The Clash Take the Fifth Tour
The Necessaries and Gang War featuring Johnny Thunders and Wayne Kramer.

updated 10 July 2008 - added punters view
updated 15 July 2008 - added all Wormtown fanzine artricles
updated 5 Jan 2010 - added puntes comments

Audio 1

edited source - sound 2.5 - 37min - unknown source - 11 tracks

London Calling

The only known recording is an edited 37 minute tape

The only known recording is an edited 37 minute tape with a not terrible sound. There's some distortion and distance/echo.

Again perfectly listenable if poor. The drums and lead are clear and Joes vocals OK but Micks are low, and the bass is a bit hard to make out, though the recording does have a decent range of sound and a reasonable amount of clarity.

Flyer

Tickets

Clark University, Worcester MA

usual problems of the real fans not getting access

A university gig with the usual problems of the real fans not getting access. The excellent fanzine article (see link) was written by a fan who manages in the end to see the gig and get backstage to talk and photograph Joe.

The riot cops were 3 deep outside the hall expecting trouble and local punks were not let in. Tickets were over sold and bottles were thrown in anger with a few resulting arrests. However when the band arrived Joe insisted on talking to the student organiser and chief cop, "if they don't get in we don't play". Result; the fans outside were let in and allowed to watch from the lobby, later Joe dedicated Clash City Rockers to them.

The recording starts with Joe acknowledging the fans in the lobby, before Safe European Home kicks things off. The performance is tight and energetic, London Calling a good example with Mick's guitar fills adding drama and Joe spitting out the vocals. Joe sings a verse in Jail Guitar Doors about the gig and selling too many tickets.

Joe pleads for more reaction to overcome the bouncers before Capital Radio. Mick's acoustic guitar comes through well on English Civil War and Mickey comes on for Clampdown as previously on this part of the tour.

Sadly the recording ends on Guns of Brixton making this one of the least essential recordings from the tour. Upgrades and/or complete recordings would be very welcome.

Terribly overcrowded, fire department came and made a few hundred leave the hall

I missed them for both the 1st two Boston shows (Harvard Sq. Theatre and the Orpheum) but then I heard thru the grapevine that they were playing at Clark University on 9/28/79.  So we drove down and got in line.  Original scheduled to be in the field house, the promoters (I think it was a student organization) sold almost no advance tickets, and moved it to a smaller auditorium the day of the show.  Then 100s of punks from Boston showed up and bought tickets, and they kept selling tickets.  Terribly overcrowded, fire department came and made a few hundred leave the hall, but as soon as they left, Strummer says "There's a buncha fans out there that paid to see us, and they're stuck outside, but if everybody stays cool, and don't push, we can let them inside."  The Heart breakers opened. That show changed my life.  Cliche but true.  Anyway, I still have the ticket stub.  Rick

best two shows I've ever been to in my life

Boston Orpheum the week before were the best two shows I've ever been to in my life. Doug

They oversold the show and a lot of fans got stuck outside.

Doug Geer

I was there. It was 950 seat auditorium. They oversold the show and a lot of fans got stuck outside. Strummer stops the show shortly after it began and demands that the doors be opened so the people outside can hear the show. Nobody cared about their fans like The Clash!!!! Link

I was there

The scene outside was hectic

I was at the Clash show at Clark University's Atwood Hall on September 28, 1979.

Although I did not have a ticket to the show, I was sent there by the free college magazine I was 'working' for at the time, "Fine Times." I wrote music reviews for them, designed their logo, and being a photo major at School of the Worcester Art Museum (where Clark U students took art courses), also photographed for them. They sent me off to the show to shoot and write about it, but did not provide me with either a ticket or a press pass. The only thing I had was a business card they'd provided me with.

I arrived very early for the show, but remember it being a hectic scene. Initially they wouldn't allow me in without a ticket, but I showed them my card, and told them that I'd been assigned to cover the show for the magazine. Since they probably advertised the show in Fine Times, I was eventually allowed in, before the show even began. Having my photo equipment with me likely helped my case as well.

I was allowed to get right up to the stage and photograph the show, which was incredible. I still have all of the negatives filed away.

Having entered early, I was unaware of the ruckus going on outside Atwood Hall, although I do remember the show being delayed and then the Clash acknowledging the people watching the show from the lobby. I've been to many shows over the years, including some in UK pubs, but this was by far the closest I'd gotten to the performers and the intimacy of Atwood Hall was a perfect place to see the Clash at their raw-est best.

At the same time I was a late-night DJ for WICN in Worcester, doing a weekly show on Sunday nights, from 11:00 pm - 2:00 am. It was during this period that LB Worm became involved at the radio station as well, coming on board to do a weekly radio show of his own. At the time of the Clash show I knew of him, but hadn't yet met him.

I'd love to hear any recordings of the Clash show if they are available (beyond the :20 sample).

Bob Olson - oad[a]bellatlantic.net

Did you go? Comments, info welcome...

Info, articles, reviews, comments or photos welcome.
Please email blackmarketclash

I also wrote a fanzine back then called The Wormtown Punk Punk Press

From: LB Worm <lbworm@verizon.net>

The Wormtown Punk Punk Press

You have a great resource with this page.

I had tickets to the September 28th 1979 gig at Clark University in Worcester MA. I was one of those who got shut out of the venue.

I also wrote a fanzine back then called The Wormtown Punk Punk Press (also posted on bmc now - see article links top right) and reviewed the gig. Here are the pages and the reviews.

Recently I began posting the old issues online, as a part of the 30th Anniversary of our scene.

Local stuff Clark

THE CLASH coming to Worcester?

"Yes, it was THE CLASH coming to Worcester to play at Clark U.
What could be better? Not only were my heros coming to Wormtown, two students from Clark came in the shop and wanted me to print the posters for it. This was it. Show of the decade. What could possibly go wrong.

See tomorrows post to find out!"

Links

You can read about the Clash show here. Thanks, LB Worm
Our little online Radio show

Wormtown Fanzine - September 79 - (pre gig edition)
The Clash in Wormtown
... cover ...clash ...tour poster

Wormtown Fanzine Clark Pink Swindle Clark

The Great Clark Swindle

Wormtown Fanzine - September 79
- (pre gig edition)
- (post gig edition)

We want the Clash back, ya hear!

So, there I was in line to see The Clash. A light rain was falling, and some poor kid was looking for a ticket. I had an extra one in the car and I went back to get it. When I got back to Atwood Hall, I was told I couldn't enter due to the show being oversold. Seems they panicked that the show would not sellout and moved it from the original location to the smaller Atwood Hall. I proceeded to the ticket window and got my money back for the five tickets I bought. The nice girl at the window felt so bad for me, she gave me her Clash button she was wearing. (It's on the issue)

Me and my friends went and bought some beer, went down to the print shop where I wrote and printed this edition. We drank some more beer, went back to Clark and put them on all the cars parked near the show. As we approached Atwood Hall I saw the doors were wide open and went in and saw the last four songs they played. The Clash wouldn't go onstage until the powers that be let in all the people who were shut out. All I had to do was stand in the rain for 2 hours and I would have been all set.

Instead, this is what you get.Not only were my heros coming to Wormtown, two students from Clark came in the shop and wanted me to print the posters for it. This was it. Show of the decade. What could possibly go wrong.
See tomorrows post to find out!

Wormtown Fanzine - September 79 (post gig edition) We want the Clash back, ya hear!

November 1979 (PDF)

... clash cover ... clark swindle

Wormtown Fanzine (later?) - November 79
... cover ... clash movie

On a related note, I just finished reading

"Redemption Song, the Ballad of Joe Strummer" by Chris Salewicz. It's an exhaustive biography of the man who led the only band that mattered. I highly recommend you read it too.

I was all ready to jump into the 80's and while going through the archives I found these. One is a review of The Clash by Brian Goslow, the other is just a regular cut and paste job. I don't think either was ever published, for whatever reason. It was 29 years ago, and sometimes I don't remember what I did 29 minutes ago.

But thanks Brian, sorry if it never got to press.

Wormtown Fanzine - March 80
The Clash Fought the Law and won!!!

... clash cover

Diamondz Fanzine (unknown)

... Cover ... Harvard Square Cambridge Review by Brian Goslaw

Killer Children, Wormtown zine, Clark review

October 79

The Clash Fought the Law and won!!!

Wormtown Fanzine Clark

March 1980

Wormtown Online Radio show

A Riot of Our Own pg 199

Jj Gryphon

They also played at Clark University on their first US tour. During that tour they stayed at the Howard Johnson's in West Boylston, images from that stay made it into the gatefold of London Calling

Setlist

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11	Safe European Home I'm So Bored with the USA London Calling Jail Guitar Doors Capital Radio White Man In Ham Palais English Civil War Koka Kola I Fought the Law Clampdown The Guns Of Brixton