June 29, 1982: The Clash unleashes furious set at Kinsmen
Edmonton Journal - Published Jun 29, 2015, Chris Zdeb
"For a few minutes in the smoke-filled Fuehrerbunker known as the Kinsmen Fieldhouse, it seemed The Clash might not have the chance to live up to its legend as ‘The Only Band That Matters,' " began a Journal concert review. "After kicking off with a rousing London Calling, followed by Spanish Bombs, the British quartet had to halt a crunching rendition of Know Your Rights when the press at stage front became so oppressive it seemed some of the audience might fall on a thicket of nail-filled boards."
English punk band The Clash, with lead singer Joe Strummer, left, performed at the Kinsmen Fieldhouse in 1982 Supplied
"For a few minutes in the smoke-filled Fuehrerbunker known as the Kinsmen Fieldhouse, it seemed The Clash might not have the chance to live up to its legend as ‘The Only Band That Matters,' " began a Journal concert review.
"After kicking off with a rousing London Calling, followed by Spanish Bombs, the British quartet had to halt a crunching rendition of Know Your Rights when the press at stage front became so oppressive it seemed some of the audience might fall on a thicket of nail-filled boards."
Guitarist-lead vocalist Joe Strummer (born John Graham Mellor) exhorted everyone to "try not to be an animal out there," as police officers (one with cotton balls in his ears) mounted the stage. The boards were removed, the crowd stepped back and "The Clash proceeded to unleash the most powerful and uncompromising rock rave-up since Elvis Costello and Bob Marley visited here in 1978 and 1979, respectively," the review said.
"True, somebody spat on Strummer during Bankrobber (prompting him to say he would ‘brain' the offending individual should he continue). True, you had to be in an arc 60 metres from the stage to really appreciate the band, the Kinsmen being an acoustic nowhere land. True, the heat near the stage was almost suffocating. Yet The Clash — not to mention a good number of its 7,000 devotees — persevered.
"In a sense, the show was almost too much to take. Wearing ‘designer' fatigues (Strummer had a Special Forces-Mohican cut à la DeNiro in Taxi Driver), playing through a brutally loud sound system, the band drove through tune after tune like possessed rock shock troops, as a rear-screen projector splayed pictures of want ads, handguns, Margaret Thatcher, Lech Walesa, the Ayatollah, brick walls and Lord knows what else behind the net-covered stage."
The highlights of the show were Somebody Got Murdered, The Magnificent Seven, Career Opportunities and Police and Thieves.
The punk bank, formed in 1976, disbanded in early 1986. Strummer died suddenly at age 50 from a congenital heart defect on Dec. 22, 2002.
The Clash was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003, and the next year was ranked No. 28 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of 100 greatest artists of all time.
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