concert reviews
Show Date1979-05-31
LocationGlasgow
VenueApollo
TourThe 'Outlandos' years 1977/79



GLASGOW: Apollo Theatre

Andy Summers from "One Train Later"...

"The stage at the Glasgow Apollo slopes downward to a drop of about twelve feet. The edge disappears into blackness, and in the heat of the moment it would be easy to dance off it. We pogo about on this incline, with the Scottish audience chanting and screaming. The balcony sways, bending up and down as if it is about to shatter, but oblivious to the fragility beneath, the fans jump up and down as if tempting fate. This is our first gig as headliners in the U.K., and with a crowd surrounding the hotel and waiting outside the Apollo, it's already out of control. I hit my pedals, leap in the air, run around the stage, and pray that we are not about to witness a tragedy. Toward the end of the show we do a song called 'Be My Girl - Sally' which after the initial chorus has a monologue from me about a hapless individual's love affair with a blow-up doll. I always deliver this ditty in a Yorkshire accent, as it seems to give it the right tone, and even this unlikely piece gets chanted along with, and we all rise to a crescendo with "And I only have to worry in case my girl wears thin." Back in the dressing room, drenched in sweat and sitting among piles of little tartan-wrapped presents, we remark about the bouncing balcony, amazed that the whole thing didn't collapse. Later we find out that the Apollo has been condemned."

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    GLASGOW: Apollo Theatre

    The Police, Glasgow Apollo...

    The Police opened their tour at the Glasgow Apollo and it was a night to remember.

    A good bit back there was a buzz about the Police but nothing came of it. Now, after 'making it' in America their British career has finally taken off with 'Roxanne' being a hit the second time around. I must admit I liked them last time I viewed them but now they're even better.

    They took the stage to rapturous applause. The hall was almost sold out and everyone was standing, clapping in anticipation. The pace was set and the Police didn't let up one minute.

    They opened dynamically with 'Can't Stand Losing You' and steadily worked their way through most of the album. Each song was greeted with almost hysterical cheering which was no more than they deserved.

    Technically, they were almost perfect and lived up to all my expectations. The vocals were a little rough, but after an extensive tour of the States that was to be expected. Even so, they were great.

    The only downer of the night was a rather long drawn out rendition of 'Roxanne' but it still remained a hugely enjoyable number.

    The Police are a band you really should catch. They put on a well balanced, enjoyable show which ranges from the obscenely funny to the poignant.

    What more can I say? Because it doesn't matter how much I try to explain I just won't do them justice. The Police are a band of the future and if they keep putting on shows like this it's one that's going to last for a long time.

    © Superpop by Russell Bell (with thanks to Dietmar)



    GLASGOW: Apollo Theatre

    Police at Glasgow Apollo...

    If The Cramps were any older they'd probably have been in Andy Warhol's films - one of them even looks like a fibreglass model of Joe Dallesandro with half of Human League vocalist Phil Oakey's hairstyle in aluminium dye. Instead they started a group. You also get a post-Nico, vacant blonde and a singer who like to slink around like a half-reptile vampire slave with epilepsy. Punkability voodoo, the punk is New York attitude and mainly visual; the ability is the music - see the band, borrow the records; the voodoo is redolent of adverts for bat-shaped savoury snacks.

    The Police had alerted the Apollo management that only the stalls would be needed for their gig. On the night, record numbers of people arrive to pay at the door and the concert is a sell-out, crowding even the upper balcony.

    Unless this Glasgow audience is almost exclusively responsible for the modest, belated success of Roxanne and the album, The Police look like being the major surprise of 1979. Who would've thought a former Cherry Vanilla backing band would be the ones to save the the masses starved of standard rock?

    Unfortunately, because of constant touring and Sting's involvement in films, there is an extreme shortage of new material. Which means they play a short show, only being stretched out to include meandering dub-like jamming, Sting wailing 'Yeah', 'Woh' or 'Rock Salmon' interminably. This manoeuvre is apparently a sincere attempt at creating new forms of music.

    Considering the amount of music which evolved from blues they could easily succeed with reggae. But I suggest that they save it for rehearsals until it's good enough to stun the world. Meanwhile they'll probably do more to popularise reggae than Bob Marley. Despite that the Police are an exciting rock band. Their material may be better as 'numbers' than 'songs', but that just means they're great live and make good party records.

    The crowd are on their feet from the start, cracking the balconies and singing along with nearly everything - even when Andy Summers does his Stanley Holloway routine and recites 'Sally'. The first three songs impressed me enormously, after that the jamming bores and slower songs intrude drearily in the name of pacing. Amidst those disappointments, the newish 'Message in A Bottle' stands out as comparable to the singles in quality. Assuming of course, that the dull parts are live padding.

    The man responsible for The Police's wide appeal is the bass player, actor, teenage pin-up, songwriter and possessor of what is currently the best white reggae voice - Sting. He will be famous and successful for years and years, though not in a flamboyant way; steady and dependable like his music.

    The Police are good, but despite their plans I can't believe they'll ever be better than that. Besides, America likes boogie bands.

    © New Musical Express by Glenn Gibson

Tour List
The Police Reunion Tour 2007/08
Amnesty International 1986
The 'Synchronicity' years 1983/84
The 'Ghost' years 1981/82
The 'Zenyatta' years 1980/81
The 'Reggatta' years 1979/80
The 'Outlandos' years 1977/79

Tour Dates for the Tour


06/24/79Dortmund
06/23/79St. Goarshausen
06/22/79Amsterdam
06/21/79Hamburg
06/20/79Berlin
06/19/79Stockholm
06/17/79London
06/16/79Aylesbury
06/15/79Sheffield
06/14/79Newcastle
06/13/79London
06/12/79Bristol
06/11/79Guildford
06/10/79London
06/09/79Nottingham
06/08/79Manchester
06/07/79Hanley
06/06/79Digbeth
06/04/79Geleen
06/02/79Liverpool
06/01/79Edinburgh
05/31/79Glasgow
05/25/79Chicago
05/24/79Minneapolis
05/23/79Milwaukee
05/22/79Vancouver
05/21/79Seattle
05/20/79Davis
05/19/79Santa Cruz
05/18/79Los Angeles
05/17/79Los Angeles
05/16/79San Diego
05/14/79Tempe
05/11/79Denver
05/10/79Tulsa
05/09/79Baton Rouge
05/08/79Avondale
05/06/79Gainesville
05/05/79Orlando
05/04/79Hollywood
05/03/79Tampa
05/01/79Athens
04/30/79Birmingham
04/29/79Memphis
04/27/79Atlanta
04/25/79Slough
04/23/79Paris
04/12/79London
04/09/79Philadelphia
04/08/79New York City
04/07/79Boston
04/06/79Boston
04/04/79New York City
04/03/79New York City
03/29/79Roslyn
03/28/79Albany
03/27/79Syracuse
03/25/79Buffalo
03/24/79Toronto
03/23/79Toronto
03/22/79Canton
03/21/79Painesville
03/20/79Pittsburgh
03/18/79Cincinnati
03/16/79St. Louis
03/15/79Kansas City
03/13/79Chicago
03/12/79Madison
03/10/79Grinnell
03/09/79Dallas
03/08/79Houston
03/07/79Austin
03/05/79Davis
03/04/79Berkeley
03/03/79Los Angeles
03/02/79Los Angeles
03/01/79Los Angeles
02/21/79Hatfield
02/10/79Leeds
02/09/79London
01/31/79Munich
01/30/79Munster
01/29/79Kassel
01/28/79Hannover
01/27/79Kaunitz
01/25/79Kiel
01/24/79Stuttgart
01/23/79Freiburg
01/22/79Saarbrucken
01/21/79Heidelberg
01/20/79Neunkirchen
01/19/79Wurzburg
01/17/79Frankfurt
01/16/79Bremen
01/14/79Berlin
01/13/79Hamburg
01/12/79Dusseldorf
01/11/79Bochum
01/10/79Aachen
01/09/79Siegen
12/29/78London
12/19/78Plymouth
12/18/78Exeter
12/17/78Cardiff
12/15/78Stoke
12/11/78Edinburgh
12/10/78Fife
12/09/78Glasgow
12/08/78Newcastle
12/07/78Derby
12/06/78Loughborough
12/04/78Oldham
12/03/78Sheffield
12/02/78Birmingham
12/01/78Bath
11/30/78Manchester
11/29/78York
11/28/78Sheffield
11/25/78London
11/15/78New York City
11/14/78New York City
11/13/78Philadelphia
11/11/78Washington
11/10/78Washington
11/09/78Johnstown
11/07/78Dayton
11/06/78Cleveland
11/05/78Detriot
11/03/78Toronto
11/02/78Toronto
11/01/78Buffalo
10/31/78Swissvale
10/29/78Boston
10/28/78Boston
10/27/78Boston
10/26/78Boston
10/25/78Willimantic
10/24/78Syracuse
10/23/78Poughkeepsie
10/22/78Philadelphia
10/21/78New York City
10/20/78New York City
10/03/78London
09/23/78Margate
09/14/78London
09/09/78London
08/17/78Plymouth
08/16/78Torquay
06/23/78London
05/27/78Dusseldorf
05/26/78Dusseldorf
05/25/78Munich
05/24/78Munich
05/23/78Offenbach
05/22/78Boeblingen
05/21/78Boeblingen
05/20/78Cologne
05/19/78Bochum
05/14/78Goettingen
05/13/78Goettingen
04/23/78London
04/18/78London
03/12/78Bristol
03/11/78London
03/10/78Colchester
03/04/78London
02/23/78London
02/18/78London
02/09/78London
01/22/78London
11/03/77Munich
11/02/77Munich
11/01/77Munich
10/31/77Munich
10/30/77Munich
10/29/77Munich
10/28/77Munich
10/21/77Paris
10/20/77Paris
10/17/77Amsterdam
10/16/77Maasbree
09/29/77Barnstaple
08/18/77Birmingham
08/05/77Mont De Marsan
07/25/77London
07/21/77London
07/18/77Birmingham
07/14/77Leeds
07/08/77London
07/03/77London
06/24/77London
06/17/77London
06/09/77London
05/31/77Putney
05/29/77Colmar
05/28/77Paris
05/25/77London
05/21/77Middlesbrough
05/18/77London
05/13/77London
05/12/77Paris
05/11/77Paris
05/04/77Wolverhampton
04/30/77Dudley
04/28/77Birmingham
04/27/77Swindon
04/17/77London
04/11/77Stafford
04/09/77Egremont
04/07/77Penzance
04/06/77Plymouth
04/05/77Birmingham
04/03/77London
03/28/77Paris
03/27/77Maasbree
03/25/77Amsterdam
03/24/77Nijmegen
03/23/77Rotterdam
03/21/77Eindhoven
03/20/77Groningen
03/15/77London
03/12/77Middlesbrough
03/11/77Birmingham
03/10/77Liverpool
03/09/77Warrington
03/06/77London
03/04/77High Wycombe
03/03/77London
03/01/77Newport
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