October 2008 Archive |
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The Clash
Live at Shea Stadium
Review By John Reed
By 1982, The Clash was one of the biggest bands in the universe. That year’s Combat Rock was its best-selling album to date and the single, “Rock The Casbah” became its biggest commercial hit, even though it’s not really the band’s best song. The Clash were seemingly on a roll and destined to rule the world… or so it seemed. The Who on the other hand, were embarking on their farewell tour that same year and were considered a huge stadium act on par with the Rolling Stones. So the classic double billing of The Clash and The Who on October Oct. 13, 1982 (the second night of a two-night stand) was and is still considered a class double headliner and seemed almost ritualistic as if the older statesmen were passing the torch to the younger punks.
Maybe because it was playing in the shadow of its idols, The Clash was even more ferocious than normal. After a brief introduction, the band cuts right into a scorching take of “London Calling” (which, with the lyric “phony Beatlemaina’s bitten the dust,” takes a jab at The Who’s once former chart rivals. The set is a non-stop blitzkrieg of classic Clash songs ("Clampdown" "Career Opportunities" and “Tommy Gun”) and, what was then new material (“Should I Stay or Should I Go”). And while the Clash wasn’t a big covers band, the set-closing cover of “I Fought The Law” was a perfect conclusion for the gig.
While The Clash was at the peak of its mainstream success and The Who was reportedly at the end of the road, it’s still sad that by May of 1983, guitarist Mick Jones would be fired from the Clash, thus bringing its solid run to an end. Sure, the group would go on for three more years and issue Cut the Crap, but it was never the same. The Who, on the other hand, had several more lives and after years of uncertainty has been more an active and vital band. So much for final tours.
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