The Waiting Room was shaking Saturday (1/26) for Bennie Does Bowie IV!
Playing to a near sold out crowd, Bennie and the Gents handed out raucous covers that would make the Thin White Duke proud!
Opening the show were fellow rockers And She Was. These guys and gal were really good. They played nine originals and a stellar cover of “American Girl” by Tom Petty which really got the crowd moving. I never tire of the amazing talent Omaha has to offer! And She Was had a great mixture of blues, pop, rock, and even a little country twang.
The highlight of the set for me personally was the catchy little ditty “Lost and Found.” Guitarist Alex exclaimed “I really love this one!” It was probably because the song had a shredding, technical solo! Whatever the reason, I definitely enjoyed it and so did the crowd.
In true rock star form, there was a pretty long break after And She Was. Finally, around 10:30 Bennie and crew hit the stage ready party! Everyone in the band oozed with 70s style. Bennie in a vest and coat tails, Keith in a suit jacket with no shirt, Erika in a shiny silver jacket, and bass player Randy had a full glitter suit!
Not only did they look the part, but all of the songs were performed to perfection! Bennie did a great job capturing Bowie’s essence, and really played to the crowd. During many of the songs Bennie would reach out to the swooning ladies for a sing-along or give a little thrust driving everyone wild. Guitarist Keith was shirtless by I think song three, showing off his human canvas. I noticed several girls toward the front of the stage trying to get a piece of the Omaha rock star. I’d also like to give a huge shout out to drummer Mark Blackman for playing with And She Was AND Bennie. What a workout!
The set focused on Bowie’s work from 1972 to 1974, so you know they gave up the goods. All the classics we know and love from the Man Who Fell to Earth were there, Ziggy Stardust, Space Oddity, Rock and Roll Suicide, All the Young Dudes, it was a smorgasbord of hits!
I think my favorite part of the set was when Bennie brought out saxophonist Brian for “Changes.” There was a noticeable uptick in crowd participation, myself included! There’s just something about that chorus mixed with the wailing sax that brings back a John Hughes-like nostalgia.
Speaking of youth, I couldn’t believe how many kids I saw in the room! From as young as nine or ten, there were kids with Bowie shirts and flowered hair everywhere! For many generations David Bowie will go down as one of the best in the business, but it’s amazing to see his influence on future generations is still going strong!
I really hope Bennie keeps this tradition going. My only request would be a section of Labyrinth songs next time. Keep on rockin Bennie!
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