David Bowie in Chicago, Il., August 3, 1983, Photo: Paul Natkin/WireImage
We, as a society, as humans, know that we have to lose heroes. No matter how inspiring, impactful, brilliant and famous you are, there is nothing more certain in life than death. Yet when someone who so many held in such an esteemed light leaves this world, it is almost impossible to not feel crushed. What’s more, it’s so difficult to not feel a grave sense of loss for a person who, chances are, you never met and may have only seen or experienced from afar. Still, it feels as though a loved one has left you.
When David Bowie died on January 10, 2016, it was the type of news that you read on your phone in a flood of Twitter comments or Instagram posts, tied to the tacky yet annoyingly applicable hashtag #RIP, that is so jarring that an immediate response is naturally a resounding, “No.” Then you realize that the story is valid, and a true sense of sheer astonishment and shock sets in. A fog of, “Why?” and “How?” as the world is forced to come to terms with the loss of an icon, a visionary. Then days later the questions are answered with a single, haunting term.
Cancer. What comes with the devastating blow to our constantly diminishing group of true legends was made even worse with the reality that it came at the hand of a vicious disease that so many Americans face. David Bowie lost a very secret 18-month battle with cancer.
Also: David Bowie Producer Describes Moment Singer Told Him He Had Cancer
Left with a hole in our hearts, but a call to action to fight this destructive force with education, prevention, early detection and research, the celebrated Chicago music house The Metro is hosting an event that promises to not only give a proper send off to one of the world’s most loved music idols, but to also raise money for the University of Chicago Medicine’s Comprehensive Cancer Center.
The event will take place on March 4th, with Sons of the Silent Age, and former collaborator and back up singer to David Bowie, Ava Cherry, performing “Station to Station”. Tickets are available at MetroChicago.com.
The Metro is one of the most respected music venues in the city of Chicago, and has hosted (and continues to host) some of the greatest musicians, past and present, on its stage. For owner and Chicago music industry power player Joe Shanahan, this event is something incredibly close to his heart. Not only is Joe Shanahan a long time David Bowie fan, and wanted to commemorate his life in a truly meaningful way, but Joe is also a cancer survivor. On March 4th, you can join in the ceremony of honoring a truly amazing entertainer and support cancer research in his name.
