The Clash VS Van Halen! Reliving the Us Festival 1983 

I waZ there their for the Saturday and Sunday performances. What I have not seen in the comment section is that "MEN AT WORK" played from Australia, or Russia/USSR(forget which country) via satellite on the jumbo-tron(big screen above the stage) that is how Woz(co-founder of Apple/Mac Computers) wanted to showcase technology for that time period. During the CLASH performance on the screen or backdrop they were showing pictures of USA's Direct and INdirect intervention, involvement in Vietnam, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Chile and Guatemala. If you ask how was the USA involved in those countries, there's their's a federal agency that has dedicated itself and is funded for these purposes. Also on Saturday morning LOS LOBOS were playing in one of the beer gardens, for me that was an UNexpected pleasurable surprise. Before the SCORPIONS took the stage some military jets flew over the crowd very low... not sure why? REgarding BOWIE, he had just released "LETS DANCE" album and Stevie Ray Vaughn played on 2 songs... And supposedly BOWIE had asked him to tour as his guitar player on this tour, to which SRV said only if Double Trouble(SRV's band) could be an opening act on few of the shows, to which BOWIE said no. So SRV and Double Trouble toured on there their own promoting there their first album "Couldn't Stand the Weather"(SRV knew about climate change??), and the rest is history, as the saying goes. Also for this historical musical event it was the LAST time that "WALL of VOODOO" performed live also. And the following weekend(first weekend of June) was Country Western. As Me and my friend were leaving after the first day back to our camp site, mind you its now Sunday morning about 1am, and the Heavy Metal fans are already lined up to enter when the gates open at 8/9AM. And boy did those Heavy Metal fans rip into the "NEW WAVE" fans with there their homophobic insults. In the campsite/parking lot I saw license plates from NY, Massachusetts, Florida, and even Canada. Also there their were a few marines that attended because 29 Palms is nearby, a Marine base.... it's all just tid bits of useless information... EYE agree VH definitely entertained.

Thank you for your service! It is appreciated.

Semper Fi Brother 🇺🇸 I was in 79-83, I was also at this concert, all three days, it was about one month before I EAS, my friends told me I had a great time ! ✌️🤪

Yea, I was stationed at 29 Palms at the time, but missed this show.

Where does one find a legit scene like this today on Earth?

Thanks! Glad you liked it!!

Bono Can't sing. a big "L" ooser

Lol speak for yourself

Almost?! Most definitely the case! Music isn't even music anymore.

I used to work for Circus. But not till a couple yrs after this show. I did shoot this for Music mag out of Florida.

@@lockandloadlikehell Im pretty sure he was

actually, the only legit new wave band was Wall of Voodoo

A consummate showman. I think people remember The Clash, too, but not because of a great show.

Isn't Wall of Voodoo new wave?

@@RobertFithen yes, probably the most unique band that played. No punk day 🤠?

@@RobertFithen That's not true. I spent a number of years interacting with Clash fans, the kind of devotees that have every bootleg recording in existence. Their performance at the US Festival always comes highly recommended from that crowd. In part it's because it was a soundboard recording, but that's not the only reason. It was Mick Jones's last show because Strummer and Simonon were fed up with his diva attitude. They were obviously all pissed off for various reasons. For a punk band like them it greatly worked to their advantage.

Berlin is still an amazing band and Teri Nunn is still touring. I've seen them 3 times over the last 20 years and every time was fantastic.

@@WS102 I wish I could see her, or them, I also loved The Big F, thought that debut disc was awesome.

Uh....no, Berlin are not pioneers of anything, sorry.

@@brianmcmanus4690 You just don't know WTF your talking about, you no music knowing. Wham! lovin troll, go listen to your Seals & Croft and let the adults who know what their talking about discuss musical history and the evolution of it, you obviously dont know it from a hole in the ground, cockroach

ahhh.. the dayys before the interrnet, when every show was brilliant n spontanious

He was still doing it on the last two tours.

Correct. I believe DLR wrote about it in his book. He said one time he really forgot the words and the crowd ate it up. So, he started doing it on purpose.

@@boxychubbo6922 Yeah, but stage spontaneity isn't always an act, and when it appears so it's far lamer than if the band just played it straight.

@@boxychubbo6922 I know. I'm old enough to remember when rock n' roll was a viable force culturally and commercially. Unfortunately, in that regard it's dead. Hip hop and flashy diva bullshit has been winning the race to the bottom for 20+ years.

I remember seeing VH in, I think 84, and it was the second night of a 2 night stint, and my buddy that was with me had been there the previous night, and said that the "stage act" was identical. While VH's stage act may not have been formally scripted, it was just that, an act. That's not a put-down, it's actually quite professional, but most bands are not nearly as spontaneously crazy as they'd like us to believe.

Am I remembering correctly that at some point Michael Anthony revealed his JD bottle schtick had been iced tea all along?

This is true…I have a bootleg album of VH’s 84 tour show at MSG in NY. He says that same quote about Quiet Riot

Saw VH in 1979 and there was nothing better than their first tour. As time went on DLR started talking too much in the middle of songs but the band still rocked. I loved the Clash too, not sure why he dissed them, they were the real deal. Nothing close to VH music but their lyrics were a lot more meaningful.

At least we got another great guitarist from quiet riot. Randy Rhoades. EVH is favorite but RR is definitely my 2nd fav

Thanks!!

So many flawed geniuses were flaming out or starting to on that stage. Thank gawd VH still had enough life to push out one more legendary musical statement. I was old enough to be watching and waiting to see their "world premier video" drop and months of Friday Night Video Fights with friends, because the rest of my life really sucked in those years. Rush and VH more or less got me through it. All other age-defying music from then was either from the UK, and I didn't groove to most of it till the '90s (Police, Clash, Specials, Gabriel; going into Stone Roses, Shoe Gaze, etc.,) or it was over-cooked adults contemplating suicide but not even realizing it. Skinny-ass pansies trying to look tough and sell the notion that smoking cigs was some type of real rebellion. Imagine "rebelling" via themes nobody objected to and everyone's parents were still doing! The only (sort of) major act I can think of from the US at the time between DaVeH and Jane's/Soundgarden/Mother Love Bone that doesn't make me embarrassed for owning it was Bob Mould/Sugar.

Sad but true, that's the problem with people who keep insisting on being human....

Only problem with VH concert back in The Day was Dave was often to Drunk to put on any type of performance. When I saw 1984 Tour? He was passed out the whole show. It was basically a instrumental show. Tons of solos. Ha

They have a song called; “Im so bored with the USA” on their FIRST album. It’s pretty clear what you are going to get. Punk USED to be a movement of poor kids making their own scene. Bands like Green Day are not punk. No band that has a top 40 hit is punk anymore. They were out of place and also done by that point. Not a good fit for US fest clearly.

@@ToneTraveler When you drive by the local elementary school and the kids out front are walking around wearing Green Day shirts, you know they're mainstream, not punk.

The Clash is as much fun as a root canal.

@@MagicRoosterBluesBand They were anti-establishment, but their music is friggin’ awesome, and fun.

@@carl_anderson9315 Yea... he looks like a barrel of laughs...

@@MagicRoosterBluesBand music doesn't need to be fun unless your taste is just cock rock.

@@thebasedgodmax1163 nobody wants to go to a concert to get lectured how bad they are. That's exactly what he did. Who the hell did he think he was? What a tool.

What did your friend OD on?

With you my man,... All that stuff Joe was saying is SO TRUE,...been feeling a bit jaded lately, commenting on this and that,... Seeing this today reminded me that Strummer was such a great mentor to me and so many, (if they weren't just fighting for a good place under the lighting).

Ah,. I thought that voice sounded familiar! It was Kosmo!! AND, also, no wonder Joe took the pulpit somewhat- he knew it was their last show. Joe knows,. Joe always knows. I'm 58 ,still listen to CLASH EVERY SINGLE week,.. also really enjoyed parts of Earthquake Weather (Lepeordskin Limousines- just love that classical guitar)

check tu bi. It's on there.

@@nitedreamer23 huh?

SERIOUSLY great job STEVE!

Wow. GR is my home town & I was 18 in '82. Somehow I missed them but saw the Dead play the civic in 1980. Life changing.

Thanks for the info! Legendary!

... Yeah but...in the grand scheme of things. Van Halen sold way more records and inspired and entertained alot more people than The Clash ever did. And I really like When Ivan Meets G.I Joe..

In Philly with The Who and Santana same year Clash got booed of stage

Same here. LA Who show and Santa Barbara show tlwith English Beat

I saw them once in 1982 or 83 in Nashville.

Yup….the Colosseum show …l was at the US fest. Both years. And the Who show. You , me , and at least a quarter million other fans.😎

The only band HOPE7747, the only band.

It's more like apples and hand grenades than apples and oranges

Perfectly stated for this gig. Saw both bands in 82’ and 84’. Both amazing gigs.X

Slight correction- i think the replacement drummer was Terry Chimes, who was actually the Clash’s original drummer before Topper. He was on their first album.

@@LetsGoMetsGo33 Chimes was out before the final 6 (??) Show tour that was to prep new drummer Pete(?) Howard for US Festival. Howard then continued on in clash MK 2.

@@andrewsteele6287 i stand corrected. I had a sort of Mandela Effect there, thought I remembered TC was on up to and including Cut the Crap.

He wasn't.

@@Lil.black.dress84 Of course he was. Idk what you were paying attention to back then.

The last of the good concerts by The Clash. Everything after Combat Rock was just sad. Mick went on to start up General Public with Dave Wakeling and Ranking Roger from The English Beat and then left right after their first album "All The Rage" and formed Big Audio Dynamite. Mick wanted The Clash to lean more towards funk and reggae and Joe wanted to go another direction, so Mick left.

@@WS102 Mick was wrong.

@@WS102 what Rhodes did when taking over Cut the Crap has been debated to death so won't go into that but live recordings of the post-Jones lineup sound great. The new songs sound great on stage, too. Raw and aggressive, which is indeed where Joe wanted to go.

Shhh....lets just forget Cut the Crap, or rather, The Crap. Not a good time.

@@michaelshultz1590 Mick was right. Cut the Crap was almost universally laughed at in 1985 and Joe broke up the band (due to them sucking) in 1986. Mick forgave him and allowed Joe to help co-write most of the songs on Big Audio Dynamite's No. 10 Upping Street album. The Clash would have had continued success, but Joe blew it.

It must have been incredible!

lol that's great!

Van Halen were from Pasadena and Quiet Riot was from Burbank, just 14 miles away from one another. They were rivals in the 70's and VH blew them away ... tho Rhoads went on to be the second greatest, of course.

It's great hearing from people who were actually there!

I waZ there their for the Saturday and Sunday performances. What I have not seen in the comment section is that "MEN AT WORK" played from Australia, or Russia/USSR(forget which country) via satellite on the jumbo-tron(big screen above the stage) that is how Woz(co-founder of Apple/Mac Computers) wanted to showcase technology for that time period. During the CLASH performance on the screen or backdrop they were showing pictures of USA's Direct and INdirect intervention, involvement in Vietnam, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Chile and Guatemala. If you ask how was the USA involved in those countries, there's their's a federal agency that has dedicated itself and is funded for these purposes. Also on Saturday morning LOS LOBOS were playing in one of the beer gardens, for me that was an UNexpected pleasurable surprise. Before the SCORPIONS took the stage some military jets flew over the crowd very low... not sure why? REgarding BOWIE, he had just released "LETS DANCE" album and Stevie Ray Vaughn played on 2 songs... And supposedly BOWIE had asked him to tour as his guitar player on this tour, to which SRV said only if Double Trouble(SRV's band) could be an opening act on few of the shows, to which BOWIE said no. So SRV and Double Trouble toured on there their own promoting there their first album "Couldn't Stand the Weather"(SRV knew about climate change??), and the rest is history, as the saying goes. Also for this historical musical event it was the LAST time that "WALL of VOODOO" performed live also. And the following weekend(first weekend of June) was Country Western. As Me and my friend were leaving after the first day back to our camp site, mind you its now Sunday morning about 1am, and the Heavy Metal fans are already lined up to enter when the gates open at 8/9AM. And boy did those Heavy Metal fans rip into the "NEW WAVE" fans with there their homophobic insults. In the campsite/parking lot I saw license plates from NY, Massachusetts, Florida, and even Canada. Also there their were a few marines that attended because 29 Palms is nearby, a Marine base.... it's all just tid bits of useless information.

Was Bill Graham in charge of the 83 one? That would’ve been epic if he went after J Strummer

Thanks!! Glad you liked it.

I wish there was more footage available of the Scorpions set.

Thanks!!

The Clash started to go sharply downhill the moment Topper Headon was fired.

Ever. Half a million people chillin together as far as the eye could see. It had a vibe all it's own.

It was 115 one day. They brought out fire hoses to spray the crowd. The ground was springy due to the landfill. And the "scent" of the landfill..........yeesh. Still was an unforgettable 3 days.

Thanks! I appreciate that.

Wow! That's the first time I've heard that Ray Bradbury was there.

@Billy Blaze Blazejowski yeah, that was The Clash! "London Calling" is a better album than the whole Van Halen discography.

@@keithkoenig5320 that is pure ignorance. You’re comparing apples and oranges

@@keithkoenig5320 yeah dumb comment there...... let's just be thankful that was the clash's last show.... n for good reason too

@@franksaldana6570Cowardice masquerading as rationality. Fuck apples, I’ll take the oranges.

@@ohBwGuy Keith has clearly never listened to any women and children first or Fair Warning. Those albums have some of the hardest and most authentic rock and roll ever recorded

Can Helen put the clash to shame?????? Pfffffffffffft: NO !!!!!!!! THEY DID NOT !!!!! FUCKING FANTASTIC SHOW THOUGH!!!!!!!!

Fuck off, the clash were much better band musically than halen.

@@ChrisCrossClash "The only people that put iced tea in a Jack Daniels bottle is The Clash Baby!!!"

@@KopperafielThat drunk talentless hack hasn’t got half the talent Joe had.

Look, man, I like The Clash too. VH was on home turf. The Clash were pissed because VH got paid more. I don't understand what the pissfest was all about. Did you attend the show?

People seem to be misunderstanding my take on Triumph so I most likely misrepresented myself. I just thought they looked out of place on metal day with all the flying v's and leather.

Oh ya it was a UFO. It was stupid.

@@RobertFithen Triumph was the tightest band who played w/o stupid drunken dumb antics but I agree they are not metal. VH sucked IMO...

@@mikeblaz Van Halen was so disappointing that night. Waiting an hour for the stupid UFO pissed me off. I left early next morning and witnessed a guy hit someone with a crowbar he later died. I gave him water he poured it on his bloody head and I realized he was in real bad shape. The media blamed it on Roth for saying F the police and inciting a riot

@@thereisatimeforwar7223 That sucks. I'm 52 and witness VH breaking out in the late 70s and really like their tunes (radio/cassette). But every time seeing them live I was turned off, mostly Roth but Eddie and Alex were no saints. My conclusion, Michael Anthony was the only cool one in the band.

I love the clash too. What's your favourite album. I've been loving the live at Shea stadium one

Ive got a soft spot for sandanista but combat rock is my fave

Combat Rock is gold :)

@@Dayman667 absolutely. There is just something about it

was there and between scorps and vh a ufo hovered over the crowd and up on 3 screens they broadcast an alien onto talking to us.

Looks that way, but turns out 72% of it is just Hanson reissues, demos, and bootlegs