Bowie during the Ziggy Stardust Tour.
Tour by David Bowie
Start date 29 January 1972 > End date 3 July 1973
Legs 6 > Shows 182
The band
David Bowie – vocals, guitar, harmonica
Mick Ronson – guitar, vocals
Trevor Bolder – bass
Mick “Woody” Woodmansey – drums
Matthew Fisher – piano (20/04/72 – 27/05/72)
Robin Lumley – piano (2/06/72 – 15/07/72)
Nicky Graham – piano (1/08/72 – 7/09/72)
Mike Garson – piano, mellotron, organ (22/09/72 – end of tour)
John Hutchinson – rhythm guitar, 12-string acoustic guitar (8/04/73 – 20/04/73)
Aynsley Dunbar – additional drums (8/04/73 – 20/04/73)
Geoffrey A. MacCormack – backing vocals, percussion (19/01/73 – end of tour)
Ken Fordham – saxophone (19/01/73 – end of tour)
Brian Wilshaw – saxophone, flute (19/01/73 – end of tour)
Tour Dates
Date – City – Country – Venue
UK Leg of the Tour
1972/01
19th London, Royal Ballroom (Rehearsals) – UK 
29th Aylesbury, Friars Club, Borough Assembly Hall (Warm Up Show) – UK
1972/02
3rd Coventry, Lancaster Arts Festival (Cancelled) – UK
10th London, Tolworth, Fox At The Toby Jug – UK
11th High Wycomb, High Wycomb Town Hall – UK
12th London, Imperial College, Great Hall – UK
23rd Chichester, Chichester College – UK
24th Wallington, Public Hall – UK
25th Eltham, South London, Avery Hill College – UK
26th Sutton Coldfield, Belfray Hotel – UK
28th Glasgow, Glasgow City Hall – Scotland 
29th Sunderland, Locarno Hall – UK
1972/03
1st Bristol, Bristol University – UK
4th Portsmouth, Guild Hall – UK
7th Yeovil, Yeovil College – UK
11th Southampton, Guild Hall – UK
14th Bournemouth, Chelsea Village – UK
17th Birmingham, Birmingham Town Hall (Cancelled) – UK
1972/04
17th Birmingham, Town Hall – UK
20th Harlow, The Playhouse – UK
21st Manchester, Free Trade Hall – UK
29th High Wycomb, High Wycomb Town Hall (Cancelled) – UK
30th Plymouth, The Guild Hall – UK
1972/05
6th London, Kingston Polytechnic – UK
7th Hemel Hempstead, Pavilion – UK
11th Worthing, Assembly Hall – UK
12th London, Central Polytechnic – UK
13th Slough, Technical College – UK
19th Oxford, Oxford Polytechnic – UK
20th Oxford, Oxford Polytechnic – UK
25th Bournemouth, Chelsea Village – UK
27th Epsom, Ebbeisham Hall – UK
1972/06
2nd Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle City Hall – UK
3rd Liverpool, Stadium – UK
4th Preston, Public Hall – UK
6th Bradford, St George’s Hall – UK
7th Sheffield, Sheffield City Hall – UK
8th Middlesborough, Middlesborough Town Hall – UK
10th Leicester, Leicester Polytechnic – UK
13th Bristol, Colston Hall – UK
17th Oxford, Oxford Town Hall – UK
19th Southampton, Southampton Civic Hall – UK
21st Dunstable, Dunstable Civic Hall – UK
24th Guildford, Guildford Civic Hall – UK
25th Croydon, Fox At The Greyhound – UK
30th High Wycombe, Grammar School (Cancelled) – UK
1972/07
1st Weston-Super-Mare, Winter Gardens (Cancelled) – UK
2nd Torbay, Rainbow Pavilion – UK
8th London, Royal Festival Hall – UK
14th London, King’s Cross Cinema – UK
15th Aylesbury, Friars Club, Borough Assembly Hall – UK
18th Aylesbury, Friars Club, Borough Assembly Hall – UK
1972/08
1st-14th London, Theatre Royal Stratford East (Rehearsals for Rainbow Theatre) – UK
19th London, Rainbow Theatre (Rehearsals) – UK
19th London, Rainbow Theatre – UK
20th London, Rainbow Theatre – UK
28th Bristol, Locarno Centre, Electric Village – UK
31st Bournemouth, Starkers, Royal Ballroom – UK
1972/09
1st Doncaster, Top Rank Suite, St. Leger Festival – UK
2nd Manchester, Hard Rock – UK
3rd Manchester, Hard Rock (Two Shows) – UK
4th Liverpool, Top Rank Suit – UK
5th Sunderland, Top Rank Suit – UK
6th Sheffield, Top Rank Suit – UK
7th Hanley, Top Rank Suit – UK
North American Leg of the Tour
1972/09
22nd Cleveland, Public Hall – USA 
24th Memphis, Ellis Auditorium – USA
28th New York, Carnegie Hall – USA
29th Washington, Kennedy Centre – USA
1972/10
1st Boston, Boston Music Hall – USA
7th Chicago, Public Auditorium – USA
8th Detroit, Fisher Theatre – USA
9th Indianapolis – USA
10th St Louis, Kiel Auditorium – USA
11th Kansas City, Memorial Hall – USA
15th Salt Lake City – USA
14th Denver – USA
16th Chicago (Cancelled) – USA
20th Santa Monica, Santa Monica Civic Auditorium *FM broadcast – USA
21st Santa Monica, Santa Monica Civic Auditorium – USA
27th San Francisco, Winterland Auditorium – USA
28th San Francisco, Winterland Auditorium – USA
31st Seattle – USA
1972/11
4th Phoenix, Celebrity Theatre – USA
11th Dallas, Majestic Theatre (Cancelled) – USA
12th Houston, Houston Music Hall (Cancelled) – USA
13th Oklahoma City (Cancelled) – USA
14th New Orleans, Lagola University – USA
17th Fort Lauderdale, Pirate’s Cove Amusement Park – USA
18th Atlanta – USA
20th Nashville, Municipal Auditorium – USA
22th New Orleans, The Warehouse – USA
23rd Louisville – USA
24th Cincinnati – USA
25th Cleveland, Entertainment Arena – USA (Two Shows)
26th Cleveland, Entertainment Arena – USA (Two Shows)
28th Pittsburgh, The Stanley Theatre – USA
30th Philadelphia, Tower Theatre – USA
1972/12
1st Philadelphia, Tower Theatre – USA (Two Shows)
2nd Philadelphia, Tower Theatre – USA (Two Shows)
2nd UK Leg of the Tour
1972/12
23rd London, Rainbow Theatre (Two Shows) – UK
24th London, Rainbow Theatre (Two Shows) – UK
28th Manchester, Hard Rock (Two Shows) – UK
1973/01
5th Glasgow, Greens Pavilion (Two Shows) – Scotland
6th Edinburgh, Empire Theatre – Scotland
7th Newcastle, City Hall – UK
9th Preston, Guild Hall – UK
19th-25th Tottenham, Royal Ballroom (Rehearsals) – UK
2nd North Americans Leg of the Tour
1973/02
6th-13th New York, RCA Studios – USA (Rehearsals)
14th New York, Radio City Music Hall – USA
15th New York, Radio City Music Hall – USA (Two Shows)
16th-20th Philadelphia, Tower Theatre – USA
23rd Nashville, War Memorial Theatre – USA
26th Memphis, Ellis Auditorium – USA
27th Memphis, Ellis Auditorium – USA
1973/03
1st Detroit, Masonic Temple Auditorium – USA
3rd Chicago, Aragon Ballroom – USA
10th Los Angeles, Long Beach Auditorium – USA
11th Los Angeles, Long Beach Auditorium – USA
12th Los Angeles, Hollywood Palladium – USA
Japan Leg of the Tour
1973/04
8th Tokyo, Shinjuku Koseinenkin Kaikan – Japan 
10th Tokyo, Shinjuku Koseinenkin Kaikan – Japan
11th Tokyo, Shinjuku Koseinenkin Kaikan – Japan
12th Aichi, Nagoya Kokusai Tenji Kaikan – Japan
14th Hiroshima, Hiroshima Yubinchokin Kaikan – Japan
16th Hyogo, Kobe Kokusai Kaikan – Japan
17th Osaka, Osaka Koseinenkin Kaikan – Japan
18th Tokyo, Shibuya Kokaido – Japan
20th Tokyo, Shibuya Kokaido – Japan
3rd UK Leg of the Tour
1973/05
12th London, Earl’s Court – UK
16th Aberdeen, Music Hall (Two Shows) – UK
17th Dundee, Caird Hall – UK
18th Glasgow, Greens Pavilion – UK
19th Edinburgh, Empire Theatre – UK
20th Norwich, Theatre Royal (Two Shows) – UK
21st Norwich, Theatre Royal (Two Shows) – UK
22nd London, Romford Odeon – UK
23rd Brighton, Brighton Dome (Two Shows) – UK
24th London, Lewisham Odeon – UK
25th Bournemouth, Winter Gardens – UK
27th Guildford, Guildford Civic Hall (Two Shows) – UK
28th Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton Civic Hall – UK
29th Hanley, Victoria Hall – UK
30th Oxford, New Theatre – UK
31st Blackburn, King George’s Hall – UK
1973/06
1st Bradford, St George’s Hall – UK
2nd Leeds, University (Cancelled) – UK
3rd Coventry, New Theatre – UK
4th Worcester, Gaumont – UK
5th Sheffield, City Hall – UK
6th Sheffield, City Hall – UK
7th Manchester, Free Trade Hall (Two Shows) – UK
8th Newcastle, City Hall – UK
9th Preston, Guild Hall – UK
10th Liverpool, Empire Theatre (Two Shows) – UK
11th Leicester, De Montfort Hall – UK
12th Chatham, Central Hall (Two Shows) – UK
13th Kilburn, Gaumont – UK
14th Salisbury, City Hall – UK
15th Taunton, Odeon (Two Shows) – UK
16th Torquay, Torquay Town Hall (Two Shows) – UK
18th Bristol, Colston Hall (Two Shows) – UK
19th Southampton, Guild Hall – UK
21st Birmingham, Town Hall (Two Shows) – UK
22nd Birmingham, Town Hall (Two Shows) – UK
23rd Boston, Gliderdome – UK
24th Croydon, Farfield Hall (Two Shows) – UK
25th Oxford, New Theatre (Two Shows) – UK
26th Oxford, New Theatre (Two Shows) – UK
27th Doncaster, St. Sepulchre Gate, Top Rank – UK
28th Bridlington, Royal Spa Pavilion – UK
29th Leeds, Rolarena (Two Shows) – UK
30th Newcastle, Newcastle City Hall (Two Shows) – UK
1973/07
2nd London, Hammersmith Odeon – UK
3rd London, Hammersmith Odeon *Official movie shooting – UK
Would love to know why the Dallas, TX date at The Majestic Theater was cancelled. It’s easy for me to envision that show in that venue & it would’ve been legendary. I was 2 so I would not have been there, but my aunt who introduced me to him would have been there with glitter bells on.
I went the Liverpool show on the 4th of September, 1972.
First time I can recall getting really dressed up for a show, and the first time I ever wore makeup.
A very small venue and we could dance right up close to the stage.
TOTALLY AMAZING show; I’ll never forget it!
Hi David ,
Thank you for your story , unfortunately I never got to attend a ziggy concert , but what I hear from you is a loss
Greeting Diedrich
My first concert Ever – Free trade Hall Manchester 7th June 5.30 show. I was 13 years old – I’m 61 now and still haven’t gotten over it!
Never even seen a strobe light before so when Bowie and the Spiders came on in darkness then strobe the effect was truly shattering! Hang on to Yourself in Black and Silver striped Kansaii jump suit – ripped off for Ziggy Stardust – UNBELIEVABLE! When later in show David sang Space Oddity under a glitterball…. it really was like falling through space!
This is the concert against which all the concerts I have been to in my life since (a lot) – are measured against – some have come near but nothing has ever topped this pure Rock n roll theatre!
I was in school uniform with a girl mate from school – no hyperbole but if there was one day in my life I could go back in a time machine to – it would be this one! I’m just so glad I was clued up enough at that tender age to have got my (£1.25 + 10p booking fee!) ticket…
.After July 3rd there was no opportunity to ever see this show live in the flesh again
Leeds Uni gig cancelled supposedly due that Bowie said the stage wasn’t large enough. rescheduled Leeds rollerrena which I attended
I was in the front row , no seats we sat on the floor , at the gig on 12th May 1972 at the Poly of Central London.I was 20 years old and had come back from an overland trip to India the previous October
The stage was only about 5 foot away and quite low only about 3or 4 foot high. We were mostly students and a few freaks as longhair smokers were known back then. I was one of the latter , my then girlfriend who was a student in jewelery making
had got the tickets. I think that there were about a few hundred people at the gig, they were all behind me.
At that stage I was a big fan of the LP Hunky Dory which I had bought around December 1971 .It was an exciting new discovery for freaks who up to then had been listening to Santana Beatles, Traffic . CSN, Astral Weeks, Grateful DEad etc. and when I went to visit peoples houses I usually brought the record with me . Once my friends heard the album they wanted to hold on to it and I think I ended up eventually buying 4 different copies . I still have that actual LP in my collection as well as a newer version .
The reason I mention this is because at that stage nobody had heard the Ziggy Stardust album as it hadnt been released then and we were expecting to hear songs from Hunky Dory. What a shock we got …who were these glammed up people?. Which one was Bowie ? . Both he and Mick Ronson had long blond hair and seemed like androgenous twins dressed in sparkly jumpsuits. The loudness of Mick`s Les Paul was tremendous while Bowie played an acoustic at least some of the time.
None of the material was familiar to us except Queen Bitch so it was a bit disconcerting and I have to admit I was disappointed . However the dynamics and the interaction between David and Mick was challenging to say the least especially the fellatio with the guitar and the energy and loudness from the stage was incredible but not what I expected .
Since then I have learned to love Ziggy Stardust and consider it to be probably my favourite album of all time. There are a few other contenders. I didnt become a Bowie fan though and never went to another gig of his .While I bought most of his albums up to Scary Monsters I still appreciate Hunky Dory and also The Man Who Sold the World as seminal works.
HELP! Does anyone know why a last leg of The Ziggy tour was canceled? I have an unused ticket stub from 9/22/1973 in Chicago at the Auditorium Theatre. Any info appreciated!
I saw Bowie for the 1st time in Phoenix, AZ in November of 1972. It was an absolutely amazing show with the Spider From Mars backing Bowie. No one had ever heard such a talent with such energy. The songs were incredible then, as they still are now. Unbelievable is a word used too many times, but Bowie was that and more. The crowd that was lucky enough to have been there was spell bound and went crazy for this man with such indisputable talent. Beyond this, I saw Bowie 3 more times. It was always a different show, with a different line-up, but David Bowie was always on his game with an undeniable connection to his audience and his songs.
Good God – 155 shows around the world in 18 months, often with numerous back-to-back stretches of shows and even an 11-day stretch with a show each night. That had to be absolutely grueling considering how much energy these guys put into each performance. They were all superhuman. Then again – they were from Mars.