Where Are We Now
By Andrew Andrews
Going into this show, I was expecting more of a full-on impersonation of David Bowie, and a greater focus on the singles that made him famous here in the States.
Forgetting that Bowie’s European hits playlist might be different, I was surprised when the performer opened with The Man Who Sold The World—although not exactly a deep cut, it’s not the first song that comes to mind when I think of the artist’s legendary career.
Of course, Bowie’s American Top 20 was well represented in the playlist: Space Oddity, The Jean Genie and Let’s Dance were all there, as well as a few others most people would recognize, if not identify with the singer.
But so were Hallo Spaceboy, Sweet Thing and a few other titles you likely wouldn’t expect from a so-called cover band.
Accepting that Ratzke is paying tribute to Bowie and not impersonating him, I appreciated the performance, although I would have enjoyed it more if some of the storytelling had been replaced by additional songs.
If you’re one of those “fans” who only know the 80s pop hits from Let’s Dance, you probably won’t think much of Where Are We Now.
But if you close your eyes during a song—and his northern European accent doesn’t slip out—you might very well be convinced that you’re listening to a recording of a live performance in an intimate venue by David Bowie himself.
Andrew Andrews attended Where Are We Now at La MaMa Downstairs in New York on Wednesday, December 11, 2019 @ 8:30pm to write this review.