last updated 27 Jan 2007
last updated 5 Jan 2010 added punters comments, added Rock in Athens English Translation, added poster, added new text including the greek support band, updated text and edited it all more clearly. Added Festival Video Footage. Still no Clash footage.
updated April 2020 - updated
updated June 2021 added programme, poster, phot of joe at the end
No known audio or video
If you know of any recording, please email blackmarketclash
Greek Radio 85 ?
The Greek state radio recorded this show. (I contacted them a long time ago) but all European state archives are closed for people outside; we can’t buy or hire. Gustafson
Video/Clash
Obviously nothing yet exists from the last show, but The Cure's set was broadcast on state TV and is popularly traded in their boot community.
Video from the Festival circulates
Greek TV filmed the gig and footage of the Festival circulates but not the Clash concert footage. Any information on the whereabouts of any video or auduio of the Clash tape for this gig would be welcome.
There's quite a bit of poor footgage of the other bands and this sequenece of 3 bit on Youtube has some gerat shots of the festival...
part one | part two | part three
The Clash headline the Greek Music Festival
The Clash headline the Greek Music Festival in front of 40,000 fans. Vince White remembers this gig in The Last days of the Clash, page 258
For the first time so many important groups of that time came to Greece
From Brigades Musical, the band are third on the bill supporting Depeche Mode and Culture Club)
...Part of the Stranglers set was broadcast on Greek TV. It was the "Greek Woodstock" of our generation!
For the first time so many important groups of that time came to Greece to play together in a 2 day festival that took place in the Kallimarmaro Stadium (the Stadium of the first Olympic Games) in Athens.
"Thanks to the unforgettable Melina Merkouri at that time Culture Minister who supported this whole effort (Athens was the first "Culture Capital of Europe" - an institution that was born from Melina), a dream came true.
The Clash, The Cure, The Stranglers, Talk Talk, Nina Hagen, Depeche Mode, Telephone, Culture Club all appeared live some of them for the first and last time in Greece.
The Surrealistic Scene of The Stranglers playing "Nice n Sleazy" while behind them a tree is already burning through a molotof cocktail, tear gases rise up in the air from the fights between policemen and people who want to get inside for free "
Athens as Europe's cultural capital in the summer of 1985
Βαγγελης Καμπανας - The first major Rock Festival on the occasion of the declaration of Athens as Europe's cultural capital in the summer of 1985!!!!
Melina Mercouri was, in part, the soul of the festival! There was a time when rock music was the "black sheep", for both the Right and the Left!!!!
The Festival
Rock in Athens was a major Greek Music festival with an all star line up. It was to be see the last ever performance by the Clash, billed as 'Guest Star's'. Adverts were on display throughout Greece and the Islands advertising the event and 40,000 fans turned up to what was believed to be a free festival.
The Stranglers were Fridays headliners. One fan who travelled to Greece and went to the gig said "the best two bands of the whole festival were the headliners, definitely, the Stranglers and The Clash"
However suggestions of a free festival turned out to be false, and unhappy at having to pay to get in, several thousand stormed the stadium on the Monday.
Fears for safety for the following day, Saturday (when The Clash were headlining), led the organisers to offer free entry to avoid any of the violence which had left several police/security injured. Entrance on Saturday was without restriction.
"The spirits calmed down after the negotiations of the then new Deputy Minister of Culture, George Papandreou, with both Arkoudeas and the Pankides, after he managed to open the doors and let everyone in for free.
On the contrary, the next day, the Minister of Culture, Melina Mercouri, stated: “The big rock concert event at the Panathinaiko Stadium is in line with the right of the Greek youth to meet new trends in contemporary music. It is perfectly justified for an artistic or sporting event of high cost to have a ticket. In these cases, the requirement for free admission is in stark contrast to the legal feeling of those who paid. The ticket can be neither a pretext nor an alibi for provoking such incidents. " 29 years since Rock in Athens
The Clash were the major headliners on Saturday nights bill supported by the Cure and Nina Hagen. Nina Hagen was a German singer who was involved in the punk scene in the late 70s/early
Friday night had seen Culture Club play
Friday night had seen Culture Club play, Greek fans were not taken to a man in a dress singing in a soft female voice. The bored Greeks seeking entertainment took to booing them off with some missiles aimed at the stage. O'Dowd (Boy George) would describe them later as 200 anarchists.
Marcus Gray in his Clash book, Return of the Last Gang in Town, innacuarelty seized on O'Dowds comments seemingly for content promotion rather than fact.
The 40,000 in the main were there simply to see the major acts in the late evening, and that mainly was The Clash.
Interviews with Nick Sheppard suggest the band were confident with the new direction and new style of music. From in front of the stage the view was that "The Clash were excellent that night and the whole place seemed buzzing".
In Gray's book he suggests via Nick Sheppard, that Bernie and Joe moments before going on were rowing side stage and Joe having a very angry look, a usual precursor to him going on stage all fired up and The Clash blazing.
Vince White (on Clash City) said that "Glasgow Barrowlands was the most exciting show I played and Athens (the last) was the best show I played."
"I vividly remember the Athens show 'cause I walked out on my own and started it with the 'Complete Control' riff in the dark with all the lighted matches. It was an awesome moment I'll never forget. It built slowly from that and was a cool start from the usual 'London Calling' explosion. And a far cry from the mess of my first Clash gig in Santa Barbara. So if it turns up that would be the indicator of an original recording. Also it was the only show I played completely sober!!! I'd love to hear it. I really had my shit together on that one."
He says the Athens setlist was pretty close to the other festival gigs, and he highly doubts that 'Do it Now' was played as some rumours suggest.
Allegedly The Clash's fee for playing
Courtesy of Clash on Parole facebook page
Posters, adverts
Programme
Advert
Poster
Poster
Pass
Agreement
Tickets
Ticket prices around Europe listed on the top - GB £16
Ticket on the right/below in French Francs
pass courtesy of Clash City Collectors facebook page
Rock in Athens Festival, Greek Music Festival, Panathinaikon Stadium, Kallimarmaro
The Last Days of the Clash
Vince White ... page 258
Last Clash performance.
IN THE BACKSTAGES OF FESTIVAL
Pop and Rok Magazine
For us the "journalists" the two days were... tetrai'mero tiredness, trexj'matos and stresarj'smatos, because from Thursday the midday began the cover of festival and finished Sunday the midday. Apart from more I had been charged with all kinds works that you can imagine.
1985: Rock In Athens in Kallimarmaro
Something like a Greek Woodstock
The idea is said to have belonged to Melina Mercouri. The organizers were the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Youth and the French Ministry of Culture. PDF
29 years since Rock in Athens
Like today in 1985, the two-day Rock in Athens in Kalimarmaro was in progress. The Kallimarmaro Stadium hosted big names of the international music scene, who were at the height of their glory. The inspirer of the concert was the then Minister of Culture Melina Mercouri. But Rock in Athens was also stigmatized by large-scale episodes.
Les InRocks - French magazine
Rock in Athens '85 - GREEK MUSIC MAGAZINE.
BOOK REVIEW George Turcovasilis
Her idea was indeed the institution of the European Capital of Culture, with Athens being the first city to
be honored that very year of 1985. And in the context of a wider youth political approach then (and let's not forget the infamous State Department now - later downgraded to the Youth Secretariat), in collaboration with the French Ministry of Culture (Hellenic-French alliance, Melina-Jacques Lang friendship) and two private, also French, companies, and a rock festival at the Panathenaic Stadium.
Le Monde arts section Rock a Athens
- web (French)
- PDf (English)
Collective tribute these are the top 10 rock concerts of all time in greece!
Rock in Athens - Kallimarmaro - July 26 and 27, 1985
In 1985, Athens became the cultural capital of Europe and the Athenians, seeing only foreign bands in photos, saw in just two days the foam of the (then) rock scene in the first real "Rock Festival" (also known as "the Melina Festival î). The Cure, Depeche Mode, Culture Club, Stranglers and Nina Hagen filled Kalimarmaro with their music, gathering about 90,000 people and causing a frenzy in the audience.
At the agendas of Stranglers, one of the spectators threw slippers (!) At bassist Jean Jacques Burnel, Boy George of Culture Club received a pile of plastic bottles with sand, responding with the attack "If I were a bad girl I would show you my ass", while The Cure (then unknown in Greece) then made their first attempt to reach the Greek public.
And they did it. The "bitter" ticket (2,000 drachmas) also included a secret "guest star" band, which was none other than the legendary "The Clash". In fact, when they went on stage, the panic was transferred outside Kallimarmaro, where dozens of people tried to "shower" with the known consequences, while the headlines of the next day that spoke of "rookades-hooligans" were typical.
MEMORIES FROM "ROCK IN ATHENS"
26-27 / 7/1985
DIMITRIS SALAMANIS
The Rock in Athens was the first concert long, with big musicians who starred at the time. It is a rare thing for today's data that big concerts are usually made by names of other eras. It was not the first big concert. It was preceded by concerts by Police and Rory Gallagher ...
Memories from the 80's - Rock in Athens
The musical event that occurred on July 26 and 27, 1985, at the Panathinaikos Stadium, which we referred to as Kallimarmaro at the time, was unprecedented in Greece. That year, Athens experienced first hand what it means to be Europe's cultural capital. For teh first time, many renowned musicians participated in the festival, performing for an enthusiastic audience.
It marked the first rock festival in my city, where I both reported for magazines like ONE and broadcasted for the radio. The lineup featured iconic figures with significant influence in the international music scene, including Culture Club, Depeche Mode, Stranglers, The Clash, Nina Hagen, The Cure, Talk Talk, and Telephone.
Approximately 51,000 tickets were available for both days, with reports suggesting an additional 15,000 gatecrashers. Depeche Mode immediately attracted attention by inviting girls onto the stage, while Culture Club required police escorts for their protection.
The Clash indulged in sampling traditional Greek cuisine, Nina Hagen was accompanied by bodyguards at all times, and the Stranglers famously clashed with Boy George, with some likening him to a circus clown.
During the festival's second night, the Police intervened outside to prevent potential casualties due to escalating conflicts with Anarchists. The scene outside descened into chaos, with clashes between concert goers and law enforcement.
The artists commanded substantial agreement fees, with the expense totaling 45 million drachmas, along with an additional 55 million for various obligations. However, following the event's conclusion, looting ensued, with backstage equipment disappearing.
Boy George, known for his flamboyant attire, faced criticism from some attendees, leading to Culture Club experiencing the brunt of Greek rowdiness, including being pelted with yogurt on stage.
Reflecting on the experience years later in Montreux, Boy George admitted to his missteps, acknowledging the mixed reception he received during that memorable summer.
32 years since the historic Festival
(INDEPENDENT PHOTOGRAPHIC MATERIAL) Rock in Athens took place on July 26 and 27, 1985, at the Panathinaiko Stadium (Kallimarmaro) in Athens.
TRIBUTE: FANTASTIC '80s Rock in Athens 1985
When the Cure met Nina Hagen in Kallimarmaro 90,000 thirsty young people attended a festival that invited guests to the cream of the world rock scene. Πηγή: www.lifo.gr
For political and cultural reasons, from the fall of the dictatorship until the dawn of the 1980s, there were no concerts by foreign bands in Greece. Only Mikis and the Mikides. Everything changed when the famous concerts started at Sporting Stadium on Sunday at noon. If I'm not mistaken, the first one that took place had the Police as guests. In 1985, however, and while PA.SO.K. trying to play in all the bands by launching an unprecedented neonatal, Athens becomes the cultural capital of Europe. And since they didn't even see a painted foreign band, 90,000 spectators saw in two days at their Kallimarmaro: The Cure, Depeche Mode, Culture Club, Stranglers and Nina Hagen. Πηγή: www.lifo.gr
Rock in Athens 1985
December 20, 2019
e-stage -Nikos Gatsios
Until the 80's. rock concerts were something completely unknown in Greece (except for the episodic appearance of the Rolling Stones in 1967 on the Avenue). With the advent of the new decade, socio-political things seemed to be changing. So do the musical perceptions. We see that important concerts have already taken place at that time, but the real milestone was Rock in Athens, the first major international rock and pop music festival in Greece, hosted on July 26 and 27 at Panathinaikos Stadium. Top bands such as Clash, Stranglers,
OZON MAGAZINE
Rock in Athens 1985- 33 years later
Rock in Athens, took place on the two days of July 26 and 27, 1985, at the Panathinaiko Stadium in Athens and was the celebration of the meeting of all the musical "tribes" of that time.
Rock in Athens: 30 years from the concert that left history
2015 Dimitris Salamanis
The break that followed for the Stranglers to enter the stage , things took a strange turn. About three hundred young people, whose newspapers, depending on their "progressiveness", call them "anarcho-punks", "horrors", "riots", try to "shower" and enter without paying a ticket. It is worth mentioning here that until then the security team was very strict and forbade those entering to pass even bottles of water to avoid hurricanes towards the stage or between different "music brigades".
So as the concert organizers do not show the expected understanding, the young people start throwing stones, bottles and Molotov cocktails at the entrance.
Terrified, the police officers retreated running into the stadium, while at the same time a car was burning outside, creating a bite on those inside and they did not know what was really happening. The memories of Hazel's events that took place a few weeks earlier were fresh. George Papandreou, who had been sworn in as Undersecretary of Culture the day before, took on the role of firefighter. He cleared the spirits and helped to avoid the worst.
Rock in Athens 85′
Tuesday, January 11th, 2011 by Kostis Kourelis
What makes Rock in Athens 85′ peculiar is its sponsors. The festival was conceived by the Greek and French Ministries of Culture. It was a state event televised on national TV and hence totally different from festivals like Woodstock, Live Aid, Coachella, ...
Rock In Athens Festival 1985
I remember both days were hot and in the audience there were .. I don’t know, maybe 25-30.000 people each day.
Maybe more.
We were surprised by the presence of so many…”punk rockers”…well, many people were dressed as punks or new wavers for the occasion…the punks were not more than 500 in Athens back in those days.
Here, it seemed like they were…millions…
The last line up of this great…huge…band. Only Joe Strummer and Paul Simonon were there from the original line up but…they were great.
The audience went insane.
There were people out of the stadium trying to get in for free. The cops started beating them and chasing them in the streets but inside everybody was dancing and singing, etc. I will never forget, I think I saw Pete Burns somewhere at one point…I was sure it couldn’t be him…
Spychedelic Sally- Rock In Athens Kallimarmaro Panathinaikos Stage – 26 - 27 July 1985
Fortunately, Clash, who triumphantly closed the two days, was not the icing on the cake, but the whole cake, and in fact completely unexpected.In 1985, Clash was virtually non-existent.
Their last album, Combat Rock, was released three years ago, in 1982. Guitarist Mick Jones had left in 1983, and their last hit was "Should I Stay Or Should I Go" in 1982. Clash, that one long ago, Strummer and Simonen were from the original lineup, along with youngsters Nick Shepherd, Vince White and Pete Howard. Three guitars and whoever takes the grace! "Their entry into the scene was tantamount to a nuclear explosion ..." For me, as I still remember them today, there were five titans who hurled megatonic fragments at unfortunate, but happy, mortals.
The Clash set (what to mention here ...) was a rock 'n' roll earthquake, a call to arms and celebration, a festival of vital energy. Six months later, the Clash made history.
That's how the 1985 Rock In Athens closed, leaving behind some scattered memories that stood the test of time. In the editorial of Pop + Rock, Giannis Petridis wrote: "It was the most important musical event of the last 20 years (s.s .: in relation to the appearance of the Rolling Stone in the 60's) for rock in Greece.
It was an exciting audience. And a spectacle ... The Rock '85 festival in Athens is a thing of the past. But it is inscribed with indelible ink in the repertoire of our memories. Pleasant memories...
News 24 Time Machine: Rock in Athens 1985 with stones and Papandreou's intervention
The 1985 concert in Kalimarmaro had many reasons to be unforgettable. Perhaps the least important were Arkoudeas and Boy George.
Melina Mercouri's reaction
"I believe in the freedom of art," said Melina Mercouri, who arrived in the middle of episodes with then-Deputy Foreign Minister Sifi Vallyrakis.
The next day, he issued the following statement: "The big rock concert event at the Panathinaiko Stadium is in line with the right of the Greek youth to meet new trends in contemporary music. It is perfectly justified for an artistic or sporting event of high cost to have a ticket.
In these cases, the requirement for free admission is in stark contrast to the legal feeling of those who paid. The ticket can be neither a pretext nor an alibi for provoking such incidents. "...
News 24: Rock in Athens: 30 years since the concert that made history
Athens is experiencing one of its hottest days of the summer.
The break that followed for the Stranglers to enter the stage, things took a strange turn. About three hundred young people, whose newspapers, according to their "progressiveness", call them "anarcho-punks", "horrors", "riots", try to "shower" and enter without paying a ticket.
It is worth mentioning here that until then the security team was very strict and forbade those entering to pass even bottles of water to avoid hurricanes towards the stage or between different "music brigades".
So as the concert organizers do not show the expected understanding, the young people start throwing stones, bottles and Molotov cocktails at the entrance. Frightened, the police officers run away inside the stadium, while at the same time a car was burning outside creating a bite to those inside and did not know what was really happening...
Rock in Athens. Unseen Clash photos
7/27/2013 Πηγή: www.lifo.gr
https://www.lifo.gr/team/sansimera/40245
Like today, Nina Hagen and Clash, the band - surprise of the second day, appear in 1985 in the finale of the big rock concert in Kalimarmaro. Photo S.S. Πηγή: www.lifo.gr ...
Rock `N Roll Tales VIII:" Rock in Athens `85"
The Clash , with a high-energy performance that drove the insane audience, just a few months before their break-up in 1986.
The Clash 'Rock In Athens 85'
The Clash in 1985, with their new band members - Vince White and Nick Sheppard (Guitars) and Pete Howard (Drums) they travelled to Athens in Greece to take part in a two-day Rock concert “Rock In Athens 85′
Guitarist Nick Sheppard years later said “The Clash were excellent that night and the whole place seemed buzzing”. In Marcus Gray’s book ‘Return of the Last Gang in Town’ Nick Sheppard told him that Bernie and Joe moments before going on were rowing side stage and Joe having a very angry look, a usual precursor to him going on stage all fired up and the clash blazing. Vince White later said that “Glasgow Barrowlands was the most exciting show I played and Athens (the last) was the best show I played.” ...
Rock In Athens 85
THE PAP DX BLOG
THURSDAY, 27 AUGUST 2015
Greek state television (ERT) filmed and was broadcast (in... installments) the Festival. Depeche Mode and The Clash refused to be filmed so there are no videos of them.
It was 1:15 am when The Clash came on stage. Mick Jones had long ago left the band but Joe Strummer was there and their sound had gone back to their punk beginnings. I remember they played a punk rock ultra-fast version of "Rock The Casbah" and they did NOT play their commercial hit, what most people were waiting to hear "Should I Stay Or Should I Go".
When it was all over it was around 3am and I had to go back home and catch only a wee bit of sleep, since early next morning ...
BOOK The Rock In Athens '85 by George Tourkovasilis
(PHOTOS)
Ogdoo - 20/12/2018
For those who experienced it, it was the musical event of their adolescence.
Rock In Athens '85 had it all.
This great musical event was recorded with his lens by the photographer and artist George Tourkovasilis (also known from the Rock Calendars edition) in his brand new edition of "Rock In Athens '85 - Photographic imprints of an audio legend" (published on the sidelines). On the cover is the big name of the festival, Clash.
Journalist Thanasis Antoniou outlines the political environment of that period. Stylianos Tziritas translates the text mentioned in Rock In Athens, from the book he wrote about Clash, Vince White, the band's guitarist in her 1985 appearance in Athens.
Thodoris Dimitriou (White Pact): I was impressed by the way the Clash roadies literally "slipped" by throwing on the floor of the big stage from one end to the other the bass of Simonon and the guitars of Strummer and Jones. The musicians in fractions of a second changed with a tuned instrument and continued even in the same piece without stopping. The sweeping look of Clash,
Makis Diogos (Sportswriter): I remember that Clash, which was - if I'm not mistaken - their last concert, played until 2 in the morning and Strummer said "you are crazy Greeks" ...
Two more reviews
Rock in Athens '85 - George Tourkovasilis | CultureNow.gr | archived PDF
ROCK IN ATHENS '85 link or archived PDF
The wood at the music festival of Rock in Athens 1985 and the στη firefighter G. Papandreou!
The Collar - 22/06/2016
Joe Strummer's company appeared as a guest group because it did not want to be on the same list as the Culture Club.
45 million drachmas were paid to the artists. It was not immediately clear how much each received. The concerts were filmed and ERT paid 6 million for the rights to the plans. 2,000 drachmas for the two days and 1,200 drachmas for each day cost the ticket. The jumpers paid only 500 drachmas and only on the second day. According to the reports of the time, cans of soft drinks (heated) were sold for up to 500 drachmas that day, mainly to tourists. We are talking about the time when the ticket was 15 drachmas, the soft drinks were 50 drachmas and a pack of cigarettes did not exceed 220 drachmas. ...
Rock in Athens '85: The festival that gave birth to the festivals
THANASIS KREKOUKIAS
Memories and jokes from the first big rock festival, which changed the map of concerts in Greece. Like today, 32 years ago, at the Panathinaiko Stadium
Continuation of the report from a newspaper of the time: ìAt yesterday's rock festival, it was not necessary to show directed episodes of violence to accompany the music, as required by the paradoxical sensitivity of the fanatical fans of the genre (!!!). Scenes of violence were naturally inflicted on several injured, police and civilians, dozens of damaged cars, one of which was completely burned and extensive property damage. And it seems that all this has the character of a general rehearsal. And because the festival will continue today, the police will have to take action. " Let's add that during the 'shower', a small group of police officers who were found trapped by the 'invaders', used their weapons, firing into the air for intimidation!
Excerpt from a newspaper of the time.
And again we give the floor to the report: ìThen the MAT appeared and repulsed the anarchists in the area of the Olympic Swimming Pool and then in the center of Athens (!).
Rock in Athens 1985 - photographic footage of an audio legend
THODORIS ANTONOPOULOS
Thirty-three years later, that very special festival in Kallimarmaro, where the music "foam cream" of the time was represented, mainstream and alternative at the same time, comes to life again through the book of George Tourkovasilis
About the unexpected, unforgettable night he spent with other friends with the legendary leader of Clash: “I felt weird talking to him. It was as if all this distance that separated us a few hours before it was something made, something that others had decided for us with motives that did not concern us. And now this realization has made us speak loosely, like two people who know in advance that they are on common ground ... The night passed with conversation, music and drinks ... he asked us about Melina Mercouri and Aleko Panagoulis. I asked him about "Guns of Brixton" and he told us about the miners' strike, how England was changing with Thatcher and that in a little while, it would be like this everywhere ("All over") ... Thirty-four years later, I feel unbearable sadness that she is no longer here ... our little common story was not a wild rock and roll night with broken brakes but a brief meeting of people and not roles, the musician-listener relationship in terms of equality and common navy that she deserves ... ». Πηγή: www.lifo.gr
People had come primarily for Clash and their iconic leader, Joe Stramer, whom we chased down the aisles of the hotel to get a word from him while Bernard Rhodes' manager raised his hands ... We had written then that Stramer looked more like to think rather than sing ... We were attracted by his contradictory personality, his contrast with the show business scene at a time when Clash was an integral part of it - the high cost of tickets, the Coca Cola posters - the selective affinities t bedrooms with movements in Latin America and the aversion for the tribe of journalists ... ". Πηγή: www.lifo.gr ...
Two days is enough - blog
"Yes, I'm telling you Clash and Stranglers..
The next day he saw the queues outside the ticket kiosks, going to work. People estranged from the summer fire, pushing and swearing. Why are you coming forward buddy? I was here for over half an hour. You're a jerk, you're playing it smart. After I saw you jumping from the side. And then a wild push, until the tail becomes a propeller, who will be the first to give the two thousand. Stavros laughed as he extinguished his cigarette and hurried away - it was already late.
But now the assholes are selling for the concert? And it sounded like it would be the last of the Clash - the lads were breaking up..
The Clash came out . He crumpled, ready to level the idiot with the bag. He left it for later. "This is a public service announcement - WITH GUITARS," Strummer shouted . All mercy is lost. The world in the air. The Clash higher. Flying. Simonon to take walks. The Strummer dancing pogo . The pogo started . ...
Do you remember Rock In Athens?
By Giannis Panagopoulos
22/07/2015
The Clash gave one of the last performances of their lives in Athens. It was the band that closed the festival. Hours before their official appearance, they must have been around 13.00 Greek time, they took the stage of Rock In Athens (without their singer Joe Strummer) to show. The doors of the festival had not officially opened. But as soon as the audience heard them singing "Police On My Back", they began to climb the stairs behind the stage to watch them. The band left the concert a little later, probably after the organizers' persuasion, for fear of incidents. Its members walked from the Panathinaiko Stadium to the Hilton, where the bands involved ..
The pre-sales for the festival reached 50,000 tickets
The Clash was the magnet band for the audience at Rock In Athens
The amount of the fee (in drachmas) of Boy George and his band
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Reportage about the entry of the jumpers at the festival
Nina Hagen on holiday to Crete before her appearance
Nina Hagen, as the title of the article says, went on holiday to Crete before her appearance
Concerts that made history: Kallimarmaro 1985 - Rock in Athens
Liaka Zoe - August 25, 2013
The first day of that rock day was not so successful, as the organizers at the time claimed that the tickets they sold did not exceed 25,000. Note that the ticket price was 2,000 drachmas (when a soft drink cost 50 drachmas and a pack of cigarettes 200-220 drachmas).
However, what made the biggest impression was the different fan groups that sat in the stands of the Panathinaiko Stadium. Tough rockers, punk but also unrepentant fans of the pop scene. The minor clashes and moments of tension were difficult to avoid ...
The most rocky summer in Athens
MARO VASILEIADOU. - 04.03.2019
"I remember fragments from those two days - an inconceivably electrified atmosphere outside Kallimarmaro, people in King Constantine's from early on, meeting the rest, Winston hard pack and brandy in a flat bottle, smoke and tear gas outside. All this in scattered images. But I remember every frame from Clash's visual and audio attack. Because for me, Clash was another story! " (Alexis Kalofolias)
"What you've heard about the Coca-Cola cut banner and Strummer's knife is true. What you've heard about not only the arena but also the stands catching fire is also true. The fact that bodies were falling in front of the stage is also true. That there were people who cried, undressing about the cassowary they were going to eat, and that's true - and put me in them. " (Stylianos Tziritas)
"A flare that forever illuminated the hearts of those who passionately loved rock music. Those who experienced it (it is estimated that the number of spectators reached a total of 90,000 in both days, with the second largest) characterize it as one of the most important moments of their lives ". (Thanasis Antoniou)
"Maybe things weren't as bright then as they were in the '60s and' 70s (although the colors were overshadowed by the gray shadow of the junta), but there was still some dim light. Young people believed in ideologies, in the messages conveyed by music, and, above all, they felt free to react in any way they wanted. " (Nikos Kontogouris) ..
Greek report - Athens Newspaper
Greek report - Athens Newspaper
Greek report - Athens Newspaper
Greek report - Athens Newspaper
Greek report - Athens Newspaper
Greek report - Athens Newspaper
Montage
sold at auction online
Non&Pok magazine - Mezhmbpinh newspaper
low resolution, HQ wanted
Magazine, cover only
full article wanted
It was a great show
Uli: As I learned this was the last ever gig of the Clash. When we visited the festival Clash played after the Cure at about 2 or so in the morning. And it was a great show. Clash were very popular in that summer in Greece. Rock the Casbah was heard quiet often.
The festival began with the Stranglers - who were forced to play longer because of the riots of punks or better say anarchists outside the old stadum (built for the olympic games1896). Molotows were flying over the wall into the stadium. Stranglers were followed by TalkTalk. And in the end of the day (doors were already open for public) Boy George and Culture Club were booohed off the stage. So the 2nd day had (maybe Nina Hagen), Depeche Mode, Cure and in the end The Clash which was one of the craziest shows (resembeld me a lot of Village People) I've ever seen. Bests Uli
Really good
There is a show that I would love to see or hear again: Athens july 27, 1985 (their final show.)
This was the only Clash show I ever had the pleasure of attending and it was really very good, despite the fact that Mick Jones was no longer in the band and they were supporting the lackluster cut the crap.
I know the show was shot by greek television but I have never been able to find any bootlegs of it (although there are clips of the some of the other bands on the bill that night on youtube (like the cure.) Any help would be appreciated as I would love to suprise my friend (with whom I attended the show) with a tape of some kind.
but outside the "Anarchists" had burned a car
Jim Leftwich: I was at that last Clash concert in Athens, GR in 1985. I still have the ticket and a poster for the show (a bit tattered). Is there any way to get the video feed for the concert? I've seen the Cure snippets. Greek TV must have taped the Clash as well. So that was a pretty historic show I saw...last one they ever did...
I was 15 years old. A friend's older brother had gotten us all into bands like the Clash, the Ramones and the Pistols. I was also way into Replacements, early REM and the Smiths. Clash were always my fav. Our family summered in Greece for 3 weeks from 1980-1985.
My mother wouldn't let me go to the show alone so she came along (she had a great time). I gradually drifted away from her wanting to look cool. The stadium was packed. I don't remember any violence.
I remember trying to get to the bathroom a long queue and the room packed wall to wall - you just pushed and pushed same way out. Nina Hagen was pretty weird stuff. Talk Talk, I knew one tune. The Cure, I vaguely knew and was very enthused by their show. I wish I remembered a setlist for the Clash but I know I heard a lot of my fav songs. I remember they were playing Brand New Cadllac as we were leaving. It was quite late like 2am if I remember correctly. I did keep a diary at the time...would love to find that but probably lost. I was aware that Mick Jones wasn't part of the band found out later that was the very last Clash show.
As I recall, inside the arena there were no clashes with police, but outside the "Anarchists" had burned a car and were trying to be disruptive. And I remember that when we left, after 3am, they were still playing encores! We sat on those marble steps for 12 hours! Oh, and before the concert they showed Bruce Springsteen videos.
All this interest has prompted me to professionally frame the Clash poster I have. Once it is ready I will take some nice pics of it for you.
I still have a poster for the event that I ripped off a wall (it's a bit tattered). It shows the band posing in front of a vintage car. The whole thing is Greek lettering except for "The Clash".
I would die to get the Clash footage... Jim Leftwich jim[a]leftwich.com
Culture Club fan trouble
Vasilis Papadimitriou: The ticket for one day was 1,500 drachmas and 2 for 2000 or 2500 ... I am not sure, this very expensive ticket and then make the comparison with today.
I totally agree with Anubis. The Culture Club incredible, although the treatment received from the public portion was appalling and the Clash though without Mick Jones in composition with exairetikoi.
Same criticism as Ypoloipous.Tigka the Panathenaic Stadium and 2 days under conditions Sahara (incredibly hot, reminded this summer) and I found lummox days to wear jacket (from I Remember) The largest gathering I have seen punk rock.To say because at that time treated as atraxion. Axechastes moments.
It was fun and the statement of Boy George: "I was as well if not you will have lady showing my ass." Then John Moss got up from the chair and threw the drummer stciks at the public.
Then became the nuts with the pebbles and stones ....
We never learned who he was but the black gentleman who sang with the Culture Club.
The event belonged to the Ministry of Youth (remember the photos of Nina Hagen embrace the Melina Mercouri) and I was successful in two days (national promotion ...)
Out of the war was Kalimarmaro with the cops. As it was day, the organizers rained the public stage in front to avoid any dry fall and if I remember correctly, the Cure began playing without lights due ... Vasilis Papadimitriou
this concert had a great impact on me
ninos babytagebuch von mama mie said...
this is absolutly amazing...this concert was the first i ever saw in my life at age 16 and it had a great impact on me,..i think under the sky of this night i decided to become musican ,..and so i do,..really amazing to listen and see 22 years after,..thanks for the posts
The Clash were great
18 years after the Rolling Stones incident in Panathinaikon Stadium, this same stadium would hold the greatest musical event ever to take place in Greece.
In 1985, the Ministry of Culture, in association to the newly-formed Ministry of New Generation of Greece and the French Ministry of Culture, decided to have a two-day rock festival in Athens.
Back then, the Greek minister of culture was the actress Melina Merkouri, a member of the "socialist" government, which helped, in a way, the festival "Rock In Athens" to take shape.
After the fest, It was very funny to see Nina Hagen kissing and hugging Merkouri ... but ... anyways.
The festival dates: July 26 and July 27. The ticket price was 1500 drachmas for one day or 2000 for both days and the bandlist consisted of:
• July 26: Culture Club, Depeche Mode, Stranglers (the ticket also mentions Brigades Musicalles, which was the parody rock greek band Mousikes Taxiarhies. In the end they refused to take part in the event.)
• July 27: Nina Hagen, the Cure, Talk Talk and the french band Telephone. (The ticket also mentions a "guest star" which turned out to be the Clash).
I remember both days were hot and in the audience there were .. I don't know, maybe 25-30.000 people each day. Maybe more.
We were surprised by the presence of so many ... "punk rockers" ... well, many people were dressed as punks or new wavers for the occasion ... the punks were not more than 500 in Athens back in those days.
Here, it seemed like they were ... millions ...
So, the Stranglers started the show on the first day, they did all right, I was in the mosh pit and I still remember someone throwing a slipper (!!) At Jean Jacques Burnel.
Stranglers Midnight Summer Dream (Greek TV)
Depeche Mode went on stage when night came so I pulled back (i was never a fan of theirs).
When Culture Club went on, all Hell broke loose. First there was a black singer singing (never got his name) and when Boy George showed up, plastic bottles full of water or sand were thrown by the audience.
John Moss threw his drumsticks at the audience and Boy George kept his attitude saying, "If I was a bad lady I would have shown you my ass ..." Truth be told, this band's performance was excellent. Very good musicians.
Telephone opened the next day. I didn't pay much attention but Talk Talk really shook my boots off. Man, these guys were really great. I knew them from a couple of songs but, man, they were something.
Talk Talk - Rock In Athens (Greek TV)
The next act came from The Cure, and although they didn't have a strong fan-base in Greece just yet, I assume this gig, and the ones which followed during the next 22 years, really helped them to establish their name in Greece .
Nina Hagen followed with a big flying saucer on stage (sic) and then came the Clash.
The last line up of this great ... huge ... band. Only Joe Strummer and Paul Simonon were there from the original line up but ... they were great.
The audience went insane.
There were people out of the stadium trying to get in for free. The cops started beating them and chasing them in the streets but inside everybody was dancing and singing, etc. I will never forget, I think I saw Pete Burns somewhere at one point ... I was sure it couldn't be him ...
There never was a Rock In Athens Vol. 2.
Even if the tickets were a bit expensive back then, I sometimes compare those prices with today.
More comments 1 | More Comments 2
Best festival ever!
Mpourdology Inc ...Clash, D.Mode and Nina Hagen had not allowed any of their set to be recorded, this is why it is not available. I was there too! Best festival ever!
The Clash brought down the house
GhostRider said...Rock in Athens 1985I enjoyed this two-day event! The Clash brought down the house! July 26th-27th it was very hot indeed! I remember everyone threw bottles and rocks at Culture Club, very funny! For some reason I could not bootleg the music was way too loud !!! And the dumpster fire and overturned cars on fire it was insane!!! I will never forget Rock in Athens 1985 !!!
Giorgos Kouvelis
I was there, it was my first concert.
Andrés Navinés Tobaruela
I was There . it was a 2 days festival with The Cure , Stranglers , Talk Talk, Depeche Mode , Nina Hagen , Culture Club and others . It was the Clash without Mick Jones and Topper Headon but it was really great .
Παυλος Ιωαννου
HMOYNA KAI EΓΩ ΕΚΕΙ ΚΑΙ ΗΤΑΝ ΥΠΕΡΟΧΑ ΜΑΖΙ ΜΕ ΤΟ ΚΑΛΥΤΕΡΟ ΡΟΚ ΣΥΓΚΡΟΤΗΜΑ.
I was there and it was great along with the best rock band.
Caroline Cornock
I was there,,, too., n had to have smellin salts,,,,,,,,,,,,too hot!!!!!
Γιαννης Κωστελιδης
και γαμω !! ελληνικο ροκ φεστιβαλ του '85 με τους Clash !!!
And Damn!! Greek Rock Festival of ' 85 with the clash!!!
Fani Tsakiridou
Όταν βγήκαν οι Clash κάτι καιγότανε έξω από το Στάδιο και δημιουργούσε στο γκρουπ το καλύτερο φόντο ever !!!
When the clash came out, something was coming out of the stadium and created the best background ever!!!
Jimmys Nomikos
Joe shouted :''London ' s burning '' when he saw the fire and the smoke behind the stage ,yeah i was there too ...
Takis Roussos
I was there
Andrés Navinés Tobaruela
I was There . it was a 2 days festival with The Cure , Stranglers , Talk Talk, Depeche Mode , Nina Hagen , Culture Club and others . It was the Clash without Mick Jones and Topper Headon but it was really great .
John Gaston - 11 April 2013
Athens 85 with boy george
Tiziano Gerli - 27 December 2014
Athens '85 the last show
John Gaston - 22 April 2019
Athens 85 the last gig
Panagiotis Karapanos
I have to say Rockin that this concert was FILMED from the national television but the tapes never been released..
Eric Hawkin - 16 June 2017
Athens 85
Yiannis Samouhos - 27 July 2015
Rock in Athens. July 27, 1985. Last gig of The Clash. This is the poster of the show.
Robin Basak
I was at this final show and I carried a copy of this poster from Athens but lost it on returning at London Victoria train station.
Jean Luc Mosnier - 28 March at 17:48
$100,000 is the amount for the last concert in Athens in 1985
Luis Carlos Ferreira - 13 November 2019
Paul Simonon & Joe Strummer in 1985 at ‘Rock In Athens ‘85′ their last ever show before their final break-up a few months later.
El Vispresslaid
big festival set up by the same organizers as Elixir in Brittany at the beginning of the eighties. Stranglers and Cure on the show as well. incidents also with the public.
Luis Carlos Ferreira
Photographed by Giorgos Tourkovasilis & Pierre Terrasson. [Paul and Joe, Paul with wrapped]
Eric Julien
One of the most beautiful pictures... Pierre is really very nice
Photos
Below: Joe Strummer, July 1985, in Athens, Greece (photographed by Richard Bellia). The Clash headlined “Rock in Athens `85” festival,
which ended being the final concert…
From Rok and Pop Magazine
« The Clash »Simonon et Strummer / Athènes, 1985
Unknown
Iconic red flight cases on stage
Hugues Cornière Iconic red flight cases showed up on a stage, for the very last time, 36 years ago in Athens (Saturday 27th July 1985). Photo: Pierre Terrasson. Clash City Collectors
Postcard
The Clash
Riots outside by 'Anarchists'
Joe at the end of the concert
Rock in Athens Festival
The Clash
The Stranglers 26th
The Clash
Below: Les InRocks (french)
Rock in Athens Festival
The Stranglers
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No known recording
If you know of any recording
email blackmarketclash
This is a rough guide to what the setlistmay have looked like given that Vince states in his book that it was like the other summer festivals.
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1 |
Complete Control Vince recalls opening with Complete Control, Brand New Cadilac was remembered as beng played by a fan. |
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There are several sights that provide setlists but most mirror www.blackmarketclash.co.uk. They are worth checking.
from Setlist FM (cannot be relied on)
from Songkick (cannot be relied on)
... both have lists of people who say they went
& from the newer Concert Database and also Concert Archives
Also useful: Ultimate Music database, All Music, Clash books at DISCOGS
Articles, check 'Rocks Back Pages'
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Summer Festivals 1985 &
European Tour
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Reagan, Thatcher, and the Last Stand of a Band That Mattered By Mark Andersen, Ralph Heibutzki
Book: Vince White, his Clash biog, The Last Days of the Clash.
Film: 'The Rise and Fall of The Clash'
features archival footage and new interviews to tell the story of the band's final days. The four primary members of the band - Jones, Joe Strummer, Paul Simonen and Topper Headon tell their sides of the story as do Nick Sheppard and Vince White, both of whom replaced Jones, and original drummer Terry Chimes, who returned to replace Headon in 1982.
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