The Clash
Live at Shea Stadium
Epic/Legacy
By David Chiu
The Clash rocked the now-defunct Shea Stadium 26 years ago as the opening act for the Who. Now finally released officially after the fact Live at Shea Stadium captured the band still at its prime. The inclement weather that night didn’t dampen the electricfied playing by the Clash whose set list drew on all the great songs: “London Calling,” “Train in Vain,” “Clampdown,” and a great rocking rendition of “Police on My Back.” Some performances deviated from the sound of the original album versions, such as the band’s biggest hit at the time “Rock the Casbah,” and a medley of “The Magnificent Seven” and “Armagideon Time.” The show closed on a night with Should I Stay or Should I Go and a rocking finale “I Fought the Law.” It’s a relatively short performance on CD—about 49 minutes, and I could have handled about another 20-30—but it shows that regardless of the venue or situation, the Clash always went down fighting.
Watch a clip on YouTube:
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