Concert flashbacks
Hello again good people and thanks for coming back or perhaps arriving here for the first time in which case welcome aboard. It’s far too hot here today, partially because it is mid-October and partly because it should be about 72f at this time of year and instead today reached 103f. Too hot by far and whoever is in charge of this weather ought to know I moved away from Phoenix to escape this.
Do you remember the sort of heat you’d get from the mass of bodies down the front at a Clash concert or at others when things got a bit tasty? It has been a bit like that this afternoon. I think the hottest concert I ever attended was The Wedding Present at The Town and Country in London (now the London Forum) in about 1989. It was unbearable but that didn’t stop the manic dancing down at the front, I remember having a suede jacket that was actually soaked through as if it had been raining afterwards. Now I get tired if I decide to shuffle for more than two consecutive numbers, those were the days. I remember that my first decade of concert going would invariably result in a handful of people getting pulled out of the crowd either onto the stage or into the pit due to the heat at the most crowded or rowdy concerts. Either tickets were often oversold or ventilation was just that poor. It didn’t even matter if it was the dead of winter in London, small to medium venues would often have sweat dripping off the ceiling especially in low-roofed places like ULU. What was the hottest gig you ever attended or the most impacted by weather or other strange turn of events? I’ve got tales such as Mark E Smith of The Fall having a banana smashed up in his face and leaving after 3 songs or the National Front turning a Redskins/Smiths concert at the South Bank in London into a near riot and accidentally starting a fire in a waste paper basket at an Aztec Camera gig, that was the same night I also accidentally went into the ladies toilets. Not a great night overall. One day I’ll need to chronicle some of my concert memories before I forget them all. It’s hard to remember specifics of that much before 1985 or so although I was lucky enough to see so many great acts from that era.
Joe Strummer, Amsterdam - 1978 (image the exclusive copyright of Martijn de Jonge)
My overriding memory of Joe Strummer remains him adlibbing into the microphone a lot between songs with one hand against his ear, his elbow forming a triangle to his upper body with his right hand holding the mic stand with his guitar hanging down. Fortunately it is one often seen in photos but is burned in my memory anyway for safekeeping. The other memories always involve Mick Jones; constant movement and often running diagonally across stage as if he was wound up like a mad toy whilst Paul seriously looked like he would smash someone over the head with his bass with no hesitation. He wasn’t quite as animated onstage as Mick or Joe from my memory but he cut the most dynamic figure with the more limited movement always seeming to have more gravitas, or maybe that’s my cloudy memory. As for Topper, he was the glue that kept the sound on track.
I was looking at a list of music venues in London where I saw concerts during the years I lived there and it was really depressing just how many are no longer there. I know London isn’t unique in that but are other cities quite as quick to tear down venues that have decades of wonderful history and memories? What is the best place you ever say a band play live – and is it still standing? In London I’d have to say that The Brixton Academy, Hackney Empire, Kilburn National and The Astoria would be four of my favourite bigger live venues. Brixton is now the O2 Academy, The Hackney Empire is still just about there after 111 years and The Astoria was torn down in 2007. According to what I read the Kilburn National still stands and will reopen under a new name in the new year. Honourable mention to The Lyceum where I first saw our boys and now The Lion King graces that stage…sigh.
One of these days I’m going to chronicle every venue that The Clash ever appeared at, a series that I optimistically began back in 2009 under the heading ‘Clash Landmarks’. If you have a local venue that you know or knew well that The Clash played at and would like to write about it please get in touch. More soon – Tim
canterbury odeon, not having tickets and seeing Mick and Topper in the pub and them getting us in through the back door.
how old were you Tex? Is the Odeon still there?
i was 17, i don't think it is still there, i've not been to Canterbury in years.
1980 i think it was, London Calling had just come out.
Aug 1, 1982 – the one and only time I was able to see the only band that matters. I can remember the encore was Garageland and I was kicking the seat back of the row in front of me until it flew off. Sorry about that.
Dec 26th 1979. The sound system was rubbish. But the best Christmas ever..
October 2001. Meeting Joe Strummer before the show in Philly.
i was also at the Lyceum when the Slits supported them and funnily enough was at that Smiths/ Redskins concert where the trouble erupted, i wouldn't go so far to say that it was a riot though.
Red Rocks, Morrison, Colorado August 9, 1982. I was 16. Red Rocks = most awesome venue on the PLANET!
@Tex re: Redskins/Smiths…a bit of hyperbole on my part…..it wasn't Poll Tax Trafalgar Square, but still got a bit nasty where I was. Seems we in the same place at least twice…
@Tom…Red Rocks does look lovely… .http://www.theclashblog.com/clash-landmarks-red-rocks-amphitheatre-part-2/
@Wayne…still makes me jealous that you made that gig
@Tom…on my 15th birthday! What venue was that?
Red Rocks was the venue. That would have been quite the 15th birthday present!
Cape Cod Colliseum Yarmouth, Massachusetts – http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/the-clash/1982/cape…
Turku, Finland in August 1979. They played a few numbers from London Calling. Then we had a good party with the band at the hotel.
Opening for The Who at the LA Coliseum in Los Angeles with a huge contingent of enthusiastic Clash fans in attendance. A year later, the final gig of the classic lineup at the US Festival. A great show.
Tim, although only a set at a rally I couldn't leave out Victoria park. I learnt a lot that day… Jimmy Pursey is still a tit to this day…
On my tv cause I'm too young to have seen them in the flesh. Jealous of ya'lll who did.
My first ever gig ( I was only into football till this point) was 21st Jan 1980 The Clash Glasgow Apollo. The Apollo was cavernous, seated stalls, a seated upper circle, and a distinctive 12 foot high stage. Being down the front I hardly saw Topper that night. Next time I seen them there, me and my 2 mates hired one of the side boxes that was about 20 feet above stage level to the side. Didn,t miss a thing that time. Mickey Dread kept waving up to us. Rockers galore in Glasgow.
Bring back the Clash Cup! Bring back the Clash Cup!
Bridlington Spa in 81. I was very excited to be let in for the soundcheck but only Paul and Topper had turned up and it was (dare I say) disappointing. Not sure what I was expecting – probably a bass and drum rendition of Armagideon Time or something, but that didn't happen. Two nights at Newcastle City Hall in 82 rescheduled after Joe's little 'runner' to France. One night taking it all in from the front row of the balcony and the other a few rows from the front. It was/is a seated venue but there was no sitting I can assure you! That one was sweaty in a leather biker jacket!
Shea Stadium 10/13/82. Cold, rainy night but it was so exciting.. We had to walk through barricades to enter the field area and there were cops on horseback. Couldn't really get up close but it was a great night for this Clash fan just being there. My favorite concert ever.
Tim, although only a set at a rally I couldn’t leave out Victoria park. I learnt a lot that day… Jimmy Pursey is still a tit to this day…
Us Festival, 1983 Glen Helen. My only time to ever see my heroes and as we all know the last time the line up included Mick. Weirdest thing about the venue was the walk back to the main road. It was dark and there was lots of tired/drunk people walking in the road and everyone once in awhile you could hear a body bounce off a car be cause the drives couldn't see the pedestrians in the road due to the total darkness. A sound I'll neve forget…As for a favorite venue, The Roxy in Hollywood has always been my "home" venue. Weirdest venue to a show though was the Longshoremen's Hall in Wilmington, CA to see the Dead Kennedy's and the show being put to a stop by tear gas and riot police from LA's finest. Now that was a show stopper…
1979 2 nights at the Prince Charles Cinema in Leicester Square. Both secret gigs where they showcased London Calling for the first time. Both nights were half full but great as you could see the Clash from any vantage point.
….actually it was Notre Dame Hall next to Prince Charles Cinema.