Texas Tour '83

[white man]

What does anyone know about these dates then. It was always rumoured that there were more than the three shows and i suspect BMC have done their homework before adding them to the '83 page. There's a flyer for the Amarillo date unless it was cancelled we have to assume it went ahead.
May 18 Amarillo TX – Civic Center Auditorium
May 19 Wichita Falls TX – Memorial Auditorium
May ? Juarez TX –
May 22 San Antonio TX – Majestic Theatre
May 23 Laredo TX – Civic Centre
May 25 El Paso, Texas – El Paso Civic Center Theatre
May 26 Tucson AZ – Tuscon Activity Center
May 28 San Bernadino CA – Us Festival

Can anyone shed any light.

[GotGameGreggy]

So far the only recorded dates of the tour are Wichita Falls, San Antonio, Tucson, and the US Festival. They did also play in Amarillo, Laredo, and El Paso, but no recordings of those shows are available. I don't think they played in Juarez, Texas because that's a very small town with a population of just over 1,000, but I could be wrong. Anyway, I think the 1983 mini-tour before the US festival was a really interesting point in Clash history that often gets overlooked, the recordings we have available from that tour sound really good.

[white man]

Cheers mate. It's the first time I've seen dates attributed to these shows, and I thought maybe someone who had attended any of them may have come forward with some details.
The Clash were starting to get pretty big in the US by then, so it's surprising that there's not much info

[Heston]

Love the warm up shows, not a fan of the gig they warmed up for.

[GotGameGreggy]

Love the warm up shows, not a fan of the gig they warmed up for.

I know some Clash fans don't like the US Festival, but I personally think it was a great show and a perfect send off for the band. Since this was the last concert the "real" Clash played, it's fitting they went out with a bang. Joe was fired up and he turned that anger into power and put on a great performance. Sure, it was messy in spots, but that just added to the excitement. I think Joe's rants bashing Corporate America, Consumerism, and Capitalism were true and ahead of their time. I understand that most people at the show probably didn't want to hear all the politics and just wanted to have a good time, but I think it's cool that Joe used his platform to speak up. Some people might not have liked it, but it will always be better than Van Halen

[Low Down Low]

Love the warm up shows, not a fan of the gig they warmed up for.

I know some Clash fans don't like the US Festival, but I personally think it was a great show and a perfect send off for the band. Since this was the last concert the "real" Clash played, it's fitting they went out with a bang. Joe was fired up and he turned that anger into power and put on a great performance. Sure, it was messy in spots, but that just added to the excitement. I think Joe's rants bashing Corporate America, Consumerism, and Capitalism were true and ahead of their time. I understand that most people at the show probably didn't want to hear all the politics and just wanted to have a good time, but I think it's cool that Joe used his platform to speak up. Some people might not have liked it, but it will always be better than Van Halen

Not sure i would go quite so far as you, but there are some things about the show i like. Not convinced Joe's rage is a positive force on that stage but it has a certain historical interest, i think.

I remember seeing KYR and SIS on tv around that time, it was the first live footage of the band i'd seen and i was utterly transfixed. So i'll always have a certain fondness for it, regardless of the quality of the performance. They still look great on stage anyway.

[matedog]

Love the warm up shows, not a fan of the gig they warmed up for.

I know some Clash fans don't like the US Festival, but I personally think it was a great show and a perfect send off for the band. Since this was the last concert the "real" Clash played, it's fitting they went out with a bang. Joe was fired up and he turned that anger into power and put on a great performance. Sure, it was messy in spots, but that just added to the excitement. I think Joe's rants bashing Corporate America, Consumerism, and Capitalism were true and ahead of their time. I understand that most people at the show probably didn't want to hear all the politics and just wanted to have a good time, but I think it's cool that Joe used his platform to speak up. Some people might not have liked it, but it will always be better than Van Halen

Not sure i would go quite so far as you, but there are some things about the show i like. Not convinced Joe's rage is a positive force on that stage but it has a certain historical interest, i think.

I remember seeing KYR and SIS on tv around that time, it was the first live footage of the band i'd seen and i was utterly transfixed. So i'll always have a certain fondness for it, regardless of the quality of the performance. They still look great on stage anyway.

Joe's rage seemed more like flailing around without any real direction. It's very entertaining, but not necessarily a "positive force" as you state.

The warm up dates are a lot of fun. Wichita Falls is really rough (IFTL, especially), but a really unique performance and a very interesting listen. The tour in general is great for the unique performances of Sound of Sinners (featured at US Festival), but also Death or Glory, Pete's only stab at Car Jamming, and the never again played Lost in the Supermarket. There is also the gradual evolution of the Somebody Got Murdered to it's brilliant peak at the US Festival.

A unique tour with a unique lineup that remains a bit under the radar in spite of the prominence of the US Festival performane.

[GotGameGreggy]

Love the warm up shows, not a fan of the gig they warmed up for.

I know some Clash fans don't like the US Festival, but I personally think it was a great show and a perfect send off for the band. Since this was the last concert the "real" Clash played, it's fitting they went out with a bang. Joe was fired up and he turned that anger into power and put on a great performance. Sure, it was messy in spots, but that just added to the excitement. I think Joe's rants bashing Corporate America, Consumerism, and Capitalism were true and ahead of their time. I understand that most people at the show probably didn't want to hear all the politics and just wanted to have a good time, but I think it's cool that Joe used his platform to speak up. Some people might not have liked it, but it will always be better than Van Halen

And by the way, I meant no disrespect to Van Halen when I said that last part. I just heard that Eddie Van Halen passed away today and may he rest in peace. Even though I've never really been into the band's music, I know it brought a lot of people joy and Eddie was definitely a great musician.

[Heston]

Love the warm up shows, not a fan of the gig they warmed up for.

I know some Clash fans don't like the US Festival, but I personally think it was a great show and a perfect send off for the band. Since this was the last concert the "real" Clash played, it's fitting they went out with a bang. Joe was fired up and he turned that anger into power and put on a great performance. Sure, it was messy in spots, but that just added to the excitement. I think Joe's rants bashing Corporate America, Consumerism, and Capitalism were true and ahead of their time. I understand that most people at the show probably didn't want to hear all the politics and just wanted to have a good time, but I think it's cool that Joe used his platform to speak up. Some people might not have liked it, but it will always be better than Van Halen

They just didn't seem to be tight as a band that night and there's just too much tension in their playing. If you compare Train In Vain from Lewisham to the US Festival they are a band drained of all swing and swagger just three years later. Hate and War is apologetic and lacking any real fire. There's a few good moments, Know Your Rights is great.

[Inder]

There's something kind of weird and off about the Texas tour — the band sounds really subdued (despite Hammerin' Pete Howard) and it feels like Mick's guitar sound had the guts ripped out of it. Or maybe it's just the way the shows were recorded.

[GotGameGreggy]

There's something kind of weird and off about the Texas tour — the band sounds really subdued (despite Hammerin' Pete Howard) and it feels like Mick's guitar sound had the guts ripped out of it. Or maybe it's just the way the shows were recorded.

I've heard people say that Mick's guitar on this tour sounds like how it did at the start of Big Audio Dynamite, which I sort of agree with. And I do agree that the band does sound subdued at points this tour, especially the Wichita Falls show, but I see that more as them being laid-back, cool, and confident. Joe is still joking around with the audience and seems to be having a good time during the tour, but the US Festival is much more intense and messy.

[TeddyB Not Logged In]

The US Festival performance was after the Bernie and Kosmo press conference shenanigans. Mick was mortified at their treatment of people.

[GotGameGreggy]

The US Festival performance was after the Bernie and Kosmo press conference shenanigans. Mick was mortified at their treatment of people.

That press conference did give us the iconic picture of Joe with his back turned to everyone. It looks like he was frustrated and tired of all the drama.

[Heston]

The US Festival performance was after the Bernie and Kosmo press conference shenanigans. Mick was mortified at their treatment of people.

That press conference did give us the iconic picture of Joe with his back turned to everyone. It looks like he was frustrated and tired of all the drama.

Simon Le Bon wants his stage clothes back.

[Low Down Low]

I always think of that backstage interview he did where he looks and sounds utterly exhausted and drained. Think it's from toronto which would be late 82. Doesn't seem in a very good place to me at that point.