Seu Jorge Touring for Bowie
Seu Jorge at Théâtre Maisonneuve Photo MIchael Eidelson.
Wes Anderson is known for his array of directorial work. Amongst his repertoire of stunningly shot films lies one of Anderson’s most notorious films to date The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. From a stellar cast of actors to an incredible style of cinematography that is so distinctly Anderson’s taste, the film has garnered wide claim fame for many different reasons. One reason in particular is the soundtrack of the film which is provided by Brazilian musician and actor Seu Jorge. He covers a handful of David Bowie songs for the films score and does so while singing all the lyrics in Portuguese. Bowie’s passing left an impact on people and what it means to be a fan of the eclectic and awe-inspiring artist. In celebration of the highly influential musician, Seu Jorge is touring the country to celebrate with us his charisma towards the starman himself, David Bowie.
Théâtre Maisonneuve slowly filled with eager fans of both Anderson and Bowie fans alike. A sea of red toques could be spotted throughout the giant auditorium as more people flocked towards their assigned seats. The lights dimmed and the curtains split open, and in the middle of the stage sat Jorge who was dressed up as his character from The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. Accompanied only with his guitar, Jorge began the show by talking to the audience in French. He explained how he ended up being in the film, meeting Wes Anderson, and what it was like being on set with the cast. After playing two to three songs in a row he would talk to the audience again, this happened frequently throughout the night. His presence in the room feels safe and his voice is calming to listen to. As someone who doesn’t speak a word of French, everything that Jorge talked about sounded comforting and like it came from a place of being perfectly content.
Jorge played a handful of hits from the notorious musician’s line of work. “Five Years” had everyone cheering. The renditions for each song were different but was easy to tell which song was being performed. The fact that everything was sung in Portuguese didn’t deteriorate from any of the experience. In fact, it made it more intriguing to see Jorge pull off all of these classic songs in a different language.
“Changes” and “Suffragette City” had people applauding before either of the songs were in full swing. Around Jorge were nautical props that filled the space around him emulating the set of the movie. He looked comfortable and was constantly smiling towards the audience while performing. Each song he played looked effortless on his part, as if it was second nature for him to be on stage in front of the thousands of people. “Space Oddity” was another track that was later played and stunned the audience as to how powerful Jorge’s vocals can come off.
After an hour of performing, Jorge placed his guitar gently next to him and thanked everyone for coming. But knowing Montréal, everyone in the room wanted more from the singer-songwriter and kept the wall of constant cheers going. Eventually, Jorge stepped back out onto the stage where behind him was a looped video of the movie that was edited with images of Bowie in them. He performed “Rebel Rebel”, “Oh! You Pretty Things”, and “Queen Bitch” which were songs that he had already performed earlier on that night. The audience was entranced by his lovely guitar playing and sweet vocals, Jorge covered every Bowie song exceptionally well. After the last song, the audience stood up from their seats and applauded the remarkable musician one last time before he left the stage. As he bowed and turned around, he looked up at the screen that had a giant projection of Bowies face on it. He pointed at it and looked back at the audience, which caused another uproar of cheers in honor of the unparalleled legacy that was David Bowie.
