Five years. You have to get through it. Not everyone is always charmed by the petite girl diction of Roos Rebergen (Roosbeef). But what a throat. And what a presence. So it's more than ok that Roos Rebergen is on David Bowie's career anniversary party did something daring: perform a translation of Five Years, the opening track from David Bowie's classic album Ziggy Stardust. And it worked. Refreshing. Emotional. Impressive.
That the translation of Bindervoet & Henkes was, she felt it was very important to say, but that will bother most of the Bowie fans present, however educated. Although Bindervoet & Henkes have worked wonders before with the works of Shakespeare, with James Joyce and, of course, with Bob Dylan. No little guys, then, and you need that for Bowie's work too. Because it often seems so simple, while it is not. That too was evident on this evening at Rock Church Paradiso. Hero Tom Barman (of Deus) tumbled hoarsely from his pedestal in an attempt to sing the song Quicksand (from the album Hunky Dory) in its original key. And his guitar was also out of tune.
Especially at the beginning of the three-hour evening, there were surprises. Of course it was brave of Nico Dijkshoorn to come up with a story about his ex Corrie, and then do three chords of Hillbilly-Heroes, and it was very funny that writer Thomas Verbogt also had an ex called Corrie. But of course we didn't come for that. We didn't actually come for either Trio Beer, but what a likable guest that Jan Eilander is, so: forward.
Bowie, that's a bit different for everyone. Those who were there 50 years ago have a different Bowie than those who woke up at Let's Dance. And those who were only at Outside boarded at Paradiso will have looked completely surprised. All songs covered had been written before 1980, when Bowie could still be seen as a singer-songwriter with very special qualities. With a guitar, some booze and hubris, you can go a long way. By the campfire.
After 1980 everything changed, and in the 1990s and 2000s things got really complicated. A guitar alone won't get you very far on 'I'm Afraid of Americans', and none of the audience had apparently found the time to memorise the chord progression of 'the Stars are out tonight'. While the very work Bowie released in 2013 and 2014 can be counted among his best ever.
So was it a shame that a tribute night for Bowie was only about his early childhood? Yes, but everything was made up for by the women. Apart from Roos Rebergen, there was of course closing act Wende Snijders, and Sofie Winterson, and Cut Unerscore and Anneke van Giersbergen. Some more surprising than others, but all with the great advantage that they generally did, and the men generally did not, manage to approach Bowie's vocal range. And that's nice, after all.
Then again, the most festive part of the evening was reserved for the (old) men. They performed a massive version of Boys Keep Swinging. Which, although it totally missed the point of the original, but who cares.
Maybe Bowie himself. The God who was absent from his own church. While some had hoped He was sneaking in from his Amsterdam hangout would pop by again.
Next time?
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