The Clash Arrived in North America at the Commodore

On January 31, 1979, The Clash played the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver. It was the band’s first North American performance, giving the Granville Street room a place at the beginning of a much larger touring story.

The National Music Centre’s history of the Commodore includes the memory of Brad Merritt, later the bassist in 54-40, who was in the audience. His recollection makes the date part of Vancouver’s musical history as well as the Clash’s itinerary.

A concert can matter in both directions. A visiting band reaches a new continent; someone in the crowd carries the experience into a local band of his own. At the Commodore, those two histories met on the same night.

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Sources: amplify.nmc.ca; commodoreballroom.com.