English singer-songwriter Yungblud and American pianist Mike Garson, revived David Bowie’s hit single “Life on Mars?” in celebration of NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover landing. The artists did an edgy rendition of the classic that’s sure to evoke pride in Bowie fans everywhere.
The performance, complete with the theatrical flair characteristic to Bowie, was streamed by NASA immediately after the landing. It was played along with a slideshow of photos showing excited viewers watching from home.
Watch the Performance Here:
Yungblud’s raw and emotional vocals did the late musician’s vocals justice, solidifying the powerful moment in time.
NASA landed the Mars rover today to collect samples in hopes of discovering remnants of ancient extraterrestrial life on the Red Planet. The landing comes as sweet relief to the hundreds of people involved in making the 203-day-long, 300 million-mile mission a success. NASA states in their mission overview that “there are several ways that the mission helps pave the way for future human expeditions to Mars and demonstrates technologies that may be used in those endeavors.”
Originally part of a Bowie celebration livestream hosted by Garson, the performance was teased in a tweet by the official David Bowie Twitter account earlier today: “If the rover lands successfully, you’ll hear Yungblud’s cover of Bowie’s classic at the end of the #CountdownToMars.”
A live Bowie celebration tour that was set to take place in September featuring Garson has recently been canceled due to concerns surrounding COVID-19. The tour had been rescheduled previously due to similar concerns, but a post on the tour’s Twitter page suggests they will proceed once things are safe.
Yungblud has also just announced that his Occupy the UK tour is postponed for the second time due to COVID-19 concerns. In a video the young artist shared on Twitter, he revealed “I am feeling so down that I can’t be with you all now, but I’m looking forward to when we can be together.” This news comes after the previous cancellation of Lollapalooza 2020, where the artist was set to perform alongside acts like Guns N’ Roses, The Strokes and Cage The Elephant. The artist appeared in a live streamed version of the event last summer.