Out of Control US Tour April/May 1984
Supported by Heavy Manners

updated 13 June 2007
updated 7 July 2008 - added punters view (SmokeM) (Autumn)
updated 2 Sept 2016 with better audio information
updated August 2022 added Mikes review

Audio 1

Sound 5 - 14min - 4 tracks

Safe European Home

Audio 2 - different copy, slightly different sound

Sound 5 - 14min - 4 tracks

Safe European Home

Bootlegs

Give Em Enough Dope CD - Visit the Clash on Stage website for a comprehensive catalogue of unofficially released CD's and Vinyl.

Four excellent tracks, booted on the EP Chicago Shakedown and later on to the boot Give Em Enough Dope CD compilation from the vinyl as master.

Full track list opposite.

Give Em Enough Dope CD: The CD combines 3 EPs released from May 1984, all with great sound including the best version of the unreleased In the Pouring Rain. Clash 84 were a great live band and this is some of the best of their live performances.

Chris Knowles - The Essential Clash Bootleg Bible includes this gig

The South Bend Tribune

Sun May 13 1984

Grrrrr - The old fight is still there in the angry, reconstituted Clash

Chicago Tribune - Sun May 13 1984

New Clash rock with intensity

Chicago Tribune
Sat May 19 1984

Star Tribune letters page

Thu May 31 1984

Famous last concerts in Chicago, from the Grateful Dead to the Replacements

The Clash, Aragon, May 17, 1984

The last time the Clash played on American soil was in Uptown. Of course, most fans hardly consider this late iteration of the band the Clash. Even Joe Strummer, the one keeping the legend on life support, later felt regret for beating a dead horse. Mick Jones was out of the group, replaced by a couple pub-punk nobodies on guitar, and there was a ringer on drums, too. The Clash in name only, the band recorded the dull and pointless Cut the Crap album. The ballroom was overstuffed nonetheless. 

Nashville Music and Beyond– Past, Present and Future!

MUSIC CITY MIKE

CLASSIC CONCERT:
THE CLASH @ ARAGON BALLROOM / CHICAGO, IL
MAY 17, 1984

June 4, 2014 · by mbodayle · in Classic Concerts · 2 Comments
Business travel frequently took me around these United States of America in the 80’s. Many trips were short notice, and most of my evenings were free to go hear live music. In the pre-internet days, it wasn’t easy to find out in advance what concert opportunities might be awaiting me. Sometimes, I’d call ahead to a familiar venue or a local record store. Often, it wasn’t until I got to town and found a newspaper or the weekly entertainment rag that I found out what was going on.

On one such trip to the Windy City, I was able to catch the second generation Clash on their Out of Control tour. This was the version of the band without Mick Jones that would later release Cut the Crap, the final record under the band’s name. A new drummer, the band’s third, remained with the group after joining them for the final show with Jones at the 1983 US Festival in California. Surviving original members Joe Strummer and Paul Simonon were now joined by a pair of young guitarists.

The show holds no real memories other than hearing a few new songs and missing the occasional change from Strummer to Jones on lead vocals. I recall the unpleasantness of the overcrowded, seatless, 4,500-capacity Aragon Ballroom (dubbed “brawl-room” by the locals). Arriving late and missing any opening band(s) that there might have been, I remember never finding a comfortable vantage spot. The cavernous room made me claustrophobic as well, and after trying several spots, I settled on a distant location in the balcony.

After the show, I visited a bar next to the venue where I think that local band The Hounds were playing. Leaving an hour or so after show time, I stumbled upon Joe Strummer leaving the front of the venue carrying a large shoulder bag. He was chatting friendly with some fans, and to this day I regret not approaching the late artist who I truly admire. PDF

Cool for an 18 wanna be punk rocker

Dave McKenna · October 5, 2016 →
I was at that show as well wearing camouflage pants and Who t-shirt. Sweated my ass off as we were about 10 people from the stage. Opener was some reggae/ska band which was forgettable. They basically got booed off the stage. It wasn’t the same without Mick in the lineup but still very cool for an 18 wanna be punk rocker that I was…

Opening act was called Heavy Manners

mbodayle · October 5, 2016 →
I missed the opening act, but my note says the opening act was called Heavy Manners.

The hottest show I have ever witnessed

The Aragon show, in Chicago in 84, it was indeed the hottest show I have ever witnessed.  I too, was pressed up against that black painted barrier in the front.  Billy Bragg came out to play some acoustic set.  I don't remember if it was before the "reggae" band or between sets.  The "premise" of the night was that they were marching on a bomb depot center in Iowa..

Would be interested to see if any of the others recall this.  I did buy a shirt that night.  It was unbearable after that.  Not because it got ripped up, but because the humidity in that place...it never held a proper shape... I'll never forget... Awesome ! Shooter

Crammed in and rocking to the fullest

El Marko Ecaen I was at this show. Aragon Ballroom, Chicago. A sweaty pile of humans crammed in and rocking to the fullest.

Ulf Rasmussen The Mickless Clash. Chicago spring 1984. Not a show I payed much attention too! Was with a new lady friend, who knew nothing really about punk, so I was talking and explaining a lot!!! All I remember, and never forgot, is when Nick Sheppard came out and did " Police On My back "! I remember thinking........" Ohhh Joe, how could you"?

Stunning high energy punk

The show was sold out and my brother could not get a scalped ticket out front and had to wait outside during the entire show, while a friend of mine and I witness a stunning high energy punk rock show.  Some Reggae band was the opener and while I think they were slightly well known I cannot remember their name. 

The reason I mention this is the Reggae band played a very long set which began to wear down the crowd.  Then the Clash took a full hour and half to come on stage after the warm up finished. There was a massive anticipation of what the post-Mick Jones Clash would sound like, we had heard it was a "return to basics" etc, but without Mick our expectations were not very high and we realised we would not being seeing the quintensentail Clash. 

The Aragon did not have air conditioning back in those days and it was a very hot day for Chicago at that time of year.  It was well over 100 degrees in the club.  Joe and Co came out and did very firey versions of London Calling and Safe European Home, Joe then said "If this is the Windy City...then where is all the fucking wind?"  It was miserable hot. 

The pit area was very rough and I came home with few good bruises holding my ground down near the front.  I also remember the sound level was unusually loud, during some points in the show the music all blended together and sounded like an air-horn going off in you ear.  My ears rang for three days afterwards.  The crowd was completely won over by the new Clash and I remember great versions of Junco Partner, Clampdown, Guns Of Brixton, Police and Theives, Clash City Rockers and Janie Jones. 

The set list from the other shows around this time look pretty close to what we got, they ended the show with I'm So Bored With The USA and finally White Riot. The new material sounded really good and I thought the new album, which took a year and half to come out after this show, would be great.  When I finally heard Cut The Crap, I was stunned by how different and dissapointing it was compared to the live spectacle I saw at the Aragon that night. 

You literally could not move

I was there as well 1984 Aragon Ballroom......a sweaty packed mass of people .........you literally could not move.... if the crowd swayed to the left you were going with them, it was like being in raft at sea you just went with the tide.  Joes famous line that night captured on the "Give 'em enough dope" boot was "The windy city..if this is the windy city where is the fucking wind?" Clash II that 1984 I was senior in High school...........where have the years gone?  SmokeM 

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Tracks recorded at Chicago

1 2 3 4	Clash City Rockers Three Card Trick Safe European Home White Riot

Collection of soundboard tracks bootlegged on the Give Em Enough Dope CD

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

Train In Vain Washington Bullets Ivan Meets G.l. Joe Career Opportunities Janie Jones Clash City Rockers London's Burning Live at Sun Plaza Hall, Tokyo, Japan, 1 February 1982 Are You Ready For War? Complete Control In The Pouring Rain Clampdown Live at Paramount Theatre, Seattle, Washington, USA, 30 May 84 Sex Mad War Janie Jones Straight To Hell Brand New Cadillac Live at Oregon University, Eugene, Oregon, USA, 29 May 1984 Clash City Rockers Three Card Trick Safe European Home White Riot Live at Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, Illinois, USA, 17 May 1984