BBC to broadcast David Bowie tribute concert in lieu of Glastonbury this summer

The BBC will reportedly broadcast a "spectacular" David Bowie tribute concert in lieu of its Glastonbury Festival coverage this summer. 

According to The Mirror, the concert will be a "celebration" of the legendary musician's "continued legacy among today's artists", with proceeds from the event to be donated to the Teenage Cancer Trust and the music therapy charity Nordoff and Robbins — one that the 'Starman' worked closely with in his lifetime.

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Sources claim that a production company is currently booking acts for The O2 Arena, London, including some of the “world’s greatest young artists", who will be backed by an "all-star band" and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

As well as acting as a celebration of Bowie's legacy 10 years on from his death in January 2016, the concert will also reportedly “fill the void” left by the BBC's coverage of Glastonbury, as the festival takes a break for its quadrennial fallow year this summer.

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"[The BBC] see this as the jewel in the crown of their summer music plans in a year without Glastonbury," sources told The Mirror. "They are throwing everything at it."

According to Official Charts, there has never been a large-scale concert in tribute to David Bowie, with the closest being a show held at New York's Carnegie Hall in 2016, which featured performances from Cyndi Lauper, Bettye LaVette, Pixies and Debbie Harry. 

[Via: The Mirror]

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