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

updated 14 July 2008 - added poster
updated 5 Jan 2010 - added punters comments
updated Dec 2014 - punters comments on radio source & songs
updated August 2022 added Forty years ago article

Audio 1

Sound 4 - time 27min - FM /unknown generation - tracks 9

I Fought the Law

Audio 3

Sound 4 - time 28min - FM /unknown generation - tracks 9

I Fought the Law

Sound quality

Sourced from an FM radio broadcast this has a great sound, the best from this European/UK final leg of the 16 Tons Tour. It’s the best sounding source for hearing the particular live sound The Clash were producing at this stage in their history; very tight and dominated by Mick’s effects heavy lead guitar, played in a great mixture of short solo bursts and punk power chords.

Its source on the Fxxk You Baby bootleg is probably first or second generation as there is a little flatness and lack of clarity however it is a very enjoyable sound with all the instrumentation well mixed and clear. Vocals could be more ‘in your face’ though and there is little stereo separation.
It of course only a section of the concert and an edit loses Koka Kola after it is announced.

“All aboard!”

The recording starts dramatically with Joe shouting “London Calling to the faraway towns, now war is declared and battle come down” and then Joe’s guitar intro kicks in. A fast paced, intense performance of London Calling, almost great but for a muted guitar solo from Mick. It’s typical of all the songs here, highly enjoyable but not quite inspired enough to make them exceptional performances.

A strong Guns of Brixton follows with Paul’s vocals a bit too far back in the mix but his scratchy guitar chording and Mick’s echo heavy lead guitar lines are very clear.

“All aboard!” shouts Joe as Train In Vain begins but soon there are other shouts and the songs breaks down. The radio announcer says a problem has begun at ‘Rotelle’ and Joe asks “Pour quoi?”. After a short gap and the presumed power interruption is solved, Joe has a go at the culprit, “Nous allons maintenant and fuck you baby!” Train in Vain restarts and Mick’s playing is particularly enjoyable over the ending coda.

There’s no break between songs and now Joe calls for “White Man” and Mick obliges shouting an urgent 1-2-3-4 and the band launch into an excellent performance of White Man In Hammersmith Palais. Mick sings a verse and adds a biting solo. Joe changes the lyrics to “Punk rockers from France and in Germany, you come too late!” and in his pigeon French sings at the end “Only cherchez la jolie!”

Joe announces Koka Kola but an edit restarts as he shouts “Hit the deck” and the song segues into a powerful I Fought the Law. Then Joe scratches out the intro to Somebody Got Murdered with Mick building in crescendo his lead guitar lines over the top. Joe shouts “nouveau chanson” and it does still sound like a new song in transition live, but is nevertheless hugely enjoyable.

“You been to prison?” intros a fine Jail Guitar Doors, with confusion over the usual verse that Joe adlibs on, with Mick in the end adding a few muffled words.

An excellent Clampdown, with the pro-sound recording documenting well the variation on the songs opening that he was playing in June 1980. Sadly the recording ends there, but the quality of the recording and the strong performances makes this an essential bootleg.

Best Magazine 141 - Poids Lourds

Avr 80- Mick Jones

Il y a 40ans, le concert hors norme tournait au clash

Link or English version

The Clash at the Rettel Rock Festival 

Le Républicain Lorrain

archive PDF part 1

archive PDF part 2

Among the national media, France Inter was on site in Rettel: Bernard Lenoir, for his show "Feedback", had broadcast the Clash concert. While projectiles were thrown on stage, the group stopped in the middle of "Train in vain": we hear Joe Strummer asking the audience to calm down, before sending them packing and continuing the songs at a crazy pace.

Rock in Rettel: elements unleashed at the festival

The big rock party in Rettel had started very well in the early afternoon. Several thousand people had gone to the Usinor open-air base on the banks of the Moselle, near Sierck-les-Bains to attend the largest musical gathering in the region. Since the end of the morning, a constant stream of festival-goers had passed through the small village of Rettel, unaccustomed to such a crowd.

[Républicain Lorrain, June 15, 1980] The festival began under a radiant sky with groups like Fischer Z and the Cure, who provided an excellent stage performance. The venue and the sound system were up to the task of this ambitious and well-organized event. However, during the evening, the party was literally going to fall apart during the passage of the group Ufo, drowned by violent downpours. The festival was then catching a cold. Few people were equipped to face the downpours. Many of them no longer had the heart in it.

Roxy Music cancels…

The tension, on the other hand, increased at the front of the stage, where a hundred or so enthusiasts were becoming more and more excited. It is true that the Clash have a reputation as a violent, insurrectional group. In the rain which had not stopped, the Clash started around 8:30 p.m. Immediately a hundred bottles and clods of earth flew towards the stage. The group, however, continued their show bordering on the dangerous. Tension was high in the audience, with many not quite understanding what was happening. On the other hand, the Roxy Music group, which was to close the festival, then decided to cancel its show, considering that it could not present it in such unfavorable conditions. The party was well and truly over. Fishtail, it must be admitted.

Article signed Francis Kochert [Republican Lorrain of June 15, 1980] Click here to access the "Archive Box".

Echoes in the national press 

A few days later, the newspaper "Libération" returns to the incidents that occurred as soon as the Clash entered the stage. In an article dated June 20, 1980, the daily echoed the reactions of reader-festival-goers.

We can thus read... "The groups pass without unleashing the crowd. The tension rises. The Clash wait their turn in their caravan. Joe Strummer dries his clothes on a projector near the river.[...] The group goes on stage. It's raining. Very quickly, there's a clash, a confrontation. After two songs, cans and clods of earth begin to fly onto the stage. As the rain intensifies, projectiles. become more numerous.[...] The fight breaks out in the front rows The barriers are torn down The police respond with tear gas, the Clash do not give up and succeed in turning the situation around. of unbridled violence Meanwhile, the group Roxy Music arrives Brian Ferry refuses to go on stage, citing security reasons. Some gossips will say that he was afraid of getting mud on his white suit. Click here to access the "Archive Box".

Rettel rock festival: 20,000 watts for 20,000 spectators

The village of Rettel, peacefully nestled in the Sierck valley, will experience exceptional activity on Saturday, June 14, starting at noon. Nearly 20,000 people are expected to attend the largest rock festival ever organized in eastern France.

[Lorraine Republican of June 11, 1980] Like the major Dutch and German concerts, Rettel will offer a structure particularly suited to this type of event. Jean-Marie Sanzey - a native of the country - at the origin of this project was the project manager for the festivals organized in recent years at the Château de Sierck-les-Bains. He wanted to give a new dimension to this annual meeting for rock fans. Since last September, the Santos-production team has been working to develop an international program and to think about the infrastructure of the festival.

The venue will undoubtedly delight the public and musicians: it is a vast, perfectly circumscribed space on the banks of the Moselle on the Usinor works council's open-air grounds between the forest and the water, without the slightest difference in level. The landscape is serene and radiant. The grounds have been demarcated by a kilometre of special barriers, which have proven their worth at major festivals in Holland and Belgium. The stage is impressively gigantic, since it is raised 2.80 m high, it measures 35 m long and 10 m deep, ensuring perfect visibility across the entire grounds. Three generators have been planned and the electrical power for the sound system and lighting will be around 20,000 watts! All the figures are in line with the scale of the project.

In bulk, know that 12 semi-trailers will have been necessary to transport the equipment, 2.5 km of electrical cables, 20 toilets (free) equipped with sinks, 8 refreshment bars, which will sell some 15,000 liters of fresh beer on tap, 2 tons of fries, 15,000 merguez and sausages, 5,000 hamburgers…[...]

All these multiple details are undoubtedly important, but should not make us forget the essential: the program. It is definitively established as follows: Fischer Z from 1:30 p.m. then Kevin Coyne and the Occasionals, the Cure, UFO, the Clash and to finish in style… Roxy Music in full force. A set that should appeal to all rock fans today. The rock critics were not mistaken. They will come in force to Rettel for: Rock & Folk, Best, Melody Maker, New Musical Express, Libération, Le Matin… For the radios, we will note the presence of Jean-Bernard Hebey from RTL but it is France-Inter who will create the event with the arrival of Bernard Lenoir who will record the entire festival which will be rebroadcast on his show Feedback.

Article signed Francis Kochert [Republican Lorrain of June 11, 1980]Click here to access the "Archive Box".

Photos

The Clash à Rettel pour "London Calling" : le festival inachevé

The Clash at Rettel for “London Calling”: the unfinished festival

Online: PHOTOS ET VIDEOS (French)
English translation PDF
English translation text

PHOTOS AND VIDEOS. The Clash at Rettel for “London Calling”: the unfinished festival

the archive box. PHOTOS AND VIDEOS. The Clash at Rettel for “London Calling”: the unfinished festival

"London Calling", the Clash's third album, celebrates its 35th anniversary. Released on December 14, 1979, it is still classified among the best rock opuses today. "London Calling" is also the Clash's only appearance in Lorraine: in June 1980 at the Rettel festival, with The Cure and Roxy Music. A date memorable for its wild elements: storms and violent incidents punctuate the group's concert. The festival is cut short: Brian Ferry and Roxy Music cancel their closing show...

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The Clash in concert for the Rock Festival in Rettel on June 14, 1980 (Photo Francis Prymerski, courtesy of the photographer)

02/10
Rettel Rock Festival: Republican Lorrain of June 15, 1980

03 / 10
The Clash at the Rettel Rock Festival on June 14, 1980 (Photo Francis Prymerski, courtesy of the photographer)

04 / 10
Rock festival in Rettel on June 14, 1980 with among others The Cure and The Clash (Le Républicain Lorrain of June 3, 1980)

05/10
The poster for the rock festival in Rettel on June 14, 1980 Photo RL/ ARCHIVES LRL

06 / 10
The Clash at the Rettel Rock Festival on June 14, 1980 (Photo Francis Prymerski, courtesy of the photographer)

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The Clash at the Rettel Rock Festival on June 14, 1980 (Photo Francis Prymerski, courtesy of the photographer)

08 / 10
The crowd at the Rettel rock festival on June 14, 1980 (RL archive photo)

09 / 10
Rettel rock festival: Republican Lorrain from June 11, 1980

10 / 10
Jean-Marie Sanzey, the initiator of the Rettel rock festival on June 14, 1980 (RL archives photo)

Setlist

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10	London Calling The Guns of Brixton Train In Vain Train In Vain White Man Somebody Got Murdered Koka Kola (missing) I Fought the Law Jail guitar Doors Clampdown