Shirtless Michael Shannon Plays Iggy Pop at David Bowie Tribute Concert

While the 75th Golden Globes were underway in California, the David Bowie cover band Sons of the Silent Age were celebrating the music of their rock idol over in Chicago. If you had to guess which one of these events actor Michael Shannon was present for, it’d probably be the former, what with all the nominations racked up by his new movie The Shape of Water.

But it is the Shannonian Way to go against the grain, and that is precisely what you could say of the actor’s appearance at the tribute concert, where he forwent a tux in favor of, well, no shirt at all.

Joining Sons of the Silent Age onstage, Shannon assumed the mantle of Iggy Pop in Bowie’s Berlin days, and imbued his performance of “Lust for Life” with the same intensity that’s made him one of our best living actors. If you’ve only seen him playing buttoned-up, you’re going to want to give this video a click; Michael Shannon cutting loose is a sight to behold. (And if you need a little more Shannon content, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.)

“In ’77, Iggy sort of had this renaissance and went on tour and he was the badass godfather of punk,” said Chris Connelly, vocalist for Sons of the Silent Age. “And that’s what we’ve kind of asked [Michael Shannon] to be. And he’s definitely into the idea and I can’t imagine a better actor to do that.”

Since hitting social media, clips and pictures of Shannon’s performance have spread like wildfire, to the point that it’s hard not to hope that he won’t score a role as a rocker in the near future. Preferably in the same outfit that he’s sporting here.

Featured image: Lip Sync Battle