Gaga's tribute kicked off with an extreme close up on her face, with an image of Ziggy Stardust's famous make-up, superimposed over her. When Gaga started singing that's when the performance took a turn for the worse. Dressed in a high waisted jump suit that looked more Elvis (circa late 70's) then Ziggy, she rushed through a disjointed medley of Bowie's legendary hits, including Space Oddity, Changes, Ziggy Stardust, Suffragette City, Rebel Rebel, Fashion, Fame, Under Pressure, Let's Dance and Heroes.
Unfortunately, Gaga's tribute seriously missed the mark.
Gaga's performance left fans wondering, was this a showcase for Gaga or a Bowie centric tribute?
Gaga's performance was more about a Gaga resurrection or comeback into the current music scene, then about honoring Bowies contributions and legacy to Rock music.
The tribute was chaotic and more about Gaga transforming into Bowie (at one point she even distorted her voice to emulate his signature sound) versus Gaga just simply being Gaga and singing (in her signature voice) a tribute to Bowie. We would have preferred Gaga chose one song and put her unique spin on it.
We must admit, the entire production of the awards ceremony also displayed an unformatted, chaotic, disjointed collection of visuals. The Director was off in the pacing and the sound quality confused viewers.
Now, lets not shoot the messenger. Clearly, Gaga stepped up to the massive challenge. She is an obvious fan and where were the other artists to pay tribute to Bowie this year? Not one other well known musician felt compelled to honor Bowie?
There is no question Gaga is a super fan of Bowie and in the end she did ultimately honor his legacy just by taking a risk. Sometimes the risk reward doesn't payoff but, taking a risk is essentially honoring the essence of what Bowie was all about.
Speaking of the music scene or shall we say, lack of music and more about an abundance of narcissistic self aggrandizement, the current music scene is entrenched in a formulaic machine that generates at best, mediocre music. Overall, the music generated today seriously lacks elements of what Bowie's music symbolized: real substance, originality, authenticity and a sense of sacrifice and struggle.
Bottom line, if Bowie represents the passing of a musical era and Gaga is the Millennial representative expected to carry on the spirit of Ziggy Stardust, then what will be the future of Rock and Roll?
Will any new artist truly carry on the substantial cultural impact that Bowie and several artists of that era contributed to society?
Only time will tell...
