When Blackstar came out in January 2016, I got my hopes up. Maybe, just maybe, this new album meant that David Bowie would go on tour. I made a promise to myself that I would spend anything—sell anything, take out a loan, do anything—for the chance to see Bowie live. Of course those hopes were dashed when just two days later the Starman died, and I’ve spent a lot of time since wondering what it would have been like to be in the presence of such an amazing performer and artist, how it must have felt to see him in his prime. After seeing the Bowie-inspired performance Floor Show, I feel like I don’t have to wonder anymore. And not in the sense that I saw someone do their best Bowie, but that I got to see Alex Grelle (soon to be, if not already, a legend in his own right) create a completely original, electric night of music, fashion, laughter, art, and many, many wigs celebrating the spirit of transformation.
Throughout the night I saw it, there was a sense of camaraderie among the audience members that felt rare. There were several moments where I would catch someone’s eye from across the room and we’d both be grinning our faces off as if to say “how amazing that we’re lucky enough to be here for this transcendent moment.” As Grelle continues to create, I have no doubt that there will be someone wondering what it would be like to be at that performance, to be in the presence of such a powerful performer. Lucky for you, there’s still time to say you were there when. Floor Show is a moment that you’ll want to live in forever. v
Through 3/1: Thu-Sat 9 PM, Sun 7 PM, Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division, chopintheatre.com, $20.
