During a recent phone interview with David Bowie impersonator extraordinaire David Brighton, the performer told me that throughout his years of emulating the influential icon, he’d strived to capture Bowie's essence. [Words by Gabe, photos by Tracy.]
What I (and the rest of the sell-out crowd) didn’t anticipate was the sparkling level of subtlety Brighton was able to encapsulate during his “David Bowie Experience” program. With the aid of a crack five-piece band, Brighton made believers out of each and every person who occupied all the available seats at Clearwater’s superb Capitol Theater on Saturday night … and he did so in grand fashion.
Cycling through a series of recognizable Bowie styles and eras, the multi-talented Brighton (who eerily looks and sounds a lot like Mr. Bowie) first took to the stage in an elegant “Thin White Duke” ensemble, boasting classy long-sleeved white shirt with black vest and slacks. His mannerisms, hand gestures and dance moves are derived from years and years of studying Bowie, and his vocal gymnastics did plenty to conjure the spirit of the late Glam Rock star as well.
Working his way through a thick sampling of Bowie’s enormous and vast catalog, Brighton wisely stuck to recognizable tunes and hit singles — and he had an abundance palette to choose from.
After a retrospective, mini-documentary was projected onto a screen at the rear of the stage, Brighton ripped into a blazing version of Bowie’s 1974 anthem “Rebel Rebel” and never really let up from there. As the night wore on and the band and Brighton became more comfortable with the rousing responses they received, the set list continued to gain momentum and the performer continued to lose himself deeper and deeper into his spectacular recreation of the spirit and the essence of David Bowie.
Brighton’s spectacular lead guitarist delved deep into the sexiness and unabashed rock power of the late Mick Ronson, Bowie’s Ziggy-era axeman. The spotless, seamless opening riff of “The Man Who Sold the World” was an instant reminder of the love and passion most of us in the theater still felt for Bowie’s art as well as for the color and character Ronson added to that amazing body of work.
And speaking of Ziggy, Brighton’s second costume change found him in a highly elaborate and incredibly faithful Japanese kimono/robe that soon gave way to a Glam pirate outfit, again in intense and incredible detail and strikingly faithful to real Bowie onstage duds.
A gorgeous version of the classic “Space Oddity” found most of the very mixed-aged audience singing along and reveling in the spirit of the rock giant who was sadly taken from us this past January. Definitely one of the many highlights of the evening.
A short intermission again gave way to filmed testimonials of the power and significance of Bowie’s influence before Brighton re-emerged, this time in a pale yellow suit reminiscent of mid-'80s, MTV-era look Bowie sported during the music video channel's heyday.
The hits and highlights continued, and amid them, a personal moment of delight when Brighton launched into a dead-on rendition of deeper cut “Cat People (Putting Out Fire),” pouring every ounce of his reverence into his delivery and nailing it in breathtaking fashion.
The two-hour show closed, fittingly, with a major Bowie hit from that era, the bouncy “Modern Love,” which had everyone jumping up out of their seats and singing and dancing along.
Brighton’s tribute is a fine show to behold and a loving tip of the hat to the genius of the one and only David Bowie. While there will never be another quite like him, Brighton’s faithful, tasteful and loving recreation of the man and his magic has proven a fine way to relive the magic and mystique Bowie left behind. Brighton's attention to detail and unabashed passion are highly commendable, and his ability to give longtime fans the chance to honor their hero, just for one night, is a gift many of us thought we’d never enjoy again.
This article appears in Jun 23-30, 2016.