What a night: the gigs that changed music history
It's true that with the advent of Spotify and Youtube, we have access to any song we want, any time we want it. But there are some things that, until now, you could not bottle; some performances that just don't translate through tiny tinny headphones on the Central line at 7am.
The atmosphere of a gig, the combined energy of the room, the infinitesimal nuances only those stood beside the player's strumming fingers could hear. The nights people fell in love, set fires, smashed their lives to pieces.
Finally, we can bring the organic sound of live music in our own homes like never before. Feel the air tremble once again. Sense the anticipation as musicians take their first, deep breaths before a song. Close your eyes and feel the earth move, hear the sweat drip and experience the world change. These are the gigs that changed history.
David Bowie's two summer '73 London gigs stud the annals of rock 'n' roll history. The dates came at the end of a year-long tour, and this was the night that Bowie killed Ziggy. 'This show will stay the longest in our memories, not just because it is the end of the tour but because it is the last show we'll ever do.'
The show was a kaleidoscope of costume, razzledazzle and sexual ambiguity; the star, in platforms and full regalia, enchanted the room, while teenyboppers wet themselves to Moonage Daydream, Suffragette City, and Starman.
