Live Review: David Bowie: Nothing Has Changed

17 October 2016 | 4:31 pm | Joe Dolan

"The populace needed to come remotely close to this one man is astounding."

It's always dubious - to say the least - when news of an all-star tribute show starts making the rounds. The constant questions of who, what, and most importantly, how, inevitably rise to the surface. In David Bowie - Nothing Has Changed, indeed, nothing has changed.

Be that as it may, from the moment the lights dim and iOTA steps out in full costume, jaws drop and tingles instil. Reminiscent of Bowie's Ashes To Ashes clown, iOTA is dressed to the nines and, for many of the punters here tonight, the closest they'll ever get to the real thing. Along with Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and a full band at the helm, he hits every note of Space Oddity with sheer perfection. iOTA is a damn good surrogate.

Deborah Conway has the unfortunate responsibility of following the superb opener. Her rendition of Starman is ultimately daggy but nonetheless very enjoyable. This is truly a testament to the prolific nature of Bowie and his music - the entire show is expertly fragmented with peaks of genre and stylistic changes, yet it feels so natural.

It's starting to feel like Tim Rogers is always being invited to these sort of shows, but damn it all if he isn't the perfect man for the job tonight. His endearingly pompous energy pairs incredibly well with the orchestral backing, with a level of showmanship that would make the Thin White Duke blush.

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A string of showstoppers comes as Adalita nails Jean Jeanie, iOTA and Conway jam on Suffragette CitySteve Kilbey duets with backing vocalist Robyn Loau on China Girl, and Conway returns to knock Oh! You Pretty Things right out of the park. With iOTA closing the first half with Life On Mars? it's easy to wonder how they're going to top that.

Truth is, they can't. Kilbey reopening with Station To Station is comparatively lacklustre, but the show starts to pick up again as guitarist Ashley Naylor takes to the mic for Moonage Daydream. Part two of the evening's proceedings is a slow burner, but by the time Rogers is closing out the night with Bowie's prophetic final single, Lazarus, everyone is feeling the spirit of Ziggy once more.

The entire performance is definitely a musical success. The compositions are refreshingly unique, yet still respectful to the originals. MSO and co prove that the populace needing to come remotely close to this one man is astounding. It may not be The Man Who Fell To Earth himself, but when everyone returns for Heroes, it's hard to deny the spirit of Aladdin Sane is still here.