David Bowie honoured by host of stars at memorial gigs

The first of two David Bowie tribute concerts took place in New York on Thursday (March 31), with Blondie's Debbie Harry, Cyndi Lauper and Michael Stipe among the artists who joined Bowie collaborator Tony Visconti at Carnegie Hall.

Debbie Harry sang 'Starman', Cyndi Lauper sang 'Suffragette City' and Laurie Anderson (ex-wife of Bowie collaborator Lou Reed), sang 'Always Crashing in the Same Car'.

The Guardian reports that Stipe sang an almost whispered version of 'Ashes to Ashes' alongside Karen Nelson during the gig.

"God bless David Bowie," Jakob Dylan said after performing 'Heroes' while Rickie Lee Jones performed a version of 'All the Young Dudes'.

The Flaming Lips brought a more trippy feel to the night when they sang 'Life on Mars' whilst sitting on the shoulders of a bandmate dressed as Chewbacca from Star Wars.

The Roots pulled out of both Bowie tribute shows, citing "bitchassness" and complaining about the organisers of the concerts.

The concert was initially announced prior to Bowie's death and was supposed to be a retrospective on his career. However, following his death it turned into a chance for artists to pay tribute to the late British icon.

The final song of the night was 'Space Oddity' performed by the NYC Children's Choir, who were joined by a star-studded backup singer ensemble.

A similar second tribute concert was held last night (April 1) at Radio City Hall (shown below).

Watch footage from Thursday's (March 31) concert, below: