Tony Zanetta
Photo: Unknown photographer
Tony Zanetta was a British tour manager who played a crucial behind-the-scenes role in David Bowie’s career between 1971 and 1973, one of the most explosive and transformative periods in Bowie’s life.
As Bowie’s tour manager during the rise of Ziggy Stardust, Zanetta was responsible for guiding an increasingly complex touring operation as Bowie evolved from a promising artist into an international phenomenon.
- Name: Tony Zanetta
- Born: Unknown
- Died: Unknown
- Role: Tour manager
- Bowie link: Tour manager (1971–1973)
- Core idea: Logistics and stability during artistic explosion
Entering the Ziggy Stardust era
Tony Zanetta became Bowie’s tour manager at a moment when Bowie’s career was accelerating at unprecedented speed. The period from 1971 to 1973 saw the creation and global impact of The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars and later Aladdin Sane.
Touring during this era was intense, unpredictable, and often chaotic — demanding a tour manager capable of adapting quickly to changing artistic and logistical demands.
The realities of early-1970s touring
Unlike later stadium tours, early Ziggy-era tours operated with limited infrastructure, tight budgets, and relentless schedules. Venues ranged from small theatres to rapidly expanding concert halls, often booked on short notice.
Zanetta’s role was to ensure that Bowie and the Spiders from Mars could function night after night despite constant travel, press obligations, and technical limitations.
Managing chaos and transformation
The Ziggy Stardust persona blurred the line between performance and reality, placing enormous psychological pressure on Bowie and those around him. Behind the scenes, stability was essential.
As tour manager, Zanetta acted as a buffer between Bowie, promoters, venues, and the unpredictable realities of life on the road.
From cult success to international breakthrough
During Zanetta’s tenure, Bowie transitioned from a cult figure into a major international artist. Tours expanded geographically, press attention intensified, and expectations grew exponentially.
Managing this rapid growth required not only logistical skill, but also discretion and trust — qualities essential to any long-term working relationship with Bowie.
The end of the Ziggy chapter
Zanetta’s period as Bowie’s tour manager concluded in 1973, the same year Bowie famously retired Ziggy Stardust on stage. This marked the end of one of the most mythologised chapters in Bowie’s career.
Zanetta’s work forms part of the unseen infrastructure that allowed that mythology to exist in the first place.
Tony Zanetta in Bowie’s creative universe
Tony Zanetta represents the essential early-career professionals who helped Bowie survive success before the machinery of global touring had fully formed.
In Bowie’s extended creative universe, Zanetta stands as a figure of transition — guiding Bowie through the leap from underground icon to international star.