AXS TV honors the tremendous life and legacy of influential rock n’ roll icon David Bowie, with a special presentation of his classic 1973 concert film ZIGGY STARDUST AND THE SPIDERS FROM MARS–airing Sunday, January 17, at 10pE/7pP. This feature is the only known HD performance footage of Bowie in existence.
Filmed live at London’s historic Hammersmith Odeon venue on July 3, 1973, ZIGGY STARDUST AND THE SPIDERS FROM MARS captures the stunning final show of Bowie’s 60-stop London tour, supporting his acclaimed album Aladdin Sane. The film combines intimate backstage moments featuring Bowie and his then-wife, Angie, with some of the artist’s most beloved hits from his award-winning catalogue. The setlist includes such groundbreaking favorites as “Ziggy Stardust,” “Oh! You Pretty Things,” “Changes,” “Space Oddity,” “Suffragette City,” and “Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide,” as well as covers of the Mott the Hoople classic “All the Young Dudes,” Lou Reed’s “White Light/White Heat,” and the Rolling Stones standard “Let’s Spend the Night Together.”
ZIGGY STARDUST AND THE SPIDERS FROM MARS was shot by legendary director D.A. Pennebaker, who had originally planned on only filming a handful of songs at the first of Bowie’s two London gigs. Although having little familiarity with Bowie’s music, Pennebaker was so impressed by the star’s charismatic personality and powerhouse performances that he was compelled to turn the footage into a full-length film. Little did Pennebaker know, upon returning for the second show, that he would be capturing one of the biggest moments in rock history, as Bowie shocked the audience by announcing the retirement of the Ziggy Stardust persona at the end of the set.
“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,” said Michele M. Dix, AXS TV’s senior vice president, programming and development. “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.”
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AXS TV is the cable industry’s leading general entertainment network for live event programming. Launched in July 2012 by visionary entrepreneur Mark Cuban, AXS TV is dedicated to providing groundbreaking music programming, stand-up comedy performances from today’s top comedians, and hard-hitting mixed martial arts promotions. The network’s franchises include THE X FACTOR UK and NASHVILLE; as well as original programs such as THE BIG INTERVIEW with Dan Rather; THE WORLD’S GREATEST TRIBUTE BANDS; GOTHAM COMEDY LIVE; ART MANN PRESENTS; AXS TV FIGHTS; and INSIDE MMA.
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AXS TV is a partnership between Mark Cuban, AEG, Ryan Seacrest Media, Creative Artists Agency (CAA) and CBS. The network is available in the United States via AT&T U-verse, Charter, Comcast/Xfinity, DIRECTV, DISH, Suddenlink, Verizon FiOS, and other cable, satellite and telco providers, including members of the National Cable Television Cooperative. The network is also distributed in Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. For more information, visit the website, www.axs.tv; go to the Facebook page here and follow the company on Twitter, @axstv; on Instagram; Tumblr; Cyber Dust and YouTube.