16 Tons Tour Europe/cancelled dates due to Toppers injury.

last updated Jan 2024

Audio 1

bass heavy - sound 2.5 - time 1hr 16mins - unknown generation - tracks 25

Train in Vain

Sound Quality

The circulating tape has been copied too many times, losing most of the top end leaving a bass heavy flat and thin sound. There is some detail with little distortion except on the bass.

The drums, vocals and lead come across reasonably but all suffer from distance, and vocals are mainly too poor to hear Joe’s song adlibs. It is a largely un-engaging audience recording and with other much better sounding ones from the European 16 Tons Tour, this is an inessential bootleg.

It’s generally a return to the usual 16 Tons set but with some major differences. Joe says “Nicht sprekinze Deutch!” and as a result attempts little communication with the audience. Highlights include a strong White Man introduced as “White man in the Philipshalle , Hammersmith Broadway” but his adlibs at the end are unclear.

City Of the Dead makes an always welcome reappearance, not played since January and returns because of the lukewarm reception in Dusseldorf?.

48 Hours is back too and would be played on most nights of this leg of the tour. The unreleased Somebody Got Murdered is powerful. Before Jail Guitar Doors Joe sings in heavy echo to great effect “54-46 That’s My Number, right now someone else has that number” then a slow drum roll from Topper before the usual intro kicks in. Joe does not sing the usually improvised for the night verse after Mick’s guitar solo, in fact neither Mick or Joe sing anything at this point!

Further evidence that tonight is not an inspired performance comes on Police & Thieves with an unusually for the 16Tons Tour, ‘straight’ intro and at the point where he usually launches into an ad-libbed rant he says “quick finish”. Joe’s adlibs are unclear on the ending of Clampdown, which seems to fizzle out.

What is inspired tonight is an amusing adlib on an excellent Jimmy Jazz. Presumably the band had a difficult time with German customs (maybe they knew they were just back from Jamaica!) as Joe sings “Police came in saying what we got here? You guys take your trousers down right now, spread your cheeks wide!, There’s something up your asshole! We Polizei have the right to ? your asshole ..That’s right wait right here, drop your clothes, spread your cheeks and kiss the floor! Meanwhile I’m going to have my lunch!” The song continues as just drum and bass as the audience ‘wait’ for the Officer to return, Joe’s adlibs then include Rastafari and a little bit of Swiss cheese. The mind boggles!

Hate and War makes its first return since July 79 and the set ends with London Calling. The audience do shout and whistle for more but from the recording at least the reaction sounds pretty muted and they presumably as a result get just one encore. The band return and play a great Janie Jones rather than the usual encore opening Armagideon Time then return to the latter losing the impetus. Next Topper’s bass drum beats out the intro to Complete Control with extra drum rolls. A charged London's Burning closes the show.

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The Clash: Der Tag, an dem der Punkrock starb

21. September 2016
Am 18. Mai 1980 traten „The Clash“ in der Philipshalle auf. Und ihr Techniker tötete den Punk.

(English PDF version)

Blog: The Clash & Nighthawks & Male

@Philippshalle, Düsseldorf
English translated; Original German

Setlist

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25	Clash City Rockers Brand New Cadillac Safe European Home Koka Kola I Fought the Law White Man In Ham Palais The Guns Of Brixton Train In Vain City Of the Dead 48 Hours Somebody Got Murdered Jail Guitar Doors Police and Thieves Clampdown Jimmy Jazz Stay Free Bankrobber English Civil War Hate and War Tommy Gun London Calling Janie Jones Armagideon Time Complete Control London's Burning