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Monday, March 9, 2026

“And the nobody people”…

…“And the somebody people”

 Technically, “the somebody people” were all around me. On Sunday, March 8, 2026, I went to see “Gulf Coast Symphony Presents: Changes: A Tribute to the Music of David Bowie” at the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall.

This is something I’ve been waiting for since it was announced last year. I am not someone who frequently “goes to the symphony”; Broadway shows don’t count, so don’t try to talk some sense into “but you’ve gone to [name the show]”. I have wanted to see what the local group could do for Dame Bowie, as the last time I saw them perform, it was 2018 and Base Entertainment / Base Hologram brought “In Dreams: Roy Orbison In Concert - The Hologram Tour” to the same facility. I’m heard major artists doing one off performances with big name orchestras and they’ve been pretty good on record. I also totally have the July 4th “Boston Pops on the Hatch Shell” extravaganza embedded into my mind, solely based on growing up in Massachusetts as well as having ventured out to the scene of the concert during non-event days. The Gulf Coast Symphony would be something new for me, as I’ve not had the opportunity to see any Phillip Glass related shows (two different things, I know). Plus, this would be my second time seeing them do something anyway.

The theater was almost packed – I was eight rows from the stage and got to look around. However, with a heavy security presence, I could not take any photos or videos; it was strictly prohibited. There was someone a few rows in front of me, who was trying to record random videos and two different security members came at several different times to try to stop the person. They didn’t escort that person out, only stared at them and shook their head “no”, as the person was in the middle of the row and couldn’t be approached. Usually, people are asked to leave or have the stuff taken away. In this day and age, it’s hard to have people delete the multimedia off their smart phone because everything is automatically synced to the cloud; however, it’s then, that the person should be asked to leave (potentially). It is never a good feeling, but I’ve had it happen before – I got 35mm film taken away from me back in the day, but I got to stay for the whole concert; it was easier to destroy the film than have me leave, but they very well could have kicked me out. It was really nice of the security to let me back in. It’s a weird predicament, for sure. Therefore, at the end of this show, I was able to take a few photos during intermission, but have tried to blur out any faces in order to upload them here. At least it shows where I was sitting, and no, security didn’t stop me from taking the photos at this time since there was nothing happening. Had the show started, it would have been different.  

With the Gulf Coast Symphony, Maestro Kurtz made sure to keep his players on their A Game while six rock and roll guest musicians led the orchestra through an array of hits.

The guest musicians were (according to the bio on the symphony page):
(I'll try to do some linking at the bottom)

·         Julian Shah-Tayler (who was here in October with Strangelove; more on that later). “Born in Leeds, England, Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter, instrumentalist, and performer Julian Shah-Tayler (aka The Singularity) is a classically trained pianist and self-taught guitarist with a philosophy degree from York University. Julian has collaborated with music icons such as Mike Garson (David Bowie), David J (Bauhaus), Carmine Rojas (Bowie), Alain Whyte (Morrissey) and Robert Margouleff (Stevie Wonder/ Devo), and he recently finished executive producing the Aladdin Sane 50th anniversary cover album, Forget that I’m 50. Julian’s 2022 album Elysium was named #4 Album of the Year by New Wave Podcast, with singles “End of the Line” and “Melt” both earning critical acclaim. He won a Golden Trailer Award for his work with Lana Del Rey on Disney’s Maleficent, and his songs featured in Catherine Hardwicke’s film Plush. When he’s not creating, recording, or performing, Julian’s charity Art Angeles helps bring music education to underprivileged youth in Los Angeles.” (Vocals)

·         Joie Shettler, a “Los Angeles–based actress, dancer, singer, and voice-over artist originally from Tempe, Arizona. A Joe Tremaine scholarship recipient, she has performed with Michael Jackson and Prince, was a Laker Girl, and was an original Pussycat Doll. She’s appeared in film and TV, voiced Guardian Eulryeon in Exorcism Chronicles (earning a Best Ensemble nomination), and sings with The Radio Rebels and YACHTZEE. Joie has had the privilege of singing commercial jingles and demos for numerous professional projects, and she has been honored to sing backup vocals for many artists, with her most notable performances including The Brian Setzer Orchestra, and, most recently, with Perry Farrell of Jane’s Addiction, with his new band, Kind Heaven Orchestra.” (Vocals)

·         Walter Ino, “a Los Angeles-based multi-instrumentalist, producer, and musical director originally from Pittsburgh, where he was classically trained in piano. With decades of touring and studio experience, he currently performs as keyboardist, guitarist, and music director for Tommy DeCarlo (singer of Boston), and plays with Asia featuring John Payne and Voices of Classic Rock alongside Lou Gramm, Steve Augeri, and other legendary vocalists. From 2011 to 2018, Walter was a member of the Grammy Award-winning band Survivor, and later toured as lead guitarist for Eagles of Death Metal. A regular in the acclaimed Las Vegas show “Raiding the Rock Vault,” Walter has shared the stage with members of Heart, Foreigner, and Whitesnake. He is also a guitarist for “A Farewell to Kings,” an all-star tribute to Rush. When not touring, he performs throughout Los Angeles with top local musicians, records at his own “Secret Asian Man Studios,” and writes and produces music for television and film.” (Guitar)

·         Tom Polce, a “Connecticut native” who “studied jazz performance at New England Conservatory and Berklee College of Music before becoming a prominent drummer and producer in the ‘90s Boston music scene, performing as a member of the rock band Letters to Cleo and for solo artists such as Bill Janovitz. Tom has produced and/or performed with many acclaimed musical artists, including Bob Dylan and Eddie Vedder.” (Drums)

·         Ben White “plays electric bass, upright bass, and Chapman Stick, and is an accomplished backing vocalist, having made a name for himself as a versatile and reliable sideman performing with artists such as Mindi Abair, Magnetico, The Boneshakers, Warren Hill, Keiko Matsui, Pet Shark, and recording with artists like Don Felder and Sophie B. Hawkins.” (Bass Guitar)

·         Rocky Rose, “Originally from Ohio, Allison Piccioni (aka Rocky Rose) is a Los Angeles–based multi-instrumentalist, film composer, orchestrator, arranger, and performing artist. A Berklee College of Music graduate with a master’s from the Royal College of Music in London, she serves as a Professor of Composition for Screen and Orchestration. Her recent work includes scoring the Geena Davis documentary This Changes Everything, now streaming on Netflix. Allison has toured internationally as the keyboardist for Persian pop star Siavash Ghomayshi, performing across six countries, and completed a national U.S. tour of Evita, playing over 70 shows in 30 cities. Skilled with keyboards, guitar, bass, alto sax, and vocals, she has recorded at premier studios including The Village and EastWest, collaborating with Grammy-winning producers Rob Carranza and Matt Champlin on numerous projects.” (Keys/Keytar)


For what it’s worth, the guest artists did an amazing job playing what “we all know”. They actually did a few tunes a little livelier than normal, but it was their creative license to do so. I did notice the orchestra try to keep up in some places because the band was going too fast for the old symphony players to do a proper version. It was okay though, because, at the end of the night, the Gulf Coast Symphony helped elevate Bowie’s music to another level. It was fun, jovial, and I wish there was a soundboard mix down of this available somewhere. I would 100 per cent buy it, with no questions asked. It was really amazing seeing these rock stars perform with the symphony. I kept wishing at least one of Bowie’s band mates had been here to do a guest appearance, but beggars can’t be choosers. The six who were here, did a job well done and put a lot of the non-essential singles back on the map.

What was the track listing and what do I mean “non-essential singles”?

The program we received upon entering stated:

 Act 1

·         Five Years

·         Let’s Dance

·         Ziggy Stardust

·         Fame

·         Rebel Rebel

·         Dancing in the Street (Duo with Mick Jagger)- duet

·         Changes

·         Starman

·         Under Pressure- With Queen

 

*** Intermission ***

 

Act 2

·         China Girl

·         Life on Mars

·         Suffragette City

·         Fashion

·         Young Americans

·         Modern Love

·         Moonage Daydream

·         Space Oddity

·         Lazarus

·         Heroes

 

“Five Years”, “Starman”, “Suffragette City”, “Moonage Daydream” and “Lazarus” aren’t ones that are normal radio players. “China Girl” is an original Iggy Pop song, so maybe people know Iggy’s version instead, although I’m not familiar with it being played on a station.

Unfortunately, with this lineup, there were some ch-ch-changes. They added a few extra rounds to “Fashion” in act one (ran it longer), while taking out “Life on Mars” and “Lazarus” in act two. They also moved “Heroes” to the top of the second act, while ending with “Space Oddity” and Julian said something about how he sang it for NASA at the fiftieth anniversary of the Moon Landing.

I really wish they had kept “Life on Mars” and “Lazarus” in the production, because the former is an amazing song for the symphony to do, while the latter would have at least allowed a 21st century song to be played. There was nothing past 1983 in this show, so it wasn’t a complete specitacle of Bowie through the years. It would have been really neat to hear a current song done live and with an orchestra around it. The sad part is, it means it would be a song from the last album ever produced and released to the public (not to be confused with the Ziggy “this is the last show we will ever do” statement in 1973)

-Enter sad face-

The duets, I do have to point out, were not done the way the Live on Mars Tribute Band did things – that group used the jumbotron in their favor by using found / concert footage of “Under Pressure”, whereas the guest artists with the Symphony relied on each other. Julian was the main vocalist and he had Joie sing with him for both “Dancing in the Street” and “Under Pressure”. I must say, that girl has a pair of lungs. She nailed the Freddie bits, including the high octave at one point. There were fast fold projector screens flanking the stage, but they were used so people in the back / up in the balcony could see the performers (there were cameras following the artists and the videos were alternating between each person or focusing on the entire group).

When the show started, Julian came out performing in the Thin White Duke era outfit (1975). This is a stylized “aristocrat” type of silhouetted attire. Simple black trousers, white collared long sleeve shirt, and black waistcoat. The shirt was slightly unbuttoned and he was wearing some black chunky necklace. The shoes were… black but I don’t know what type. I’m not a shoe person, so I can’t tell you what kind, but I think tipped? His hair was also slicked back, well groomed. The rest of the band was in a mix of comfort: Joie Shettler had a green Aladdin Sane shirt with black skirt and shin high boots. Tom Polce was in pants and a black t shirt with some sun logo on it. Walter Ino had on a t shirt, pants and a blazer. Ben White had on something similar to Walter. Rocky Rose had jeans and a shirt, if I recall correctly. It’s honestly really hard to remember exactly what everyone was wearing. I know Julian is hyper specific, only because he was the front man and there was a lot of focus on him. The girls were also wearing bangle beads and bracelets. I remember that. After intermission, the band had come out, completely changed, to an extent. I think Tom was still wearing what he had on in act one, but Ben had on some jeans outfit (I think?). Joie was wearing bright pink tights with leopard print on the knees, with a patterned dark mini skirt. Her shirt was changed into something non db related. Walter changed his shirt and it was “LOVE” going down the chest, stacked, each line a different color of the rainbow. I think Rocky had changed as well. Again, without taking pictures, I’m of no service. Julian was in the 1980s “canary yellow” jacket and pants with a white collared shirt and undone black bowtie around his neck. His shoes were brown, tipped again, I think. This outfit was more famous for the 1980s “Let’s Dance” period, but there is a mustard yellow version floating around from 1974. The symphony players were all seated, wearing black pants and white jackets. Maestro Kurtz was wearing a white jacket that was lined with light green on the lapels and his pants were black. He had on a light green bowtie and cummerbund. The green was more light lime green than anything else.

One of the interesting things the band said, was there was such a delay in all of the Los Angeles people to get to Fort Myers, they arrived in dribs and drabs. Two came at one time, another person came at another point, two came later, another later than that. Ben's guitar arrived literally 30 minutes before rehearsal. They had to figure out things quickly, as time was of the essence in the afternoon. For as little time as they had (rehearsal started at 2 and they finally all got in the same space at 1:30), they sounded amazing at 7.

I stayed until the meet and greet at the end of the performance. Whoever did want a picture with the band was welcome to stay or at least say something to them. I unfortunately didn’t get my picture with the group, and I regret that now. However, I did go up to Julian and have a conversation with him. This is why I said in the beginning “more on that later”. Julian is a really nice guy when he’s not surrounded by loads of people, i.e. his rock star pals from the Strangelove group. He’s down to Earth and is very friendly. I shook his hand and thanked him for coming; I remember meeting him when he was here in October and he and the group marveled at my shoes and shirt. He said he completely had forgotten he was in Fort Myers until he was at the same hotel this time around and saw the performance hall. He travels so much, so everything is a blur. I said some things to agree with that, and reminded him about the show and what I had said then. He laughed and said he remembered it and remembered me. The conversation went on a bit more and we agreed on some topics while he was in Bowie mode instead of Strangelove mode. He seemed so much more relaxed and I’m sure it was partly due to getting some hydration in, but he also was a very cool guy to talk to. He had high fived me over how I agreed with something and seemed happy to have had the opportunity to speak to someone who had seem him here before. I think he was glad I said something, as I’m happy I did. I just wish now I got a photo. Oh well, it was still an experience and I enjoyed it.

Finishing this up, I really think that the Gulf Coast Symphony did a good thing for David Bowie’s music and definitely raised the bar for other bands to come in and try their versions. It was no Phillip Glass, but local artists can truly do the rock and roll lifestyle along with the bigger names out there. Having seen other celebrities come in and “turn it up to 11” and have so much fun with each other and with a genre not used to this type of sound, was one for the books. Having a phone free experience is great, except when you have the ability to use it at one point and fail to do so, it’s really gut wrenching. It is what it is; memories to last and maybe have another chance at this again. I’m glad I went and did this, even though the sound and vision person in me would love the full recording of the show, I know that’s an impossible ask, but it’s still something to think about. Too late now, I know. –shrugs- I also feel bad that I didn’t get autographs from the band. I said to myself, “You have the program booklet. You have a pen. Ask them for autographs”. Did I? No, but I had a very memorable conversation with the lead vocalist. That’s better than anything.


The view from where I was sitting
Same view, wider format










Until next time, listen to something different and don’t be afraid to step it up and ask for something.


Cheers;



See also:
(Amazon links)

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