Marc Bolan’s final show
The late T Rex frontman Marc Bolan should have had the majority of his life in front of him before a car accident in 1977 proved to be fatal. Bolan’s career was flying once again after he’d become the host of his own musical television show, cementing his return to the mainstream, and the future looked bright once more.
While T Rex held less commercial power than they did in the early 1970s, the band had returned to playing significantly sized venues on tour, and everything was headed in the right direction. Furthermore, as Bolan and T Rex had established themselves over several albums, they no longer needed to rely on their songs landing in the hit parade in order to retain their success.
The final year of Bolan’s life began with a lengthy tour with T Rex across France and the United Kingdom, which ended on March 20th in Portsmouth. Following a two-month break from the road, the group reconvened for a one-off performance at Gröna Lund in Stockholm on May 24th, which sadly proved to be their final headline show.
The venue’s primary function is to be an amusement park, hosting artists such as David Bowie, Jimi Hendrix and Iggy Pop over the years. In the same year as T Rex graced its stage, Gröna Lund also welcomed performances from Bob Marley, Thin Lizzy and The Clash as part of its summer concert series.
The concert marked the end of an era for the band, with Miller Anderson departing T Rex following the show in Stockholm. Although T Rex never again performed a full headline show, they did participate in recording Bolan’s television show, Marc.
The six-episode series was recorded at Granada Studios in Manchester, featuring star-studded guests such as David Bowie, Queen’s Roger Taylor, Hawkwind, The Boomtown Rats, 10cc, Showaddywaddy and The Jam.
The last recording for Marc took place on September 7th, 1977, nine days before Bolan would tragically lose his life. On the broadcast, Bowie delivered a rendition of ‘Heroes’ with Bolan also performing ‘Deborah’, ‘Groove A Little’ and ‘Ride A White Swan’ with T Rex. The programme ended with Bowie joining the group for a jam, with Bolan closing off by thanking his musical guests, telling the audience, “All the cats, you know who they are”.
Although it was only a relatively low-budget television show, it had proven to be a hit and had been renewed for a second season, which was derailed by Bolan’s death. Sadly, by the time his final performance was broadcast, the singer’s funeral had already taken place.
After a difficult period in the middle of the ’70s, Bolan had finally got his mojo back and was enjoying a career renaissance. Unfortunately, the fatal car crash on September 16th, 1977, would cut his comeback short just as it was getting in full flow. Nevertheless, the iconic body of work he left behind is a reminder of his genius and continues to maintain his legacy.
Watch Bolan’s final performance below.
