Bonds Residency
Supported by the Modettes
Three weeks & 17 gigs that shook up New York and America.
updated May 2005
updated 8 Jan 2010 - added punters comments, new photos and video
vers1 -distant clear - aud. master - Sound 3+ - time 110.40min - d-mast - tracks 26
video - Bonds TV News Reports – short live clips and interviews from Channel 4 & 7 (on Clash on TV Vol.1)
audio - Radio & TV Reports – a collection of news pieces reporting on the ticket crises at it happenned - 25 mins - updated Jan 2009
Even before the end of The Clash’s first concert at Bonds on the Thursday night the Fire trucks and Fire Marshall’s were waiting outside. The Fire Marshall interviewed for Channel 2 said “Last night there were 3649” people in Bonds and imposed a closure order on the venue. The Plasmatics had recently played Bonds with 4000 people inside and blew up a car onstage. The truth as to why there was a problem when The Clash played has never been exposed but the widely held view was that it was a result of inter-club rivalry and a residency by the high profile Clash was too much for one or more of Bonds competitors. As Joe said, “…somebody paid somebody, who paid somebody, who paid somebody to come in and shut the building down” Mojo 96.
copyright Keith
After a meeting though with Fire chiefs and Bernie and Kosmo a compromise was agreed which allowed the scheduled show to go ahead on Friday night. There was a limit set of 1725 people and Ticketron tickets would be honoured first, as it was believed that most of these would have been bought by non New Yorkers, and thus would have had the furthest to travel and be inconvenienced the most. Those who had bought tickets direct from Bonds would have to wait for additional Clash shows slotted in at the expense of Gary Glitter and Stranglers concerts.
This again all changed the following morning when the Building Commissioner stepped in and closed Bonds indefinitely – but that’s a later story.
a ticket from the cancelled gig of the 30th
Tonight’s concert went off without a hitch although touts (scalpers) were charging $40 for the $10 Ticketron tickets. Boston Rock No.9 (link) gives a review of the concert. A hostile reaction to the support acts continued over from the first night with opening acts The Modettes and an unspecified group of rappers booed off. Mick dedicated Magnificent Seven to Grandmaster Flash tonight and perhaps spurred on by the hostile reaction by at least part of their audience to the new music they were now embracing, The Clash deliver tonight one of the best performances of the Bonds residency.
Venue
See 28th May Review
The taper who recorded most if not all of the circulating Bonds audience recordings, had serious problems with the first half of his recording of the 29th May concert. Near the end of Lightning Strikes the sound that up to that point suffers seriously from hiss, low output and flatness breaks down further for a few seconds then markedly improves there after.
Whatever the cause of the original problem we do know that as it comes from DAT via the master recording that it was a result of problems with the tapers settings or equipment rather than poor transfers from the master.
The sound from Ivan Meets GI Joe onwards is one of the best of the Bond’s audience recordings; clear instrumentation, good range and clarity. It suffers though like all Bonds audience recordings from distance, a lack of “in your face” immediacy. On the first half of the concert it is like hearing the concert from a gap in a semi-closed dressing room door but in the second half it is as if the door is wide open!
The widely circulating recording has the wrong encores which are actually from the 28th May, whilst we know from the Bonds TV reports that the normally circulating 28th May recording had the wrong encores (almost certainly from the 29th May) tacked onto the end! See 28th May review for details.
Certainly when the encores are swopped over the sounds match their wrongly divorced partners! The first 2 nights were the only Bonds shows to end with Bored With The USA, and Police & Thieves is confirmed as played on the 29th by the Boston Rock article.
The recording begins just as the intro music ends and the band kick into London Calling. The sound is poorer on this first half of the recording but all the instrumentation comes through OK and Mick’s solo cuts through. His guitar sound for the Bonds residency has again changed subtly from the European tour and is high and clear in the sound mix. A short pause then Safe European Home after which Joe first addresses the very lively sounding audience with a “good evening and welcome”. The Leader would remain the third song in the set list for the remaining Bonds shows, which reverted, back largely to the set order of the European tour.
Somebody Got Murdered is another strong, high-energy performance. Joe sounds more up for tonight than the first show where unusually it was Mick’s energy that drove it along. A strong White Man in Hammersmith Palais has Joe adlibbing over the ending. The band run through fine if unexceptional performances of Guns of Brixton, Radio Clash and The Call Up, the deficiencies in the sound reducing their enjoyment. “Guitar festival” is Joe’s intro to Complete Control which builds and builds, showcasing Mick’s fine playing.
“Not too slow” orders Joe before Junco Partner and the band respond with a fine performance, and an improvised ending. Mick’s ‘fireworks’ effects, like on many songs tonight feature prominently. Lightning Strikes sees further improvisation and near the end of the song the sound improves markedly, which coupled with high energy performances makes the rest of the recording very enjoyable indeed.
“I leave you now with Mr Topper Headon” is Joe’s intro to Ivan Meets GI Joe the sound now detailed and clear, but still too distant to make it an especially enjoyable sound. Charlie Don’t Surf is the first of the inspired performances tonight; Joe is fired up, adlibbing an intro of “Choppers, the choppers descend, ? payback, light the red flare” then Mick’s guitar comes in followed by a scream from Joe. He continues to adlib but they are largely unclear but their effect coupled with some terrific guitar playing from Mick is very impressive. Bankrobber starts with Joe leading the audience through “Daddy was…, Daddy was…” call and response style and Mick adds some very effective guitar licks.
Magnificent Seven is proceeded by, “This next number is for all those people who loved and appreciated Grandmaster Flash because without him this number probably would not have existed”. The band fired up, kick into a terrific extended 7-minute version of hard as nails punk funk. Mick’s soaring guitar is a delight and Joe acts mid song as musical conductor instructing, “OK then guitar, get on the guitar” as Mick takes in into the bridge, then “shush..listen to the bass guitar”, Joe adds adlibs then Topper builds it up again with repeated drum rolls. “Magnificent” screams Joe repeatedly, the band clearly enjoying themselves with Joe and Paul play riffs off each other before Topper’s crescendo drum rolls bring it to an end. The crowd roars its approval.
“… And now” shouts Joe as Mick’s 81 style guitar intro signals an excellent Wrong Em Boyo. It’s then straight into Train In Vain, which sounds fresh and inspired with Mick’s terrific playing clear in the mix. Joe says “Over to you..” before Mick screams “1-2-3-4” and the band crash into a high octane Career Opportunities. With no gap and with their backs to the audience The Clash storm into Clampdown then swivel around as Joe shouts “what are going to do now?” Joe conducts the orchestra; “Drums, drums” as Topper lays down an avalanche of drumming then “guitar.. shush” allows Mick to stretch out and play as the band deliver a terrific performance. As the music drops down Joe repeats, “working for the clampdown, you’re begging to be melted down” Topper builds it back up for a thunderous finale and the song ends with a scream from Joe.
The encores (taken from one of the 28th May tapes) begin with One More Time, a shorter performance than the norm now, fine but unexceptional. The lively crowd roar their appreciation as the band tear through Brand New Cadillac. Washington Bullets, a constant feature of the Bond’s sets for obvious reasons tonight has an extended ending with some fine playing from Mick but no El Salvador message, unlike at the first concert. The band kick the energy levels back up with a charge through Janie Jones to end the first encore with Joe’s adieu of “goodnight, sleep tight!”
An edit restarts with the second encore opener of Armagideon Time, which features some great lead guitar, but there are no adlibs from Joe and the song ends with a heavily echoed “suppers up”. Next its straight into an excellent Police and Thieves (rarely played once on the European Tour) the arrangement is played ‘straight’ but Mick’s guitar playing is a delight and there is a short improvised end section before Topper’s familiar drum pattern brings the song to an end. Joe then says “OK thank you.. Monsieur ..USA” and the band blast into a searing I’m So Bored With The USA, the last time a Clash concert would end with this song.
The Clash Photos at Bonds Casino 80s Retro Punk Rock
all photos and text copyright Keith
Before getting into the business of restoring old soda machines, i was in the T-shirt business for many years. Me and a couple of friends started printing shirts in 1977 on my best friends parents porch. Although we would print anything to make a buck we really loved printing shirts of our favorite rock bands. It was right around that time we got into punk rock, and our favorite punk band was The Clash ! So a few years later when we got to do the printing for the official Clash at Bonds Casino gig in NY City we where ecstatic. We printed the shirts, drove them to NY City, sold them in the streets and even manned a concession stand in the show. Talk about a great time, hanging out in NY City, selling shirts and going to Clash concerts.
My memory is a little hazy, not sure how many shows we saw or how long we stayed in NY but we where there on May 30TH.
The Clash were originally scheduled to play eight shows: May 28, 29, 30, 31 and June 1,2, 3, and 5, 1981.
But on May 30TH the concert was canceled by the Fire Department because of over crowded conditions. The promoter sold far to many tickets than the place could hold and it almost caused a riot around the theater which was in Times Square. Police on horse back pushing people out of the streets, people running around yelling who knows what.
But eventually order was restored and no one was hurt and The Clash being a band of the people decided to honor every ticket that was sold and kept playing every night until all tickets where used.
Hope you enjoy the pictures and if you have any memories of when the Clash took over the Bonds Casino in NY City please share them here.
“White riot – I wanna riot White riot – a riot of my own” The Clash
ned flood says
sleazy bruce, trip and bernie rhodes…it was a blur…i know we used our passes to sneak friends into the shows…i was assigned to selling ‘official” clash shirts on broadway..literally..”on the street’…
i got into a shouting match with clash manager kosmo vinyl about the prices i was charging…way to go ned….piss off the band on the first night. and remember kiddies it was when times sq. was shady…drugs/hookers/dive bars.
it’s where i met ‘the drunk cabbie” who printed up the legendary “clash in times sq.”shirts…so i go back stage and give a shirt to joe strummer personally
…i was nervous…he cut the sleeves off with a switch blade…paul simonon came up asking for the shirt..i don’t remember if i came back. i did have a beer while trying to act cool. grand master flash opened some shows…they got booed…
i saw joe ely in the crowd.the funny thing was the saturday riot was for the afternoon show.everybody looks so young. death or glory-ned “vender” flood -bond’s survivor.
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London Calling |
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Any further info / reviews
appreciated
2. Newspaper & Magazine Articles
Band Arrives at JFK
3 newspaper photos
Private Super8mm film footage of the rucus outside Bonds
30 April New York Post
On the Town
New York Calling The Clash
..tickets go on sale tomorrow...
2 May - New York Post
10,000 Clash fans queue for tickets for only US appearance
6 mounted police and 12 squad cars to control the crowd
NME - Win a week in New York with The Clash!
Early May - New York Post
Bonds Sold Out - Christgua
Blister Fanzine
Thanks for sending the FULL magazine
A weeks at Bonds (main piece)
NYC Advert for Magnificent 7 & Bonds dates
24 May - New York News
Passport Impasses Crimps Clash's style
5 British Groups left at Heathrow
Clint Roswell
New York Times 24 May
scan or text
26 May - New York Daily News
Clash Promise 'Something Special'
Clint Roswell
29 May - New York News
For Bonds Disco it was double capacity or nothing. Police and Fire Dept shut down Bonds. Vincent Lee
30 May - New York News?
city and Disco Clash, and Clash cools it
Disco forced to close - extra dates
Larry Sutton
30 May New York Post?
City calls a truce in Clash wars and the band plays on. Building Dept Inspectors have lifted a vacate order...
31 - May New York Times?
scan or text
Stephen Holden
31 May - New York Times Gig review
The Clash rocks with raw energy
Ira Mayer
New York Times June 3, 1981
Clash Melee Points Up Danger of Overselling
by Robert Palmer
Bondage at Bonds (full text version)
Creem - Sept 81
Clash face unrully mobs - Bondage at Bonds
Michael Barnard
First page only
Under Fire in New York - NME
Clash forced to lplay 16 date season after ticket fiasco - When the Clash landed at Kenney Airport last Tuesday, it was nore than clear that America wanted the band... Mick Farren
How The Clash Fed The Wonderbread Generation, Made The Mountain Come to Mohammed - And Other Miracles
Mick Farren, NME, 20 June 1981
The winner of NME's Flatter The Clash competition checks out the ramifications when an English band's world is at Bonds. KOSMO VINYL shoots both fists heavenward, for all the world like a man who had just scored for West Ham at Wembley. "I got the news on every channel! I got the news on every channel!....
Boston Rock Summer 81 No 19
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Face NO 16 August 1981
1.. 2..
MOJO Clash Special No79
pages 1.. 2.. 3..
Fanzine piece by: J Blocher
can some1 transcribe this it is very poor
Clash Contre Mafia - French Mag
1.. 2.. 3.. 4..
translation required
Anne Toone from The Bloods remembers opening for the Clash
The Clash on Broadway Part 1
Chris Salewicz, Mojo, August 1994
IF THERE WAS ONE PIVOTAL EVENT IN THE HISTORY OF THE Clash's assault on the USA it was the season of 17 shows they played at Bond's, a tacky former disco on Broadway and Times Square, New York, New York in May and June 1981.
The Clash on Broadway Part 2
Chris Salewicz, Mojo, August 1994
Joe Strummer talks to Chris Salewicz. When was the first time you toured America? I think it was in 1978. We went to finish off Give 'Em Enough Rope in San Francisco. So it would have been to tour that.
Best Magazine [French]
6 page review with photos form Bonds
...page1&2 ...page3&4 ... page5&6
3. Posters, video, photos
The Clash @ Bonds NYC 1981
joe streno's blog
Photos, comments
Posters and Radio / TV Commentary
Radio interview with Mick/Kosmo backstage after the opening night
Bonds Photos 1
1.. 2.. 3.. 4.. 5.. 6..
Bonds Photos 2
1.. 2.. 3.. 4.. 5.. 6.. 7..
Clash & Slits at Bonds 1981 photos
{ joe streno } seattle wa
www.go2jo.com
Radio Commentary on ticket fiasco - 20mins
NBC TV on ticket fiasco 3mins video
CBS Live tapes
Quote, "Eventually, via Jeff Jones at Legacy in New York, I contacted Bruce Dickinson who'd worked at CBS in the 1970s and 80s and was a fan of the band. He knew of a company in the States who specialised in archiving live radio tapes. They had two nights of the Clash at Bonds on Broadway and two nights in Boston."
Bonds Photos
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...play on music: “6 Seconds To Watch” by Ennio Morricone, from For A Few Dollars More...Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five are among the opening acts...after the first gig of the original seven-show run, the NYC fire marshall orders the club closed for safety reasons; eventually, the shows are rescheduled to accomodate all ticket-holders... A strike in Britain had left 5 British bands in the UK and only 3 managed to make it with the Clash. Only the Slits, Funkapolitan and The Equators, who were slated for the matinee shows, made it. Left behind were the remains of Selector, The B-People , The Bell Stars, Aswad and most of all Theatre of Hate whom Mick had produced their debut album. There were two opening acts each night: one British or Jamaican and one American. Hopefully the correct artists are listed by the correct dates. Support Acts included Grandmaster Flash and the Treacherous Three, The Sirens, The Sugerhill Gang, Funkapolitan, Lee Perry, Texan bard Joe Ely, and a forgotten horn-section-and-skinny-tie band called the Nitecaps. And, plucked fresh off the stage of CBGB's, Miller Miller Miller & Sloane and a KRAUT who had formed 3 weeks earlier with only 3 demo songs and who never played live. Plus bands that showed The Clash’s continuing identification and admiration for punk; The Dead Kennedys, Bad Brains, The Fall, The Slits, and The Bloods (not to mention The Brattles!). ESG a womans funk band from New York. The Rockets and the Equators were scheduled for the first matinee show which got cancelled.
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Bonds Times Square, New York |
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| Support The Sirens and Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
Thanks to Laura for the following info on the Sirens... From: "Laura DJ" <dejesuslauraann-at-gmail.com> i noticed you have the sirens on the tour date list from 81 as playing with treacherous three, that's not true, I was one of the Sirens, the guitarist, and we played after Grand Master Flash, and before the Clash. It was my idea to support the Clash. My manager charlie martin who built the sound system at CB's and Bonds was getting directions from the owners/managers who were in jail (studio 54 fame) and i had read an article in the nme or soho news or one of the music papers of the day and joe strummer said in the article they like all girl bands opening up for their shows. So i ran over to charlie showed him the article and suggested he get on the phone and reach out to his contacts and get the clash. The rest is history. He did it and we opened their first show at bonds. Grand Master Flash opened for us! |
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Bonds Times Square, New York | |
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May 30 |
Bonds Times Square, New York | |
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Matinee show cancelled by NYC Building Dept - Riots |
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May 30 |
Bonds Times Square, New York | |
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Evening show cancelled by NYC Building Dept |
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Bonds Times Square, New York | |
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Bonds Times Square, New York | |
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Bonds Times Square, New York | |
| Bad Brains and the Slits opened | ||
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Bonds Times Square, New York | |
| The Treacherous Three |
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Bonds Times Square, New York | |
| The Bloods opened the show f/b The Bush Tetras. |
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Bonds Times Square, New York | |
| Four female singers singing accapella and Lee Perry opened | ||
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Bonds Times Square, New York | |
| (afternoon) I was at the June 6th matinee show in 1981 in Bond's. The Dead Kennedys did NOT perform then. It was the Hi-School band The Brattles who opened the matinee show, followed by Funkopolitin. The "We love you clash" that is heard mid-show is caused by a mic that fell into the audience. Joe just watched kind of amused while these guys in the first rows yelled into the mic. After a while, the roadies got it back and set it up again. | ||
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Bonds Times Square, New York | |
| (evening) The Dead Kennedys? | ||
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Bonds Times Square, New York | |
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Bonds Times Square, New York | |
| The Fall were the support act. This is the pro-recorded concert. | ||
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Bonds Times Square, New York | |
| Allen Ginsberg makes an appearance | ||
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Bonds Times Square, New York | |
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Bonds Times Square, New York | |
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Bonds Times Square, New York | |
| (afternoon) Hi-School band The Brattles opened the matinee show, plus The Rock-cats? who they had a slap bass and played Stray Cats-type music. | ||
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Bonds Times Square, New York | |
| (evening) The Dead Kennedys | ||
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