18 Years Ago, David Bowie's Last Live Performance Was An Instant Cult Classic He Never Actually Released

Although David Bowie sadly passed away in 2016, his retirement from live performing came a lot earlier, and the final song he performed live may surprise many listeners. As a true musical icon who was an essential figure in shaping the contemporary pop culture landscape, it would be natural to assume this glam rock singer concluded his last live performance with an all-time classic like “Space Oddity” or the anthemic favorite “Heroes.” However, the truth was that Bowie’s last song was a track that he had never even officially released.

Bowie’s back catalog is filled with countless hidden gems, underappreciated classics, and buried B-sides, so there was never any shortage of deep cuts for him to surprise long-time listeners with at his live shows. As an artist who continually transformed himself, whether as his Ziggy Stardust persona, his time as The Thin White Duke, or even as Jareth the Goblin King in the cult classic Labyrinth, Bowie was a figure whose music and life defied definition. With so many eras to choose from, it’s astounding that Bowie’s last live performance actually stemmed from a brief TV cameo appearance.

David Bowie's Last Full Live Show Came In 2004

A life-threatening event caused Bowie to step back from live shows

David Bowie was known for putting on astounding live shows and blew audiences away with over-the-top stage productions for decades on end. Whether it was during his iconic Ziggy Stardust Tour in the early 1970s, his frantic drug-fueled antics on the Isolar tour in 1976, or the trailblazing Glass Spider Tour of the 1980s, Bowie’s live concerts set a new standard for what a rock ‘n’ roll singer could achieve. While Bowie toned down his live performances in the 21st century, he did conduct a major tour to promote his album Reality in 2003 and 2004.

A Reality Tour was a sprawling world tour that brought Bowie across Europe, North America, Oceania, and Asia. However, a heart attack that occurred on stage in June 2004 caused Bowie to cancel some of the tour’s final dates (via Rolling Stone), and this life-threatening event influenced his decision to announce his retirement from live performing altogether in 2006. Bowie had just three live performances after that, which included joining Arcade Fire on stage in 2005, a guest appearance with David Gilmour at the Royal Albert Hall in 2006, and his surprisingly last-ever live song in 2007.

In 2007, David Bowie's Last Live Performance Was "Little Fat Man"

David Bowie's last performance was at a Ricky Gervais show

The final song David Bowie sang at his last live performance was as a special guest at the English comedian Ricky Gervais’ Madison Square Garden show on May 19th, 2007. The pair worked together on Gervais' comedy series Extras, where Bowie appeared as himself and sang the mocking track “Little Fat Man,” a song he made up on the spot in a moment of pure inspiration due to the pathetic nature of Gervais' character. Bowie and Gervais co-wrote the song, and this 2006 TV appearance would go down as one of the singer’s funniest acting roles.

Bowie introduced Gervais at Madison Square Garden before blowing into a harmonica and uttering the lyrics, “Oooh, chubby little loser. No one’s bloody laughing” (via Metro.) While there are countless other more appropriate songs for Bowie to have concluded his live performing career on, it’s a testament to the unpredictability of the singer that it would be this tongue-in-cheek humorous track. As a musician who could always see the funny side of life, David Bowie signing off on a joke song was oddly appropriate.

Sources: Rolling Stone, Metro