The Clash ORIGINAL 1981 NYC 'BONDS 1ST RED EXTRA DATES POSTER
£
325
$
431
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Description
Offered is an Original 1ST Edition RED Silk Screened Matt Billboard Poster for The Clash Sold Out Extra Dates from May 28-June 3rd of June, Size is 38” x 25.5” inches, and is in Excellent condition. The 2nd Edition Black & White Version is much more common
Here’s an original/first print poster (this one was printed after the first two shows sold out, and they added an additional four shows), used to promote a series of shows featuring The Clash. These shows took place May 28 – June 3, 1981 at Bond’s International Casino in New York City (Times Square).
Between May 28 and June 13, 1981, The Clash, in their only American appearance that year invaded New York City and changed the way concerts were sold and promoted forever. Right in the center of Broadway at Bond’s Casino on 45th and Broadway was the place to be. While punk was booming downtown in the Bowery at CBGB’s, The Clash, arrived in America at an important crux in their career, were too big to play the tiny downtown club and too small to headline an arena or stadium. They needed a medium size venue that would display their raw power and bravado. Capping out at 3,500 people, Bond’s would be it.
Bond’s held the publicity of the gigs and some of the concerts would be recorded for CBS and broadcast on the radio. Unlike the shows of today, fans could not call into or log onto Ticketmaster, they were forced to wait in line outside the venue to be lucky enough to score tickets for a show, let alone multiple ones. The promoters of the shows underestimated the band’s popularity and cult following, under booking them and overselling each night, and, this being the band’s only American appearance, initially only eight concerts were scheduled from May 28-31 and June 1-3 and June 5. Ten thousand fans queued for tickets and the fiasco for waiting to get in spilled into the streets and drew much more negative attention than initially wanted. With fire marshals closing down a few of the shows, nine more were added and a ticket fiasco would break out as the promoters of Bond’s tried to not grant tickets for the shows that were cancelled for the new dates and forced fans to pay double. With the Clash notorious for keeping prices low, they would condemn the greed of the promoters for charging fans twice, which was something unprecedented at the time
