Author’s note: In early February 1979, The Clash played their first gig in Northern California. It was almost exactly a year, and a 20-minute drive, from where the Sex Pistols played their last show before breaking up in 1978. By sad coincidence, as the Clash’s tour bus crossed the California state line, on the other side of the country, Sid Vicious died of a heroin overdose.
I had been at the Pistols’ last show, covering it for the UK rock weekly Sounds, and I did much the same with The Clash, travelling the 400 miles between San Francisco and Santa Monica with them on their bus. The Pistols and Clash shows had things in common - fans eager to actually see them in person; exhilarating performances - but the mood of the shows were quite different. The Clash’s were less ‘punk’ and in more upscale venues. The first, in Berkeley, had an audience of students, not spitters. In Joe Strummer’s words, “boring snobs”. It was one big reason why The Clash added a secret San Francisco show in a grungier San Francisco venue at half the price.
