The star David Bowie brought out for Ziggy Stardust’s final encore in July, 1973
It was easy to cast David Bowie into a world of his own, completely absorbed in his little bubble. But the reality was that he was a highly sociable man, and one with a pretty astounding eye for talent at that.
It was the prime reason he ended up with a band of such illustrious abilities yet mundane background – someone like Mick Ronson was a person that others may have judged and not taken a chance on. He was working as a school caretaker, not the most rock ‘n’ roll of jobs. But Ronson ended up being one of the greatest guitarists of his generation under Bowie’s wing. It was all part of his mantra of turning the ordinary into the sublime.
And yet, despite the Starman scattering his magic like gold dust wherever he went, there were always missed opportunities along the way. Some were of his making, some were not. One, however, came at a particularly pivotal moment: as Ziggy Stardust prepared to leave the stage, Bowie was trying to usher another future icon into the spotlight.
However, Jeff Beck was having none of it. Of course, Beck was also a bona fide star in his own right, but any suggestion of ever joining Bowie’s band was always firmly shut down. Was it nerves, intimidation, or even stubbornness? It’s difficult to say, but as the man himself put it, “Bowie originally wanted me to be in the band, but he got Mick Ronson, who he always said was his own Jeff Beck.” That’s pretty much a compliment to both of them.
Although Beck ultimately never became a permanent member of the gang, he swanned in one night at just the right moment to still take home some of the prestige. That was July 3rd, 1973, when Bowie was playing London’s Hammersmith Odeon – in other words, the final time he ever performed as Ziggy Stardust.
For the encore of the show, Beck came out to join the band, giving a rendition of ‘The Jean Genie’ and The Beatles’ classic ‘Love Me Do’, moments before disaster when Bowie announced that this was seemingly “the last show that we’ll ever do“, thus sending the crowd into a shocked meltdown.
Perhaps it was witnessing this descent into mass hysteria before his very own eyes that made Beck realise he was better off following his own path. After all, by that point in time, he was already treading the boards of supergroup territory alongside Tim Bogert and Carmen Appice. Bowie might just have sent his head spinning too far.
His stint alongside the Starman may only have lasted the duration of a one-night affair, but out of all the shows Beck could have chosen to do it on, there were few more legendary and iconic than that one. Bowie was set to move on to his most exciting new ventures, between a Stateside stint and the birth of the Thin White Duke, but at least he got to answer the question of what it might have been like to have Beck in his band.
That left Ziggy Stardust resigned to the grave, but no one could argue with the fact that his final hurrah was one that truly went out with a bang. Bowie was a major part of making that happen, of course, but much like his Midas touch, Beck might just have provided a little piece of the magic as well.
