Courtesy of AXS TVAXS TV will pay homage to David Bowie by hosting a special screening of his classic 1973 concert film Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars tonight at 10 p.m. ET. The movie, which was directed by D.A. Pennebaker, was filmed at a historic July 3, 1973, show that Bowie and his backing group The Spiders from Mars played at London's Hammersmith Odeon venue.
The concert was the last gig on the tour in support of David's Aladdin Sane album, and also was the final show Bowie ever played with The Spiders from Mars. The film features behind-the scenes footage of David with his first wife, Angie Bowie, as well as dynamic performances of many of Bowie's best-loved early songs, including "Ziggy Stardust," "Changes," "Space Oddity" and "Suffragette City." It also features Bowie's renditions of The Rolling Stones' "Let's Spend the Night Together" and The Velvet Underground's "White Light/White Heat," as well as a version of his own "All the Young Dudes," which he wrote for Mott the Hoople and was that group's biggest hit.
Before breaking into the final song of the show, "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide," Bowie shocked the audience and, reportedly, the members of his band, by announcing, "Not only is this the last show of the tour, but it's the last show that we'll ever do." Good to his word, David never performed with The Spiders from Mars again.
"Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars is a perfect time capsule, putting David Bowie's fearless showmanship on full display and capturing the true end of an era that is still treasured by his legions of fans today," says AXS TV executive Michele M. Dix. "Throughout his career, Bowie has been credited with influencing countless artists across a wide range of genres and decades, and this performance makes it easy to see why."
Bowie died Sunday at the age of 69 after an 18-month battle with cancer.
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