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Watch Phish Perform David Bowie's Entire 'Ziggy Stardust' Album In Vegas November 2, 2016 00:09

Photo by Rene Huemer

Monday night marked another highly historic milestone for veteran jam band Phish, as the band performed David Bowie's The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars in its entirety at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.  This would be Phish's first true musical costume since 2010, when the band took on Little Feat's Waiting For Columbus at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey.  This set would also feature a nine-piece backing band, which included Trey Anastasio Band's Jennifer Hartswick as one of three backup singers, as well as a six-piece string arrangement.  

Trey Anastasio, Page McConnell, and Mike Gordon each took on his fair share of lead vocals, and drummer Jon Fishman even jumped in the mix for a verse on the opening track "Five Years."  The tribute was one of serious nostalgia, as Gordon handled vocals on "Starman," McConnell took center stage for "Ziggy Stardust," and Anastasio revealed his true, inner frontman for "It Ain't Easy" and "Rock & Roll Suicide."  We could go on and on about this set, but fortunately, video footage as surfaced via YouTube user Tom Rowles for your viewing pleasure.

Watch Phish perform David Bowie's entire "Ziggy Stardust" album in Las Vegas here:

According to Anastasio and McConnell, the decision to pay tribute to Bowie in 2016 was a challenging, yet easy decision:

“It was a conversation we had pretty quickly,” said Anastasio. “‘Oh, Halloween is coming up. Let’s do Ziggy Stardust.'”
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“You can’t point to anyone else in rock who was so relevant for so long,” added keyboardist Page McConnell. “It’s hard to know how to honor them all, [but Ziggy on Halloween] felt right. And there are no weak links – no fluff, no filler. Every sonic detail is intentional, more than on any other album we’ve covered.”


Phish will take some much deserved time off over the next two months in preparation for another four night New Year's run at Madison Square Garden in New York City (December 28th - January 1st).


Watch String Cheese Incident & Karl Denson's Prince/Bowie Tribute at Electric Forest June 29, 2016 17:58

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This past weekend marked the sixth annual Electric Forest, the annual music festival headlined by The String Cheese Incident in Rothbury, Michigan.  The festival also served as the first three shows of The String Cheese Incident's 2016 summer tour.  It's no secret that 2016 has been a tough year for the music industries, losing many icons including both Prince and David Bowie.   Bands have been paying tribute to both artists throughout the year, and Cheese did so in fine fashion on Saturday night.  Early in the second set, the band called on none other than Karl Denson (saxophone) for a killer sequence of Prince's "Kiss," Bowie's "Let's Dance," Prince's "Let's Go Crazy," and Bowie's "Space Oddity."  Thankfully, some fan-shot footage of the tribute has surfaced on YouTube.
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Electric Forest Festival is a four-day multi-genre event, with a focus on electronic and jam band genres, held in Rothbury, Michigan, at the Double JJ Resort. The original event was called Rothbury Festival, debuted in 2008, and focused on jam bands and rock bands. The event was not held in 2010. Electric Forest, which debuted in 2011, is co-produced by Insomniac Events and Madison House. The 2015 event drew an estimated 45,000 attendees.
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Watch String Cheese Incident & Karl Denson cover Prince's "Kiss" & David Bowie's "Let's Dance" here:
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Watch String Cheese Incident & Karl Denson cover David Bowie's "Let's Dance" here":
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Watch String Cheese Incident & Karl Denson cover Prince's "Let's Go Crazy" here":
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Setlist: The String Cheese Incident at Electric Forest, Rothbury, MI - 6/25/16

Set 1:  BollyMunster, Song In My Head > Dudley's Kitchen, Sweet Spot, Falling Through the Cracks, Turn This Around > Can't Wait Another Day, Beautiful

Set 2: Believe, Stop Drop Roll, Kiss* (Prince) > Let’s Dance* (Bowie) > Let’s Go Crazy* (Prince) > Space Oddity* (Bowie), Search, Valley of the Jig > Kinky Reggae, Colliding, Jellyfish > Just One Story

* w/ Karl Denson


A Collection of Bowie Covers: Umphrey's McGee, Widespread Panic, Phish, STS9, moe., & Keller Williams January 11, 2016 09:47

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Foreward by Preston Barnes of Guitar Loves / Live & Listen
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We have lost a true rock icon. Just two days after his 69th birthday, the legendary artist, David Bowie, passed away last night after an 18 month battle with liver cancer. Bowie was as original of a musical artist as there was. He created music that influenced artists across the musical spectrum, and his influence still strongly persists today. His career spanned over 50 years and brought the world so many memorable songs and moments. Bowie was a genius, plain and simple. For us guitar lovers, we must also remember that he helped launch the career of a young, Texas blues guitarist named Stevie Ray Vaughan.  Clearly, he saw something that he knew the world had to see, and boy was he right.
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Bowie's legacy is hard to put into words because it was so profound. As BBC writer, Will Gompertz put it, Bowie was the "Picasso of Pop." He showed creative artists how they should live their lives: with no fear, no regrets, but with wild ambition. He was a creator and was creating almost until the day he died, as his last album, "Blackstar," was released three days ago on his birthday. Oh, and his recent play, "Lazarus," has already become a hit off-broadway. David Bowie meant so much, to so many, for so long. He was Ziggy. He was Starman, the Thin White Duke, Aladdin Sane, among many more...but to everyone, he was David Bowie, and he will be missed. R.I.P. David Bowie.
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Make sure to follow Guitar Loves on Facebook and Instagram for more premier music/guitar related content!
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As a tribute to the timeless catalog of David Bowie, we have compiled a collection of our favorite Bowie covers, from the likes of Umphrey's McGee, Widespread Panic, Phish, moe., and Keller Williams!
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Umphrey's McGee w/ STS9 - "Let's Dance" :: Chicago, IL :: 08.17.13
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Widespread Panic - "Heroes" :: Atlanta, GA :: 12/31/15
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Phish - "Life on Mars" :: The Clifford Ball :: Platsburgh, NY :: 08.16.96
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moe. - "Ziggy Stardust" :: Philadelphia, PA :: 10.31.15
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Umphrey's McGee w/ Keller Williams - "Fame" :: Jam Cruise 4 Pool Deck :: 01.07.06
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Listen to Keller Williams covering "Under Pressure" from his live album Stage:
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Foreward by Preston Barnes of Guitar Loves / Live & Listen

Legendary Artist David Bowie Dies at Age 69 January 11, 2016 07:24

Legendary British singer/songwriter David Bowie has passed away at age 69, after an 18-month battle with cancer.  His son, film director Duncan Jones, confirmed the news via Twitter early this morning, and a statement was issued on Bowie's social media accounts:  "David Bowie died peacefully today surrounded by his family after a courageous 18-month battle with cancer. While many of you will share in this loss, we ask that you respect the family’s privacy during their time of grief." 

Bowie was an English singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, arranger, painter, and actor. He had been a figure in popular music for over four decades, and was known as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s. His androgynous appearance was an iconic element of his image, particularly in the 1970s and 1980s.

Well known for his flamboyant alter ego, Ziggy Stardust, Bowie's other hits include "Let's Dance," "Space Oddity," "Starman," "Modern Love," "Heroes," "Under Pressure," "Rebel, Rebel," "Fame," "Life on Mars," and many more.  Bowie released his latest album Blackstar this past Friday, on his 69th birthday.  The influential singer-songwriter and producer excelled at glam rock, art rock, soul, hard rock, dance pop, punk and electronica during his eclectic 40-plus-year career.  

Thank you for a lifetime of transcending music and memories, Mr. Bowie.