This Live 1973 “Space Oddity” Performance by David Bowie & Mick Ronson Is “Pure Cosmic Genius”

For those night owls who happened to watch NBC during the 1970s and 1980s, they might have watched The Midnight Special. Airing late at night, after The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, the series focused on hit music at the time in genres like rock, folk, pop, and even disco. While producing 350 episodes throughout its run on NBC, The Midnight Special produced an iconic performance of “Space Oddity” that featured both David Bowie and Mick Ronson. 

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Throughout his years on stage, Ronson worked with acts like Van Morrison and Bob Dylan. Getting a chance to tour alongside them, the musician eventually found himself in the company of Bowie in The Spiders from Mars. Finding harmony with each other, Ronson worked with Bowie on several studio albums. But on November 16, 1973, the pair took the stage on The Midnight Special to give an out-of-this-world performance of “Space Oddity.” And thankfully, that performance, which one fan perfectly dubbed “pure cosmic genius,” was uploaded. 

Fans Continue To Remember David Bowie & Mick Ronson

Although performing on stage, the song started with footage of the Saturn V launch that helped carry humans to the moon. When the camera finally cut to Bowie and Ronson, the singer fashioned his Ziggy Stardust outfit. The persona helmed by Bowie helped shine a light on glam rock at the time and even brought international fame to the singer. 

Looking at the comments, fans continued to take a trip back to the 70s to watch the performance.

Sadly, the music industry lost two greats as Ronson passed away after battling liver cancer in April 1993. He was only 46 years old. As for Bowie, he also died from liver cancer, decades later in January 2016. But even with both artists gone, their music continues to inspire and entertain the generations that followed. 

(Photo by Jack Kay/Daily Express/Getty Images)