Boomtown Rats last gig

Steve · I Don't Like Mondays

Boomtown Rats last gig

Steve · I Don't Like Mondays

Just read my last post. The board wont spell out scunhorpe (with a T before the H). How amusing!

ArrGee · Back To Boomtown

Odd because the profanity checker isn't on!

kathp89 · Rat Trap

RE: Boomtown Rats last gig

Steve · I Don't Like Mondays

The best Rats gig I ever went to was in my home town of Brighton in 1983. The Rats had released V Deep in 1982 and a number of singles off it. All were flops, the first of the Rats career. In 1983, they were determined to fight back and set on a tour of Universities and Clubs.

Brighton Top Rank held roughly 2000 people and was full on June 10 1983. I remember it being a hot sunny day. I had been looking forward to it for months and had brought along three of may mates. There was very little merchandise except for some old T-Shirts (noughts and crosses from Leopardstown Racecourse, Ireland)

I cant recall all of the songs, but I know they started with Like Clockwork and included all their other hits. During their set they played Banana Republic and a few of the crowd climbed on stage. Normally roadies would push people back into the hall, but on this occasion they were allowed to dance with the Rats. This was my cue to get on stage as well. I remember Pete Briquette saying to me to dance.

Other things I remember was that the Rats had written a large number of songs for their new Album (to be In the Long Grass) and wanted to guage the audience to see what should be included.

Bob Geldof was on top form and seemed to like the sweaty atmosphere of the top rank.

Garry Roberts for what seemed like a permanant cigarette placed in one of the strings at the end of his guitar. His playing of Rythym and lead guitar was superb

Pete Briquette for his contunual dancing whilst playing guitar

The gig was very sweaty and the audience were great. I lost my voice that night from singing along to the songs.

My mates, not particularly into the Rats, also said that it was a fantastic gig

What a band the Rats were.

-- Edited by Tina McBain at 21:18, 2005-08-11

motema2004 · Tonight

Thanks Steve! I am in the US, and I don't think the Rats played in Washington DC where I live, ever, but I wish I could've seen them. The closest we got was Graham Parker, and a lot of Ramones who were American so not really the same thing as a Brit punk group.

Ian · House on Fire

I went to the S****horpe free festival in 1984. It was a local band showcase promoted by S****horpe council with 2 headline acts to round off the day. The headliners being The Pogues and The Boomtown Rats. There was around 10,000 people there. I had travelled up to the gig with the band on the tour bus. Things were a little tense at that time and I wished I had been somewhere else as I felt very uneasy being around the guys at that time.

The tension never showed in the performance though as I remember it was a great set. I loved the Pogues, it was the first time I had come across them. I'll never forget Sally MacLennane with SHane McGowan whacking himself over the head with a tin tray as a source of accompanyment to the song. - Priceless

Steve · I Don't Like Mondays

When you say "tense" why was that? Also how did you manage to get on the tour bus?

Ian · House on Fire

When you say tense?

All of the singles released from In The Long Grass had stiffed. The album had not made any impact at all, although The Long Grass tour did well bums on seats wise, but people were now entering the saint Bob phase, coming to see the man behind the Band Aid legend. It was obvious to all those around at the time, that The Boomtown Rats were now a spent force, and their days were numbered. So all the tension seemed to surround all of these negative prospects.

Tour Bus Question?

I got to travel on the tour bus because of my friendship with Bob, I've known him for 27 years. In the beginning '77 - '78 I used to follow the Rats like most people follow football teams. Eventually the band - Bob and the Mick got to know the handful of punters that were mad enough to travel to every gig, we became close. By the time of the V Deep tour and the In The Long Grass tour a small group of us were allowed special privileges, backstage passes and travel to the gigs. On the occasion of the S****horpe gig the only guests on the bus were myself and a diehard Rats fan from Sheffield, Joy. It was a very uneasy atmosphere, Bob was very withdrawn.

-- Edited by Ian at 13:29, 2005-08-11

-- Edited by Ian at 17:15, 2005-08-11

Steve · I Don't Like Mondays

Ian. Maybe you can answer a question that I put on another thread.

When Garry broke his back, i'm sure the Rats were due to play a handful of festival gigs and needed to get in a session guitarist to fill in for Garry. Is this true and who replaced him?

Btw I remember seeing a Rats fan at a gig at the Eastbourne Theatre in Feb 1984. At the time the chap had dark hair and was wearing a black leather jacket. He swore that he was gioing to all of the gigs on that tour. He was very much into them. Not you was it?

Ian · House on Fire

Was it the Congress Theatre in Eastbourne. I have the ticket stub here as you can see.
I remember the time when Garry had his accident. Can't remember who it was that replaced him for those gigs. I'll ask Pete and see if he remembers.

It was all pretty sad I suppose all that trekking over the UK. But I was only a kid myself. Dark hair, leather jacket, sounds possibly me. If the person you spoke to had a cockney accent, it would have been a guy called Mark, who also travelled about. If a Birmingham nasal drawl, then it was yours truly.

Ian

-- Edited by Tina McBain at 21:33, 2005-08-11

-- Edited by Tina McBain at 21:35, 2005-08-11

Steve · I Don't Like Mondays

Ian. It was the Eastbourne Congress. As I remember correctly the gig was delayed for awhile because of problems with Fingers piano.

The chap I spoke to certainly wasn't from Birmingham, but he was very enthusiastic about the Rats. He was with his girlfriend and seemed to know everything about the Boomtown Rats. I thought I knew a lot and had every record they had ever done, but this guy was something else. I think he said something about getting a van and going to every gig on that tour.

It was kindof sad following them, because the bubble had burst. Later that year I went to Worthing. Now that was sad, cos the only people who go to Worthing are OAPs.

I'm glad that the last gig I saw was at Live Aid

Tango · In the Long Grass

Iv only ever seen them on the live aid dvd cos i was born in 1991.but i did see bob perform rat trap and the great song of indifference on july 6th at edinburgh 50000

ArrGee · Back To Boomtown

kathp89 wrote:

the last boomtown rats live gig was at self aid in dublin, in 1986 where they performed joeys on the streets again , and looking after number one, (its on the dvd)

They also did Someone's Looking (at you)

Ireland & Dubliners(bootleg vinyl LP) Bandito Records - B005

http://www.harbour.sfu.ca/~hayward/van/discography/v_dubliners.html

Any MP3s out there?

Mark Boyle · House on Fire

Ian wrote:

I went to the S****horpe free festival in 1984. It was a local band showcase promoted by S****horpe council with 2 headline acts to round off the day. The headliners being The Pogues and The Boomtown Rats. There was around 10,000 people there. I had travelled up to the gig with the band on the tour bus. Things were a little tense at that time and I wished I had been somewhere else as I felt very uneasy being around the guys at that time.The tension never showed in the performance though as I remember it was a great set. I loved the Pogues, it was the first time I had come across them. I'll never forget Sally MacLennane with SHane McGowan whacking himself over the head with a tin tray as a source of accompanyment to the song. - Priceless

It wasn't "Sally Maclennane" that Shane MacGowan (& Jim Finer) would smash themselves over the heads with beer trays to, it was "Waxie's Dargle". They got the idea from that guy that use to appear on Tiswas singing "Mule Tray" - ie. "Mule Train" whilst banging ones head with a beer tray.