Clash Take the 5th Tour
Supported by Sam & Dave and Undertones
Clash Bites Apple
Van Gosse, Melody Maker, 29 September 1979
FIRST time here, in February, the Clash were merely grand. The energy was awesome but the music was more volume than anything else; in the end it was just oatervating. This time round the band is tighter, fiercer and the dynamics are much more varied. Best of all, six of the 22 songs are new and these, all reggae-based, were more powerful and musically interesting than anything the Clash had yet done, eclipsing the redundancies of the last album.
The first three songs – 'Safe European Home', 'I'm So Bored With the USA', and 'Complete Control' – seemed to be just the old sturm and drang. Then came something new, to do with "psuedo Beatlemania". After, Strummer waved a local tabloid, proclaiming a spurious Fab Four reunion, and followed it with 'White Man', yet another great new one, and 'I Fought The Law'.
The show never faltered from this high-point – the band had its bag of tricks ready. Halfway through the set Simenon switched instruments with Strummer and earnestly sang his own song, a chunky reggae-rocker about some Johnny who gets shot. His voice is ordinary enough, but seeing the usually hard-faced bassist open up was quite a thrill. Mick Jones topped it off by donning an acoustic guitar for 'English Civil War'. Next, on 'Clash City Rockers', Blockhead Mickey Gallagher joined in on organ and stayed for the rest of the evening.
An anguished and violent 'Police And Thieves' peaked the show; at the end Strummer stared wild-eyed at the audience. "You should hear Junior Murvin sing that song," he rasped. "The way he sings it, it's up there." He pointed to the fading dome of the Palladium, a hundred feet above his head.
After that, Strummer seemed possessed, bent on making the crowd understand something, trying to break through every way he could – screaming, whistling, going into the front rows, scaling the amps – and finally, on the encore, he found his moment. Simenon and Headon began an echoed dub vamp, with only a blue light spotlight shining up from be¬hind and below the drum platform. Strummer waited and then came out, grinning, from backstage, holding aloft a torch. He got up behind the drums and raised both arms, silhouetted by the spot and shaking his flame like a maddened Statue of Liberty. The crowd roared at him. He made his way to the mike, gaunt and fevered like some Hamlet among the graves, and quietly began to sing one of the new ones: "A lot of people are gonna get it...." The lights went deep red and the band hit 'Career Opportunities' and 'What's My Name'. Then they were gone.
Some conclusions: the Clash have always suffered and transcended the lack of good drumming. Topper Headon now gets better and better. His playing on the new songs is more rhythmic and driving than ever, and he should forego the boring boom smack he still uses on the older material. Mick Jones, too, has found His own sound to complement the fractured Berry riff and chopping raunch so reminiscent of a certain Elder Statesman. He phases his guitar and heavily reverbs it; the effect was very seductive on the new material, particularly when combined with the organ splashes that randomly appeared throughout the night. This is still the last gang in town, though, and any increase in musicality has only made their anger less diffuse. The Clash aren't prettier now, just better.
© Van Gosse, 1979
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Monterey CA, USA...Tribal Stomp festival |
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Civic Centre, Saint Paul MN, USA |
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Aragon Ballroom, Chicago IL, USA |
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Masonic Temple, Detroit MI, USA |
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Cleveland, USA |
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| A Riot of Our Own dates this gig pg194. However local fans believe Cleveland show never happened, the book reference notwithstanding. "I was 18 at the time and very tuned in to the music scene in the area. I missed the Agora show because I wasn't 18 at the time. In September I was and there is no way I would have missed that. I lived in Akron, OH, a one hour drive. I have checked all local newspapers and muic papers and there is no announcement of that show nor any review. Ray Sferra" | ||
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Orpheum Theater, Boston MA, USA |
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Palladium, New York NY, USA |
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Palladium, New York NY, USA |
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| ...famous photo of Paul from the London Calling sleeve taken on this night |
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Walnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia PA, USA |
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St Denis Theatre, Montreal, Canada |
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| Support acts were The B Girls and The Undertones, with DJ Scratchy playing new UK releases between sets. This was the same day that the Montreal Star newspaper ceased publication. The drum kit stand was adorned with the front page of that day's New York Post, with the large, garish headline "Docs Reattach Woman's Arm". The Clash Opened with Safe European Home, followed by I'm So Bored With the USA. They didn't play Tommy Gun. Audience members were encouraged to come on stage during the last song, White Riot, [I among them], with onstage security at the back, guarding the amps and drum kit. The Theatre St Denis had seating capacity of about 2,200 at the time, though few, especially in the front, spent much time seated. | ||
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O’Keefe Centre, Toronto, Canada |
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Clark University, Worcester MA, USA |
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| I missed them for both the 1st two Boston shows (Harvard Sq. Theatre and the Orpheum) but then I heard thru the grapevine that they were playing at Clark University on 9/28/79. So we drove down and got in line. Original scheduled to be in the field house, the promoters (I think it was a student organization) sold almost no advance tickets, and moved it to a smaller auditorium the day of the show. Then 100s of punks from Boston showed up and bought tickets, and they kept selling tickets. Terribly overcrowded, fire department came and made a few hundred leave the hall, but as soon as they left, Strummer says "There's a buncha fans out there that paid to see us, and they're stuck outside, but if everybody stays cool, and don't push, we can let them inside." The Heart breakers opened. That show changed my life. Cliche but true. Anyway, I still have the ticket stub. Rick | ||
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Ritchie Colisseum, College Park MD, USA |
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The Agora, Atlanta GA, USA |
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Armadillo Club, Austin TX, USA |
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| referenced in Johnny Greens Book, A Riot of Our Own p206 and also by Ray Lowry on page 73 of Mojo (UK Music Mag) No.9 Aug 94 where he says the heat was scorching... see also www.Pontbone.com/journal.htm [Joe Elys acordian player] Joe Ely.com; Back to London in 1979 for another tour. The Clash come to the show (Ely's) at the Venue Theater and invited the (Ely's) band to come to studio where they are recording London Calling. Became friends and (the Clash) showed the Lubbock boys around the London scene. The Clash come to America later in 1979. The two bands play several shows together including Houston, Dallas, Laredo, LA and the Monterey Pop Festival. Joe invites them to come to Lubbock to do a show together. They stay for several days mesmerized by the dusty home of Buddy Holly and the strange cowboy culture. In return the Clash invite Joe the following year to come to London for their London Calling Tour. |
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Cullen Auditorium, Houston TX, USA |
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| dates from www.Pontbone.com/journal.htm [Joe Elys acordian player]. also referenced in Johnny Greens Book, A Riot of Our Own p206 |
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Palladium, Dallas, USA |
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| this is often dated as the 6th and it may have been, but in order to fit the sequence of events in Greens book, A Riot of Our Own it would have to be before that, maybe the 4th. |
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Rocks Club [The Rox], Lubbock TX, USA | |
| referenced in Johnny Greens Book, A Riot of Our Own, p207, where the band went to play a unofficial gig for Joe Ely (support) in his own town of Lubbock. Green says the band took a couple of days off after flying to LA. dates from www.Pontbone.com/journal.htm [Joe Elys acordian player]. |
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| Laredo Texas | ||
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San Diego, California, USA |
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| referenced in Johnny Greens Book, A Riot of Our Own p 208 |
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Hollywood Palladium, Los Angeles CA, USA |
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Kezar Pavilion, San Francisco CA, USA |
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Seattle |
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| referenced in Johnny Greens Book, A Riot of Our Own p211 ... ticket ... photo from gig "I just stumbled on this site while doing a google ‘egoist’ search. Great site. I wish I could find my taped interview with Joe. That was a story in itself. I must’ve woke up Cosmo at every stop from Cleveland to Denver where he finally put me through to Joe to do a pre-concert interview. You should try and get that from the Oregon Daily Emerald…or I could look in my files. If I recall Joe was getting ready for the Denver show…he was testy and abrupt…and loosened up later. My interview style was not to go by set questions…but to have question points and just talk. I remember asking about recording at Olympic Studios, which was being talked about…and joked that this was supposed to be The Rolling Stones favorite room. No laughter from Joe on that. And it was pouring down rain, with thunder in Denver and it made Joe in bad mood. I casually told him to put that mood into the show. But this was cool. Wish I was a better writer back then.
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Pacific National Exhibition Vancover, Canada |
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| referenced in Johnny Greens Book, A Riot of Our Own p213 as the last night of the tour. |
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