Legendary guitarist Earl Slick has revealed why he's reuniting David Bowie's iconic Glastonbury 2000 band for a special charity event, calling it "the best configuration of people he ever had."
In an exclusive interview, Slick reflected on his decades-long collaboration with Bowie and explained what makes the upcoming 'Live On The Loch' charity weekend different from previous tribute events. The event marks the 10th anniversary of Bowie's death and will take place at Loch Lomond in Scotland on November 7-8, benefiting Save The Children.
"When he got in the shit, he called me," Slick told NME, highlighting the special bond he shared with the music icon. "The hope was always there for a tour in his final years."
The Glastonbury 2000 lineup—considered by many to represent Bowie's peak live performance era—featured Slick alongside keyboardist Mike Garson, bassist Gail Ann Dorsey, multi-instrumentalist Mark Plati, and drummer Sterling Campbell. This same group would continue performing with Bowie throughout his final tours in the 2010s.
Slick explained why he stopped participating in Bowie tribute events after 2019: "It got to the point where it felt like we were doing Bowie-oke, so I stopped. You can only do that so many times without David there."
But the upcoming charity event promises to be different. "There's more to it this time," Slick said. "It'll be a multimedia thing, there will be a nice set, we'll have a great dinner with a multi-Michelin star chef, we'll have movies and photos, you'll get to talk to us, and you're in a beautiful resort in Scotland. As opposed to just a bunch of blokes getting up there and blowing through a set—that's boring."
Bowie's 2000 Glastonbury performance has become legendary in music history, marking his triumphant return to mainstream recognition after a decade of experimental work in the 1990s. The upcoming reunion represents not just a musical event but a celebration of Bowie's enduring legacy and the special chemistry of what Slick calls "the best configuration" of musicians Bowie ever assembled.