David Bowie and The Gliderdrome

The music legend who sadly died today (January 10) following an 18-month battle with cancer, aged 69, was due to play the Spain Place venue with the Spiders from Mars on June 23, 1973.

The previous year he had released The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, a regular on lists of all-time great albums.

However, management closed The Gliderdrome in April 1973, due to vandalism, leading to the gig being cancelled.

Dave Peatling, who literally wrote the book on the history of the Gliderdrome (Goin’ to the Dance: A Personal History of the Boston Gliderdrome), said: “After several cases of vandalism - slashed seats et cetera - the management closed it because, they said, ‘youngsters are unwilling to accept reasonable discipline, rules and ordinary standards of behaviour’.”

However, it appears Bowie had played the venue a number of years earlier, only as David Bowie and The Buzz.

The date was August 13, 1966, several years before his breakthrough single Space Oddity in 1969. He would have been 19 at the time.

“He was on the same bill as two who had left The Merseybeats - Johnny and John. It was seven and six pence,” Dave said.