Good Evening, I’m more than a bit tense about the football tomorrow ~ I was told today that my club (Arsenal) mattered more to me than people that I know, that wasn’t fair – they matter more than most people I know but not all of them. I’ve got to take my mind off of that until tomorrow and have been able to do so the last 30 minutes as I’m about halfway through listening to a recording of a concert that marked one of the most symbolic nights of the career of  Joe Strummer especially where Clash fans are concerned. Most of you have already read about the folklore of events of November 15, 2002 where Joe Strummer was joined on stage for the last few songs by Mick Jones. It turned out to be one of the last concerts Joe ever played and the fact that Jones jumping up on stage was completely unexpected (to all but Mick – and he even has said it was a spur of the moment decision). It didn’t seem possible to me at the time I learned about this at the time that almost 20 years had passed since they previously played together but the calendar doesn’t lie.

The show took place at Acton Town Hall in West London just a stones throw West of the house where the band were first formerly introduced to each other 26 years prior. While Strummer and Jones friendship had gone from cold to cordial as rapidly as the second Big Audio Dynamite album the idea of the two playing together again had been kicked around in terms of a Clash reunion but never taken shape. I’ve read a few accounts of the FBU benefit concert in the years since (Strummernews has some here) and seen a little bit of video footage but hearing the whole concert gives the event a sense of completeness. Of course there is also the film footage captured by Alan Miles of the night.

As for the venue, Acton Town Hall is a meeting hall, not a concert venue and as such might squeeze in 500-550 people on a good night – I’ve never been able to find an official headcount of people who were there – I bet more than 550 have since claimed to have been there. I can simply say that I’m sickened to this day that I wasn’t there as by 2002 I had moved to the States, moreover at one point in my 20’s I lived about a five minute walk from Acton Town Hall so if I had stayed in London of course I would have been there. What an idiot I am! So as for the recording, its brilliant the sound quality of the mix is better than I would have dared hope. I think that (not sure of the record company legalities) if the show can somehow be released as a live document of Joe and The Mescaleros it should be post haste. There have been rumours of a live album by the band to eventually see the light of day and I can’t think of a more appropriate option.

As I said the sound is above average and Joe is engaging the audience throughout – naturally enjoying playing on what was essentially home turf. The fact that Mick Jones was in the audience was made clear to the crowd early in the setlist when Joe makes mention of his presence and congratulates him on the birth of his daughter Stella – and then plays ‘Rudie Can’t Fail’ in tribute to her. As for the rest of the audio – its far more interesting to listen to it than hear me ramble on and Mick’s appearance for the encores is just perfect. If you don’t get the sniffles when you are finished I’ll be shocked. Please visit ‘And I Try to Harmonize with Songs’ blog and listen away – or you can download the whole thing. I know there will be a number of you reading who have already heard this gig – I’d semi-consciously avoided doing so as I thought it might make me quite sad, but I’ve just finished listening and the impact was the opposite. Thanks again Joe and Mick (and the Mescaleros!)…that was amazing.