Short Summer Rock Art US Tour

Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros
Joe Strummer: Vocals and Rhythm Guitar
Martyn Slattery: Lead Guitar, Keyboards et al
Anthony Genn: Guitar
Scott Shields: Bass Guitar
Pablo Cook: Percussion
Smiley: Drums

Audio - quite good some drop outs
Sound 4
80min
Unknown gen?
15 tracks

alling

A reasonably good sound, with some drop out spots and very slight distortion.

However for the most part it is a very good audience recording, not as bright as one or two others but good none the less.

Apparently London Calling was repeated due to some early sound problems, though it appears that they may have played it twice because the crowd wanted more, but they did not yet have a lot of songs on tap...

shepperdsexpress.com
July 8, 1999
Volume 20, Issue 28

Summerfest Levis Stage - MUSIC High Clash

For all the change that punk rock's revolution promised, today much of it seems as outdated and idealistic as the hippie utopianism that preceded it. And then, of course, there is the Clash. They were smart, brash, restless and pissed off when they began releasing singles in 1977.

By the time the band's final album came out in 1985 they cast a long shadow that was never quite wiped away. Following the fireworks Saturday night at Summerfest's Levi's Rock Stage, former Clash frontman Joe Strummer put on an equally vibrant display of his own.

Taking the stage to the strains of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight," Strummer and his five-piece combo wasted no time in establishing their turf, springing into the magisterial "London Calling" as their second tune.

The set would be top-heavy with gems from the Clash songbook. While the new tunes from an upcoming album showed promise--Strummer called one a "punk-rock-folk-blues" that began with a rhythm track from a mic'd boombox--the real prize in the Crackerjacks this night was how well the group of youngsters in Strummer's new band interpreted the myriad of influences stuffed into some of the Clash's best tunes.

From the loping easy skank of "White Man in Hammersmith Palais" to the beautiful dub-heavy charge of "Bank Robber," and from the pre-hip-hop delirium of "Rock the Casbah" to the second-line New Orleans syncopation of "Junco Partner," this was not a band covering the hits.

Overcoming early problems with the sound mix, it was a band led by a man whose life was saved by rock 'n' roll--just the image of Strummer flailing away on his trusty, worn Telecaster spoke volumes. Especially noteworthy was a version of "Straight to Hell" that painted a musical portrait of psychosis.

Taking a page from James Brown, Strummer pointed directions to the band behind his back while singing at several points. Perhaps the only thing missing this night was the stinging urgency of Mick Jones' original guitar parts.

If "Tommy Gun," "I Fought the Law" and "Brand New Cadillac" were a bit ragged, they'll be tightened up with time. On one of the new tunes Strummer sang, "I'm gonna scream so loud, they're gonna hear me in Canada." They probably did.

--Blaine Schultz

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