Bo Diddley talks about his experiences opening for the Clash

Bo Diddley talks about his experiences opening for the Clash on their 1979 US Tour. This interview took place in November 2002 at the Rock Nightclub in Maplewood, Minnesota. "it was so loud the building shook"

Video below

Bo was fantastic. He got an encore... 

@Tralfaz666 - I saw Bo on that Clash tour and he was fantastic. He got an encore... 

@jondoeinfo - I was at that show in Vancouver - AND at the sound check he refers to earlier that day. The Clash were no louder than any other rock n roll band of that period. Mick Jones and Joe Strummer only used one amp each if I recall - which is NOT a lot. Maybe Bo just wasn't used to modern music... Bo wasn't complaining at the sound check either, and I was sitting almost next to him.

Saw two CLASH shows in person so loud you couldn't hear anything with clarity

@bowiggly7038 - Saw two CLASH shows in person and both were amped so loud you couldn't hear anything with clarity. Still love Diddley and the legacy of the Clash

NYC Paladium in Feb 1979

@bobbysands6923 - Saw The Clash, The Cramps, and Bo Diddely at the NYC Paladium in Feb 1979. I have also seen space shuttles take off. The Clash were louder. Great concert, unforgettable...but my ears were ringing for days afterward.

Some details ...

@ian7208 - To give some supporting details: Around this time Mick Jones was using the dual setup of a 100 W mesa boogie mark i AND a 100 W mark ii, each into a marshall 4x12. That's literally an insane amount of power that can handle a stadium - and they were in clubs. After a few decades people eventually realized this was sort of overdoing the wattage a little bit.

DC show at the Ontario Theater

@andygoldberger3775 - Was at the DC show at the Ontario Theater on this tour...(Same venue as the Worldwide Premiere of Rock and Roll High School but another posting I guess)  Bo was great... had his own punk attitude.   Clash…clashed loudly…very…we left midway thru.  Saw them a few years later at the Smith Center and they were great.

Fillmore, SF

@frankmorrow3701 - He's talking about the volume of the shows y'all and I totally agree with him as I saw him open for them in SF and he was great and could be heard so clearly and he was a great opening act for them! Then the "wall of noise" happened!! It was so fucking loud you couldn't discern one song from another and actually I thought that it was one of the worst shows that I've ever seen (and still do!) it was truly sad because as Bo said "they didn't need to be that loud" and even tho' I enjoyed it for their energy but the music sucked and I love the Clash!!! My ears were shot for days after that...

Berkeley CA Community Theater

@loudenkliehr3633 - I was at their first show in the States in '79 at the Berkeley CA Community Theater. Bo opened and was great. I don't recall The Clash having a great deal of equipment on stage at that time. And I don't recall Bo being any less loud than them. I do know that the following night at a benefit show in S.F. they started using a different equalizer than improved the clarity. Maybe that's what made the difference. But as far as them having big stacks of speakers and amps ala The Who, I don't recall that being the case.

Bo on Topper

@Onetinsoldier - According to 'Passion is A Fashion: the Real Story of The Clash written by Pat Gilbert: 'The group (The Clash) loved Bo and he loved them back'. Bo about Topper Headon: 'You know, that is the only white boy who's ever played my rhythm without having to be shown how to do it'. Bo: 'Our music is entirely different, but it was a gas'.

The Clash were so loud

@shaunigothictv1003 - Bo Didley is getting the amps mixed up with the P.A system. I was actually there that day with my Dad. The Clash were audio tuned so loud that it was almost impossible to distinguish one song from the other. I remember my Dad turning to me and saying "Son, that just sounds like a wall of death". Unlike my Dad and Bo, I thought it was funny!

I really enjoyed that concert. I heard so many people that day comment that the Amps and sound was crap. But guess what, they got it all mixed up too. It's not the Amps folks. It's the P.A system. Bo is absolutely correct on the volume issue. But who cares? As long as you enjoy yourself. It was one of my favourite concerts of all time.

Santa Monica Civic

@undergroundwarrior70 - I saw that tour in 1979 at the Santa Monica Civic in Santa Monica, California. I was 23. Bo Diddley was fantastic playing his music on stage. And The Clash were also fantastic. But I do understand what Bo Diddley is saying about having all those amps on stage. Just way overdone to have that many for an indoor concert. The acoustics at the Santa Monica Civic were pretty bad. A couple of years later I saw The Psychedelic Furs there and it was so very loud that I had to go to the lobby so I could hear them better, but couldn't see them on stage.

Lee Dorsey, & Mikey Dread never complained about the PA

@ericmalone3213 - This is some historical revisionism from Mr Diddley. Look at the Penny Smith and Bob Gruen Clash photo books. Mr Diddley had a great time touring with them. The Clash paid Mr Diddley up front in cash before every show. If Mr Diddley had had a problem with the volume, The Clash would have sorted it out for him. They were entirely accommodating. After touring with Mr Diddley, The Clash toured with Lee Dorsey, & Mikey Dread as opening acts. Mr Dorsey & Mr Dread never complained about the PA, & they had a great time as well.

That show in Vancouver - no louder than any other rock n roll band of that period

@jondoeinfo - I was at that show in Vancouver - AND at the sound check he refers to earlier that day. The Clash were no louder than any other rock n roll band of that period. Mick Jones and Joe Strummer only used one amp each if I recall - which is NOT a lot. Maybe Bo just wasn't used to modern music... Bo wasn't complaining at the sound check either, and I was sitting almost next to him.

Bo Diddley talks about opening for The Clash

Source: Bo Diddley talks about opening for The Clash - YouTube