On February 10, 1972, the yet-to-be-superstar David Bowie stepped on the stage of The Toby Jug pub in London making his first appearance as Ziggy Stardust. At the time, Bowie had found some popularity with his song “Space Oddity” in 1969 and other work, but he had been searching for his own style and broader success. Bowie’s album about Ziggy, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, would not come out for six months after Ziggy’s first appearance.
Still, at least some of the sixty patrons of the pub recognized something big was happening. One audience member later recalled: “Bowie had brought theatre to a humble pub gig….I couldn’t blink for fear of missing something—nothing would ever be the same again.”
The alien rock star Ziggy arrived at the right time. The music of the album and Ziggy’s story of a rock star coming to earth and finding his destruction was perfect for the time. Rock music was changing, London was facing economic hard times, and the world was embraced by a Cold War. Bowie’s album went to number 5 on the U.K. Albums Charts (and number 75 in the U.S. n the Billboard 200).
Below is another 1972 performance from a little later in the year on June 21, 1972. The video features video from a Dunstable show synced with audio from another 1972 show. Check it out.
For more about Ziggy Stardust and his impact on society and music, check out this BBC documentary, David Bowie & The Story Of Ziggy Stardust. Among the interesting tidbits in the documentary, the narrator explains how Anthony Newley had an impact on Bowie.
