The Clash were known for fully embracing the New York City hip-hop scene and the genre’s crossover with punk in the 80s. While playing a handful of concerts at Bonds International Casino through May and June 1981, The Clash had an eclectic mix of openers. Among them were Dead Kennedys, Bad Brains, The Fall, and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five.
But while the U.K. punk band was receptive to American hip-hop, their fans were decidedly not. On May 28, 1981, The Clash booked Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five to open their run of shows in New York. The group was starting to make waves with their first hit single, “Freedom”. They would soon go on to become pioneering figures in hip-hop.
On this night, however, they were not as warmly welcomed by the audience. The situation was already fraught with mayhem, as the promoters grossly oversold the venue. With the legal capacity capped at 1,750 and 3,500 tickets sold, the New York City Fire Department forced the venue to cancel the next show on May 30.
They played the first show, then added 17 new dates to the series. Venue capacity was strictly enforced, so the shows took on a close, intimate quality. All the better for the audience to harass the hip-hop openers straight to their faces.
The Clash Reprimands Their Fans For Heckling Their Chosen Opening Acts
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five took the stage on May 28 to open The Clash’s series of New York City shows. But they were immediately met with hostility, harassment, and aggression from the audience.
However, even while being booed and assaulted with objects, the group maintained its professionalism. They made it through the set, but the experience was most likely jarring. Allegedly, vocalist Melle Mel attempted a call-and-response with the audience during the song “Beat Street”. Where the crowd was supposed to respond “Say Ho!” they instead replied with “F—k you!”
Joe Strummer even had to come out and reprimand the crowd, according to an account from actor Steve Buscemi. In an interview for the 2007 documentary Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten, Buscemi recalled attending the show in 1981.
“When The Clash came out, Joe reprimanded the whole place,” he said. “He said, like, ‘You gotta give ’em a chance, you gotta listen’, like ‘Don’t do that!’ And the whole crowd was like, ‘Oh s—t.’ Strummer just did a number on us.”
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