Songs of the Silent Age at Chicago's Metro Theatre, September 11, 2020

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Sons of the Silent Age

Sons of the Silent Age with Michael Shannon at Chicago’s Metro,

Jan 13, 2020 Sons of the Silent Age By Laura Studarus Photography by Joshua Mellin

On Saturday, Jan 11 Sons of the Silent Age performed at Chicago’s Metro as part of the annual benefit for NorthShore University Health System Kellogg Cancer Center patients. As per their yearly tradition, the band performed two David Bowie albums, this time hitting the audience with “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust” and “Station to Station.”

It would be easy to simply write the band off as a tribute project. After all, the effort started when Chris Connelly (The Revolting Cocks, Ministry) Matt Walker (Smashing Pumpkins, Garbage, and Morrissey) discovered a mutual love for the late king of glam. But doing so would be to minimalize the sheer amount of technical skill each member of the nine-piece outfit brings, thanks, in no small part, to a Malcolm Gladwell-approved number of practice hours. However, it’s Connelly—all strut and sass—that pulls the show together with pure personality and vocals that pay tribute to Bowie without directly imitating. Although it is worth noticing that he did continue the tribute with costumes from each three sets subtly recalling fashion choices from each of the album’s eras.

For anyone who has lived with these songs, the enjoyment factor was hard to deny, partiularly when joined by Knives Out actor Michael Shannon for a spirited vesion of “Ziggy Stardust” and “Suffragette City.” Completing the evening with an on-point version of “Under Pressure” (with Claire Massey stepping in on Freddie Mercury duties) and a haunting rendition of The Next Day single “Where Are We Now?” Sons of the Silent Age proved they’re not just imitators—they’re artists.

Check out more photos from the show from Joshua Mellin below.