Crystal Palace bowl - mid 80s

[Alant]

Went to a couple of open air concerts at this amazing venue in the mid 80s.
CHRIS de BURGH was the headline act, with support from The Bluebells and Al Stewart.
LEVEL 42 played a few years later, support was Squeeze, Big Dish, Gary Clail and Witness.
(Except my apologies if Ive got some of the support acts mixed up). The stage was one side of the lake, the crowd on the other.

[n3llyo]

Re: Crystal Palace bowl - mid 80s

level 42 was august 1991
i went for the support acts squeeze who were brilliant as normal and gary clail and the on u sound system who set fire to the stage and was booed through out the short set by everyone at the show apart from me (a dub / rave mc/dj was a weird choice of support act for a pop funk act )

i went to another concert there in the 90`s the pixies headlining with ride and the boo radleys

another gig at the bowl i seem to recall was a capital radio summertime party type thing (it might have been a freebie as i was along by my older sister and aunt who was only a few years older then us) in the early 80`s cant remember the line up so it must have been something i wasnt interested in the only act i have any memory of was from some weird bloke who played a violin and was wrapped up in bandages

[sixtyten]

Re: Crystal Palace bowl - mid 80s

^ That was Nash The Slash!
you must have been at the 1981 Ultravox gig at Crystal Palace

[sixtyten]

Re: Crystal Palace bowl - mid 80s

Went to a few gigs at Crystal Palace as it was walking distance from my house.
Ultravox in '81, a Reggae Sunsplash, and Jobs march in 1984, and Depeche Mode

[n3llyo]

Re: Crystal Palace bowl - mid 80s

i must have been drunk on top deck lager and lime that day i cant think to the life of me why i could only remember nash the slash when the bill had ultravox and madness on it and also teardrop explodes (who failed to play or turn up )advertised in line up

[sixtyten]

Re: Crystal Palace bowl - mid 80s

..confused myself now. I saw Nash the Slash when he guested on Gary Numan's farewell Wembley gigs, but I was thinking he'd have been on during Vienna, at Crystal Palace.. totally forgetting they would not need him as Billy Currie would play the viola part. Can't think of any other gig at CPB that NTS is likely to have been at

[Richard1978]

Re: Crystal Palace bowl - mid 80s

There have been some strange tour parings over the years.

The Jam supported Thin Lizzy early on &, The Go-Go's shared a tour with The Specials, which explains the genesis of Our Lips Are Sealed.

[n3llyo]

Re: Crystal Palace bowl - mid 80s

i saw banannaramma open for the jam once that was a weird support act

[Martin]

Chris De burgh - 15/06/1985

The most extraordinary opening to a concert I’ve ever attended. Was sitting little way up the grass bank that rises up to the next level grassed area. Directly in front of the stage about 60 feet from the small square pond separating the stage from the seating area.
Chris De burgh came on and gave a typical greeting then started off with a “Spaceman came a travelling.
A good song I’d heard many times, but on this occasion something quite ethereal happened. He stopped singing at the first chorus and the audient took over. Though it wasn’t a huge mass starting at once. The first rows of folks began to sing which then travelled like a vocal Mexican wave from those in front. Towards me and my mates, then over our heads and up behind us. It was a distinctive wave of voices. Not shouting, just genuinely given over to this beautiful all engrossing noise we had become a part of.
Nearly 40 years later, it’s still one of the most astonishing events I’ve ever experienced.
Now that good song is fantastic time machine that takes me back to that wonderful concert. A sunny Saturday afternoon with my mates, whom I’ve not seen in 35 years but when listening to this song, live as fully fleshed holograms in my head.