David Bowie recorded Heathen at Allaire Studios in Shokan, owned property in the Hudson Valley, browsed the shelves at Woodstock’s Golden Notebook bookstore, employed three Ulster County residents in his band, and in 2003 played The Chance in Poughkeepsie. That is a lot of genuine local roots for an international icon, and it is what gives Robert Burke Warren’s annual Bowie Birthday Bash at Colony Woodstock more weight than a standard tribute evening. The 2027 edition is Saturday, January 9.
About the Show
Warren, a Phoenicia-based musician and writer, has organized the Bash every January since 2019, and every previous edition has sold out. The set covers Bowie’s full arc: from 1969’s “Space Oddity” through the Serious Moonlight era and on to 2016’s Blackstar, with the Eventbrite listing promising “a few surprises.” The show draws on deep cuts over radio staples, with arrangements spanning acoustic and full-band settings.
Warren’s own résumé repays a look. He spent the 1990s in the lead role of the West End production of Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story, worked as a globetrotting bass player with groups including the Fleshtones, toured more recently with the Mammals, and contributed compositions to records by Rosanne Cash, Wanda Jackson, and RuPaul, including “The Elephant In the Room,” which served as John McCain’s entrance music on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. He is also the author of the novel Perfectly Broken and is editing Cash on Cash: Interviews & Encounters with Johnny Cash for Chicago Review Press. His framing of the Bash — “Learning the songs of any genius writer and playing them live in a room full of people is a powerful communal experience” — explains why this show has sold out every year since it began. Earlier this year he extended the concept to City Winery in New York City, where he met Bowie’s daughter Lexi after the performance.
The 2027 band lineup has not yet been announced.
Venue & Logistics
Colony Woodstock sits at 22 Rock City Road, a 150-person bar and music venue in the Hudson Valley that has kept its winter calendar full while much of the regional scene goes quiet after the holidays. Doors open at 6 p.m.; music runs 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Attendees under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.
Tickets
Tickets are $29–$35. No refunds. Buy tickets.