Duran Duran.Photo: Nefer Suvio
Duran Duranis paying homage toDavid Bowieahead of thefifth anniversary of his deaththis weekend.
On Friday, what would have been the late rock icon’s 74th birthday, the band willrelease a coverof Bowie’s 1972 song “Five Years.” They’ll then perform it live during the global streaming concert,“A Bowie Celebration: Just For One Day!”
“When we got theZiggy StardustLP and put the needle in the groove, our first taste of its perfection was the song ‘Five Years,'” lead singer Simon Le Bon tells PEOPLE. “I can’t begin to explain how honored I feel for Duran Duran to be given the opportunity to perform this icon, and to place our name alongside Bowie’s for this commemoration of his music.”
For Le Bon, 62, his “life as a teenager was all about David Bowie.”
“He is the reason why I started writing songs,” he says. “Part of me still can’t believe in his death five years ago, but maybe that’s because there’s a part of me where he’s still alive and always will be.”
David Bowie in 1973.Michael Putland/Getty
Along with Duran Duran, PEOPLE announced on Wednesday thatBoy George,Taylor Momsen,Ricky Gervais, Gary Barlow and Ground Control (a supergroup made up of Slipknot’s Corey Taylor, Foo Fighters’ Taylor Hawkins and Jane’s Addiction’s Dave Navarro and Chris Chaney) have been added to the lineup for “A Bowie Celebration: Just For One Day!”
Previously announced performers include Andra Day, Adam Lambert, Gavin Rossdale, Michael C. Hall, Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor, The Smashing Pumpkins' William Corgan, Yungblud, Peter Frampton, Gary Oldman, Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott, Jane’s Addiction’s Perry Farrell, Kind Heaven Orchestra vocalist Etty Lau Farrell, Macy Gray, The Cult’s Ian Astbury, Halestorm’s Lzzy Hale, Ian Hunter, Anna Calvi, Atticus Ross, Mariqueen Maandig Reznor, Gail Ann Dorsey, the Rolling Stones' Bernard Fowler, Corey Glover, Lena Hall, Charlie Sexton and Catherine Russell.
Boy George; Taylor Momsen; Ricky Gervais.Charles Sykes/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty; Neilson Barnard/Getty; Nicholas Hunt/Getty
The featured vocalists will join alumni members of Bowie’s bands spanning his 1969 self-titled album through his final album, 2016’sBlackstar.
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For every $25 ticket sold for the concert, $2 will be donated to theSave the Childrenorganization, a charity that was deeply important to Bowie. In 1997, the organization was the beneficiary of funds raised from Bowie’s sold-out 50th Birthday Concert held at New York City’s Madison Square Garden.
Starting at 9 p.m. ET on Friday, the concert will continue to play on loop and will remain available for ticket holders around the globe to enjoy for 24 hours after its initial stream.
Fans can visit the event page athttp://rollinglivestudios.com/bowieto buy tickets, purchase VIP experiences and order exclusive merchandise.
source: people.com
