Support; The Beat
Last updated 7 July 2008 - added punters view (Scott Crabtree)
updated 9 Jan 2010 - identified unknown newspaper
cdr - excellent from master - Sound 4 -
86min - DATm1 - 24 tracks - last updated 28 Dec 01
This is a very good recording. Good copies circulate as do lesser ones. However this is a copy from the master. It lasts a couple of minutes longer than the previous excellent copy but is barely a sound upgrade.
An even older recording was very flat and a fairly distant recording. There was some clarity but this was poor overall especially compared with the best. On this copy Janie Jones suffers some shite 'synth guitar' bleeding into it for the most part.
I went with four other friends to the show and got autographed posters afterward. Mike Proctor taped the show on his Sony Walkman Pro, and I do have a 1st gen copy of that on cassette. Robert
Since August 16th and October 17th 1982 I have seen the Clash in concert in three different cities. I have seen some great performers and concerts over the last six years. The list includes Elvis Costello, Iggy Pop, the Ramons, Blonde, the Jam, Squezze, David Johansen, and DEVO to name a few, however, these three Clash shows were the most intense and memorable concerts I ever saw.
On October 17th I saw the Clash for the third time, this time at the Kent State Memorial Gym. I took my camera but for this show I did not take it in, I left it in the trunk of the car. I wanted to get closer and not worry about taking pictures. I went to the show with David Walland and a friend of his. David kept saying we are going back stage after the show. I never believed him. I said, “How?” He said, “After the show we are just going to hang out by the backstage entrance and they will let us in.”
After the show ended we did just as David said…we went backstage. There were only a handful of people. At the door was a big black bouncer. He looked at us and said, “What are you here for?” David spoke up and said, “We are here to hang out with the Clash.” The bouncer said, “Wait here” and walked inside for a few minutes. He came out and said, “Alright you can go back.” Holy Shit! I couldn’t believe it was that easy! David just smiled and said “I told you.”
We walked in. All the members of the band were there. The room was not big and not many people. At this point I realized I left my camera in the car. I went back to the bouncer and told him of my problem. He told me to hurry and get it. I ran as fast as I could the whole time thinking I didn’t have much time and I didn’t want to waste it.
Backstage photos by Chris Downey
The temperature was in the low forties and when I got back I saw Joe Strummer sitting quietly by himself at a folding table that had a bouquet of fresh flowers on it. He was wearing dark sunglasses and a black shirt with a button on the label. I went over and asked to photograph him. He smiled and nodded. I raised my camera to take a picture.
At that point a panic look ran across my face. Coming from the cold temperature to the warm caused the camera lens to fog up. Joe looked at me and said, “What’s the matter mate?” I told him about the situation and he said, “sit down, give it a minute.” Un-fucking believable! I am sitting next to Joe Strummer about to engage in one of the most memorable conversations in my life.
It began with me telling him how much I loved the Clash music. I told him “you have changed the direction of music around the world. I went on to say how the Clash stands for social and political reform and delivers the message with passion and idealism like no other band. He thanked me and asked if I liked the show. I told him it was intense, “It was the third time I had seen the band on this tour and each time you played in a way that blended power and excitement with garage, thrash, funk, rap, and rhythm & blues with reggae. All types of musical styles in one.”
I went on to tell him that they played one of my favorite songs at this show, “Spanish Bombs.” I said Joe “you are the Ernst Hemmingway of punk music. Spanish Bombs is a three minute version of his book “For Whom the Bell Tolls.” Think about it, Something about England, The Call Up, Rebel Waltz and Tommy Gun are written like a Hemmingway short novel. He looked at me with a smile and said “let’s hope I don’t end up like him!”
I asked why they survived while other bands like the Sex Pistols or the Damned didn’t. He said. “We have used negative situations and tried to stirrup the people listening. The Clash has a clear relevant political message. Basically, redirect your frustration and anger and try to change the status quo. Those other bands were confused, mixing various political ideologies and some just concerned about the money.” I looked at him and said “you mean…looking for a real good space under the lighting.” He just smirked. I wasn’t sure if it was because he thought it was funny or he believed I understood his point.
I then asked him what he listens to. He responded “I like English Beat, Bo Diddley, MC5, reggae and funk music. He then asked me what I listened to. I talked about all my favorite bands and the great concerts I have seen. He listened very politely and didn’t say much. He appeared drained from the show.
For the next few minutes we made small talk about America, Ohio and where the next concert was and the tour in general. When I got up to leave I shook his hand again and thanked him for his time. I told him that as long as I live I will always remember this night. He nodded and said, “Come back stage next time we come to this area or at another gig.” As I walked away he began talking to another person. I turned and raised my camera to take one more picture of him and said “Joe, the Clash the only band that matters.” He looked up and stuck his tongue out and made a face. At that moment I snapped the picture. I waved and smiled he just nodded.
I walked over to Paul Simonon and Terry Chimes and introduced myself. I said to Paul, “I have seen the Clash three times on this tour and I don’t know if you would remember but when we were driving from Detroit to Akron back in August we drove by you on the highway.” Paul smiled. He looked at me with an expression that said you got to be kidding. I continued. “You were in the front seat in a Lincoln town car and Joe was in the backseat in the middle. I was hanging out of the window yelling.” He became very animated and said he remembered. “We did not know what was going on we were driving along and all of a sudden this car pulls up and you are yelling at us out the window. We realized that you knew who we were and were Clash Fans.” He went on to say it was an eventful road trip to Akron because they were pulled over by the police for speeding.
I also asked him it was true that they released Sandinista as a triple album to say Fuck you to Bruce Springsteen’s double album “The River?” Paul said, “We did what we thought was right. If they didn’t like it they could piss-off.” At that point two girls asked him to have there picture taken with him. I also took a picture and walked over to Mick Jones.
Mick Jones was very entertaining. He was over by the food having something to eat. I went up and introduced myself to him. I said, “Great show.” He said, “Thanks,” and asked if I was hungry. There were trays of deli food. I thanked him but declined. He acted comical. I asked to take a photo he agreed and smiled. I took the photo and said “let me take one more.” He then made a face where one eye was half closed.
I asked Mick “can you accomplish anything through rock & roll with a political theme?” He said “We try to be realistic; there is a difference between optimism and realism. Who knows, maybe it won’t change anything, but I still believe in it and still believe its something worth the effort.”
It was about that time when the bouncer began to herd everyone out of the room. I said good bye to Mick and headed for the door. As I got to the door I turned and looked around one more time. I new this would be something that may never happen again.
Chris Downey
I was Pretty blown away by Chris Downey's story and photos of the Clash show, Oct 17 1982
I was good friends with David Walland and Matt Dudas, who Chris refers to as David's friend in the text and you have labeled "fan" in the photos.
I was also at the show, though not with Chris, David, and Matt. It was my first concert ever -- I was only 16 -- and it is still the standard by which all other live music performances are measured.
Please forward my comments to Chris. I would enjoy reminiscing about these guys. I think Matt is still around in Cleveland, but David died of AIDS sometime in the early 90's.
Remember the good times, though. Like when we got busted by the cops for skinny dipping in a public pool at 3:00 am after the Black Flag show at the Cleveland Public Theatre.
- Scott Crabtree - now living in Portland, OR
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London Calling |
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The Clash 2 x nak300 mics cardiod caps > sony d-5. nak1000 > hhb850 > sound forge 6 > cdwin > flac ------------------------------------------- first posted on EZT by redman on February 13, 2005 fell off the tracker on May 8, 2005 after 228 times snatched Redman's original notes - The 2nd part is more hissy because I put it on a circa 1982 radio shack chrome tape. Most of my old radio shack and basf and Memorex tapes did not hold up like the |
Cleveland Scene - Kent State gig review
Marc Holan
Backstage photos by Chris Downey
Tour Notes
Ebet Roberts
9 excellent photos from New York
musicpictures.com
Any further info / reviews appreciated
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Red Rock Amphitheatre, Morrison, Colorado, USA | |
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Hey, Love the site. I was lucky enough to see the Clash half a dozen times in 1981 and 1982--three nights at Bond's including opening night and the last matinee when we all got up on stage (my brother reminded me the other night of seeing me on stage singing "Jimmy Jazz" into Mick's mike and deciding he too had to rush the stage), Asbury Park in 1982, one of the nights with The Who @ Shea and a night in August 1982 at Red Rocks, a natural amphitheater in the Rocky Mountains outside of Bolder, Colorado. |
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Civic Center, Saint Paul MN, USA |
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Aragon Ballroom, Chicago IL, USA |
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Aragon Ballroom, Chicago IL, USA |
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Civic Center, Grand Rapids MI, USA |
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Grand Theatre, Detroit MI, USA |
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Civic Theatre, Akron OH, USA |
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Stanley Theatre, Pittsburgh PA, USA |
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Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh PA, USA |
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| Aug 21 | Seattle Centre Arena (hoax) | |
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see poster - |
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| Aug 22 | Boston Orpheum Theatre (cancelled) | |
| see poster | ||
| Aug 23 | Boston Orpheum Theatre (cancelled) | |
| Aug 24 | Boston Orpheum Theatre (cancelled) | |
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South Yarmouth, MA, Cape Cod Coliseum, Hyannis |
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| It was a general admission show and a lot crammed in. 007 were the support band. |
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South Yarmouth, MA, Cape Cod Coliseum, Hyannis |
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| There was definitely a day or two off after the 21st (Joe's 30th b-day party, Kosmo somehow talked the hotel into letting us at the closed bar, some yarn about important people from the record label being there. I remember Joe being behind the bar pouring drinks. In between the Clash gigs Elvis Costello played in the same venue. And The Baker somehow talked me into bringing my mom to the last night, the one and only. Pulsallama supported this night. Punter
------------------- I stumbled across your site looking for info on the 1982 Orpheum show, which I had no recollection of. I went (one of) the Cape Cod show(s) [I didn't remember that there was more than one], and saw the Elvis Costello show the following night. I was 23, and my road trip was different. I had just gotten married on August 1, and a couple of people from work were interested in making the trip, including a girl who promised that we could all stay at a friend of hers house in Dennis. There were friends of friends, and I brought my wife, so when we all met up in the parking lot, most of us didn't know each other. One guy was wearing a camouflage t-shirt. When we entered the Coliseum, we were faced with the choice of the swealtering, crushing crowd up front or the complete lack of sight and sound down back. I looked up and saw what appeared to be a press box or something (for hockey games?) with very few people up there, and started scheming for a way to get up there. It turned out that the bouncers/security guys were all wearing camouflage t-shirts, so I convinced the guy with one in our party to try to lead us up. I told him to just bluff his way past anyone with "Vinny says it's okay for these folks to go up". The first security guy we encountered told him something like "who cares what Vinny say; if Peter didn't approve it, no way". My guy was ready to give up, but I told him he was nuts; let's just go another way and drop Peter's name, which worked like a charm. The 5 or 6 of us had plenty of space and air and a good view. The sound still sucked, but probably not as much as down on the floor. I remember that standing next to me was Crass, the personality from Y102 FM (WLYN which later became WFNX 101.7). On another occasion, I got her to get me into an English Beat show at the Channel---I don't remember if that was before or after The Clash? Edward - djeddieo[a]gmail.com - Milton, MA |
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South Yarmouth, MA, Cape Cod Coliseum, Hyannis |
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| I was looking, recently, at the summer 1982 listings for Cape Cod Coliseum (Aug 20th, etal)... I attended all the shows. I was working a summer college job, and it was just about the end of the summer, as Labor Day was closing in fast. There were 3 Clash shows in all, but recollection is they only took one night off (shows were Friday, Saturday, Monday - 20th, 21st, 23rd). In between, Elvis Costello brought his Imperial Bedroom tour through.... I seem to recall being at the venue 4 straight nights - no breaks. I seem to recall, but may not be 100% sure on this, the opening act(s) on some of the nights were Gang Green and/or Jerry's Kids - both Boston hardcore bands at the time. 007 also supported one of the gigs, as your site mentions. I remember the shows being on fire! Loud, fast, and everyone was dancing! Elvis Costello did indeed play with the Attractions at South Yarmouth, MA, Cape Cod Coliseum on the 22nd. Link |
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Penn Rink, Philadelphia PA, USA |
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Penn Rink, Philadelphia PA, USA |
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Providence Civic Centre, Providence, USA |
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From: ruchinskas-at-comcast.net I found your website and it is great. I have to say 2 things about the 1982 tour. I was at the Sept. 7, 1982 show at the Orpheum and I actually agreed with the Globe review -- I thought they were tired and didn't have the same energy as other times I saw the Clash. I had just seen them August 28 in Providence and that was, and still is, the greatest show I have ever seen (beating an amazing show at Bond's NYC). They had the crowd of 10,000 as one and played with such energy it was amazing. I wish somebody else had written down and posted the set list. My roomate at the time wasn't into the Clash and I convinced him to go to the Orpheum show. We scalped some dance floor tix for face value (to this day, I have no clue how we got the best tix in the theatre by just showing up and lucking into somebody selling), so we were 3rd standing row from the band. Seemed evident early on that they were tired (at the time I commented to my roomate that they seemed drunk or wasted) and it wasn't the same energy level. The confrontation between Strummer and the stage jumper was unnerving and seemed to further sap the bands spirit. Really, in my opinion, the Boston Globe reviewer was correct. Sadly, that was my last Clash concert, but, in my mind, the Providence show was really the last time I saw the real Clash, the only band that mattered. Bob R |
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| Aug 29 | Agora Ballroom in Hartford (West Hartford), Connecticut | |
| I am sure that I saw them in late August at the Agora Ballroom in Hartford (West Hartford), Connecticut, but that doesn't show up on the 1982 tour dates. At one time the venue was called Stage West. They were in the area at that time (Hyannis, Providence and NYC are all close by). Is it possible that this was a last-minute schedule change or something? MTownsend(at)adcole.com I saw your website and just wanted to give you the date of the Clash show at the Agora Ballroom in West Hartford, CT. It was on Sunday August 29th, 1982. I think Black Uhuru was the opener. Admission was $10.50 and well worth it. I still have my ticket. Great website. Thanks, Tom |
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Pier 84, New York NY, USA |
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Pier 84, New York NY, USA |
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Pier 84, New York NY, USA |
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Verdun Auditorium, Montreal, Canada |
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CNE Grandstand at the old Exhibition (Grounds) Stadium, Toronto, Canada |
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Orpheum Theater, Boston MA, USA |
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Orpheum Theater, Boston MA, USA |
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JFK Stadium, Philadelphia PA, USA |
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| ...supporting The Who |
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Rich Stadium, Buffalo NY, USA |
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| ...supporting The Who |
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Pontiac Silverdome, Detroit, USA |
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| ...supporting The Who |
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State University of New York (SUNY), Binghampton NY, USA |
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R.P.I. Fieldhouse, Troy NY, USA |
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University of Vermont in Burlington Vermont | |
| Opening band was a local act called Pinhead. About 2,000 tickets sold. I don't know if a boot exists, but would give my arm for one if it did. (I was 15, and I was the first one in line - waited 9 and a half hours). | ||
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SMU, North Dartmouth MA, USA |
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“Saturday Night Live” |
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| NBC-TV appearance, New York NY, USA |
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Shea Stadium, New York |
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| ...supporting The Who |
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Shea Stadium, New York |
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| ...supporting The Who |
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William and Mary Hall, Williamsburg, Va. | |
| I was at the Oct 15th 1982 show at William & Mary in Williamsburg, VA. My friends and I had driven there from the podunk towns of Concord and Kannapolis, NC. In the pre-internet days it wasn't always easy to find out about bands going on tour unless it was some shit band like Boston. I found out about this show by listening to a Sunday night alternative radio show that I could pick up even though the station was 100-plus miles from where I lived. I told my friends about it and the following Friday we set out for Williamsburg. I remember getting out of our car once we arrived and noticing how every car had a different Clash song playing on their respective tape decks. I felt like I was on another planet. The show had General Admission seating and we wanted to be down front, but where we were at things got pretty wild. I remember some guy pulling out a knife right next to me. I can't remember why now. The Clash were great, of course. I never thought I'd be getting the chance to see them and I was stoked that they were playing first album material too and not just the more recent "hits". They were a turing point in my life and I was never the same because of them. www.Chris Peigler |
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Carnegie-Mellon University, Pittsburgh PA, USA |
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Memorial Gym, Kent State University OH, USA |
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Louisville, Kentucky | |
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Folsum Field, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado | |
| Supporting the Who. Uncertain date. It is not the 17th which is Kent State. Possibly the 19th? According to the Who concert guide, The Who played Folsom field on Oct. 17. | ||
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Seattle Kingdom | |
| The Clash supported the Who at the Seattle Kingdom on the 21st of Oct 82. They played about 40 minutes. T-Bone Burnett came on before and was booed. Sadly I have misplaced the tape of this gig but the set was pretty standard. | ||
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Memorial Auditorium, Sacramento, USA |
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| Poster Ticket The Memorial Auditorium only seats about 3500 people. The Clash were getting ready to play with The Who at the two Oakland shows on the 23rd & 25th. They decided to play a solo show by themselves in Sacramento on the 22nd. | ||
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Colisseum Stadium, Oakland CA, USA |
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| ...supporting The Who |
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| Colisseum Arena, Oakland CA, USA |
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| The Clash DID NOT support The Who at the Oakland Coliseum ARENA (the smaller enclosed venue next to the larger Coliseum STADIUM used on Oct. 23 1982) on Oct. 25 1982. I attended both shows and have circulated my recordings of both. It may be my master recording of the Oct. 23 performance that you have heard and reviewed. I hope that helps to refine the info on your site. I'm absolutely certain. We were very disappointed the Clash only played at the larger outside show. Ned Hoey | ||
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Colisseum, Los Angeles CA, USA |
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| ...supporting The Who |
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| 31-10-82 Any recording labelled Ozone Park New Jersey is Bonds 9 June 81 | ||
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Bob Marley Centre, Montego Bay, Kingston, Jamaica |
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| ...Jamaican World Music Festival |
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