre by the Lake on Saturday 13 June.

Ken Powell is chief editor for Northern Arts Review and is also a bestselling author and writer for various publications around the world. A former school teacher, he continues to write educational books along with fiction and travelogues. You can find all his books and various websites here including his popular TEDx talk about the Global Village. He lives with his family in a wonderfully isolated village in West Cumbria where he enjoys drinking tea, chatting with the birds and winding up his dog. You can support his work (or just buy him a coffee) here.