David Bowie 1974 ABC In Concert Original Hammersmith Odeon Promo Photo

Description

David Bowie, microphone in hand, photographed during the performance that marked the end of Ziggy Stardust. ABC issued this publicity photograph on October 1, 1974 to promote the October 25 broadcast of In Concert, featuring footage shot at London’s Hammersmith Odeon on July 3, 1973—the legendary final concert of the Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars tour. That night Bowie famously announced from the stage that it was “the last show that we’ll ever do,” effectively killing off Ziggy before a stunned audience.

What makes this example particularly appealing is that the photograph survives with its original ABC publicity material. The release identifies Bowie, the program and exact broadcast date, while the accompanying caption promotes his Hammersmith Odeon performance for ABC’s Wide World: In Concert. Rather than a later reproduction of an iconic Bowie image, this is contemporary television publicity distributed in 1974 as American audiences were being introduced to film of Ziggy’s farewell performance.

A great piece of original Bowie paper—part rock photograph, part television history, and directly connected to the last night of Ziggy Stardust.