All about Bowie: This weekend marks the 10th anniversary of the passing of David Bowie, whose vast impact on 20th- and 21st-century popular culture far exceeds his career as a constantly evolving rock star. He tackled musical forms ranging from simple folk to classical, art rock and metal/industrial; championed sexual and intellectual freedom in ways that no one had witnessed before and turned androgyny into an art form; and wrote astounding lyrics that ranged from clever and mischievous, to delightfully raunchy, to the quietly profound observations of his “Space Oddity” astronaut protagonist Major Tom (“Planet Earth is blue/and there’s nothing I can do”).
His life, music and art are being celebrated at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco’s 15th annual Bowie Bash on Friday and Saturday. Mirroring Bowie’s career, the event serves up a little bit of everything: drag performances, burlesque; puppets, performance art and, of course, lots and lots of Bowie music. On Friday, the album for which Bowie is arguably best known, “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars,” is being highlighted; on Saturday, “Station to Station” and “Let’s Dance” are featured. Both nights offer performances by The First Church of the Sacred Silversexual, which bills itself as the “world’s only worship band devoted to the teachings of David Bowie.”
Doors open at 8 p.m.; shows start at 9:30. Tickets are $20-$29, or $30-$45 for a two-day pass. The Great American is 859 O’Farrell St. More information is at gamh.com.
Spice up your week: An iconic rapper and an up-and-coming comedian are teaming up on Thursday for the second installment of Oaktown’s Most Wanted. The rapper is none other than West Coast rap legend Robert L. Green Jr., aka Spice 1, who grew up in Hayward and has been a mainstay of the Bay Area hip-hop scene since he dropped his first album, a self-titled release, in 1992. He’s released 16 albums, helping to create the blueprint for West Coast rap and gangsta rap with their vivid, hard-edged tales of life on the East Bay streets.
He was mentored by another East Bay legend, Too Short; and perhaps his best-known record, “AmeriKKKa’s Nightmare,” featured contributions from 2Pac, E-40 and Method Man. Several of his albums have been certified gold, and while some have opined that he deserves to be a bigger star, his uncompromising approach to music has made him a hero to ironclad fans of classic hip-hop. Also performing in the Most Wanted show is Jerry Law, an Oakland-based comedian with a similarly raw approach. Having spent 15 years in prison, Law’s act touches on his hard life and the redemptive power of humor. Music artists Gianna Farren and LGFROMTHEBAY are also on the bill.
The show starts at 8 p.m. Thursday at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square in Oakland. Tickets are $35-$69 at yoshis.com.
Hooray for the horn blowers: The San Francisco Symphony’s ultra-impressive brass section players were lined up and ready to entertain the holiday crowd on Dec. 20, when, as the band Journey sings, the lights went down in the City. The concert spoiled by the power outage has been rescheduled for Sunday at 7:30 p.m. in Davies Hall, and the holiday theme still prevails. Brass, timpani and other percussion instrumentalists led by guest conductor Brad Hogarth will kick off with selections from Handel’s festive “Royal Fireworks Music” and continue with a lineup that includes Gaetano Maria Schiassi’s “Christmas Symphony,” excerpts from Bizet’s “Carmen,” the traditional carol “Fum, Fum, Fum,” the Suite from Astor Piazzolla’s “Maria de Buenos Aires” and Gustav Holst’s “Christmas Day.”
Ticketholders who have already purchased will have their seats preserved; those who can’t attend can call the box office to arrange an exchange, and everybody else can find tickets, $150-$275, at sfsymphony.org.
Opera, with popcorn: A seat with an excellent view of the New York Metropolitan Opera’s “I Puritani”—the estimable house’s first new production of Vincenzo Bellini’s last work in 50 years — can be had for less than $30 by clicking on the Fathom Entertainment website or the site of any the more than two dozen local theaters screening the “Live in HD” performance, hosted by soprano Ailyn Pérez, taking place at 10 a.m. Saturday.
The opera, “The Puritans,” is set in Plymouth during the English Civil War and revolves around the forbidden love match between Elvira, a Puritan, and Arturo, a Royalist, and their struggles to stay together. Lisette Oropesa, a Grammy-winning soprano, stars as Elvira opposite tenor Lawrence Brownlee, reuniting after performances in the same roles last year at the Paris Opera. Baritone Artur Rucínski and bass-baritone Christian Van Horn star as Riccardo and Giorgio respectively, and Marco Armiliato conducts. There will be two encore performances in theaters on Jan. 14.
To find locations and tickets, &27.69-$29.69, go to fathomentertainment.com.
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