Arcade Fire singer and songwriter Win Butler led the procession with renditions of several Bowie songs like “Fame,” “Heroes,” and “Oh! You Pretty Things,” while hundreds followed along, many dressed in Bowie-like attire.
Butler also paid tribute to his friend and collaborator earlier in the week with a statement praising him for his vision and for his help over the last decade.
“He not only created the world that made it possible for our band to exist, he welcomed us into it with grace and warmth. I will take to the grave the moments we shared; talking, playing music and collaborating as some of the most profound and memorable moments of my life. A true artist even in his passing, the world is more bright and mysterious because of him, and we will continue to shout prayers into the atmosphere he created.”
It was a warm crescendo to the week after the music legend’s death from cancer at age 69. By Friday, Bowie’s new album and self-styled requiem Blackstar had become the no. 1 album on the U.S., U.K. and Australian charts and fans had put 19 of his albums on the top 100 album chart in the U.K. It was Bowie’s tenth no. 1 overseas, but amazingly, the first time Bowie has ever had a no. 1 album in the U.S.
