The 40 greatest concerts in Boston history: 9

I was at this historic event! A young punk (as much as it was possible to be an American punk in those days!)who was lucky enough to have been in Boston on the day that tickets went on sale. Chelsea had been in town either in late 1978 or early 1979 and that was my first exposure to Punk Rock. When the Clash came on stage at the old Harvard Square movie theatre, they launched into "I'm So Bored With the USA", the sound exploded from the stage. Right after that, they performed "Safe European Home". Upon finishing that tune, they huddled in the back of the stage, and it appearted that Joe Strummer was unhappy with the band's performance and he was angrily expressing his opinion. Whatever he said must have worked because the energy level that came from the Clash on that night was unbelievable! Never again would I see a band that displayed such passion and fire! Most concerts follow the typical pattern of a loud opener, mid-tempo songs and then finish with a barn burner. At this show, it was incredible sonic bolths of lightening all the way through! Against a back-drop of flag sewn together, the Clash seemed like four prophets, come down to tell what was wrong with the world! I saw many other punk-new wave bands ( as they were know to the uninitiated), but nothing ever came close to that night on February 14, 1979. Perhaps it was just my mesmorized 18 year old eyes, but I doubt it. I saw the Clash again at the Orpheum about 6 months later, and already, the energy level had disippated. They were good, but they were not the same band I saw on that cold winter eve.