Space Oddity- A trip Down Memory Lane
by Gerry Gerald on 4/15/25Balboa Theatre - San DiegoRating: 4 out of 5In 1987, as an American teenager, I saw David Bowie and Peter Frampton at Madison Square Garden for the Glass Spider Tour. To be honest, I don't remember much more than I went with my friend, Sam; Bowie dropped down to the stage from a large spider's single web; and Peter Frampton's solos were loud. I've lived in San Diego since 1998, but Saturday night for David Brighton's Space Oddity, I attended my first performance at the historic Balboa Theater; an experience my wife and I enjoyed very much. We sat in the Loge Level with a clear view of the 6 performers on stage. Initially, it seemed there were sound issues, possibly with the mix? But throughout the night, Brighton fiddled with his ear piece and the electronic contraption on his belt and the sound issues never seemed to be fully resolved. For example, the volume never seemed to reach the legendary rock-n-roll levels of the real Bowie or Frampton Comes Alive! Again, initially, the lead singing impersonator seemed a little distracted and his energy level wasn't reaching the Loge Level. I believe, in the first set, I saw Brighton shun a photographer with the wave of his hand. In the second set, to me at least, the energy level picked up and Brighton worked the enthusiastic crowd through "duets"of Bowie's plethora of hits, with many rising from their seats to dance, as well as, sing. Brighton's multiple costumes were memory jarring; almost inspiring me to get a second overpriced Michelob Ultra Tallboy. However, Father Time, as always, won and we each drank only one adult beverage. Which leads me to my personal preferences that weren't met. Artistically, a Bowie song I love that was not performed is TVC15 from 1976's Station to Station. Nearing the end of the second set, Brighton, while graciously introducing the rest of the band, also noted how long he had worked with each individual, revealing how long he's been impersonating the now deceased legend, a very long-time! Doing certain songs must get mundane and to Brighton's credit, there were songs in the set that I did not know by name. However, doing Starman, definitely one of Bowie's best, as a medley, cutting out one of the best expressions of loneliness in the r+r canon, "I had to phone on someone, so I picked on you, eww eww"was disappointing. At some point, during the performance, an enthusiast suggested the hidden treasure Andy Warhol from 1971's masterpiece Hunky Dory. Brighton acknowledged it'd been a minute since they'd last performed the tribute and he could only remember parts of the song. On that same classic album, is Bowie's encomium Song for Bob Dylan; the American song-writing legend was, evidently, one of Bowie's inspirations. Although older, Dylan is still living and fans can still see him perform live. Unfortunately, David Bowie's passing at the age of 69 in 2016 due to liver cancer makes seeing him perform live impossible. However, if you're looking for a Bowie like experience that spans 6 different decades, from the 60's to the twenty-teens, than go see David Brighton's Space Oddity the next time they role through and, hopefully, that won't be too long.