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Tour Madness 3 October - 4 November, 1980 - MADNESS MONSTER TOUR: Leg 1: EUROPE
3, 4 October, 1980: RETFORD, ENGLAND: Porterhouse
While the Baggy Trousers video reinforces their popularity with teenagers, and ‘Absolutely’ becomes Britain’s second best selling album, Madness prepare for a 24-date tour across the Continent. Before the ‘Madness Monster’ tour starts, the band first play two try-out shows in Retford. The second takes place on the eve of Lee’s 23rd birthday.
9 October, 1980: MILAN, ITALY: Palalido
Attendance: 8,000 sell-out
Support: The Lambrettas (for every night of the first leg of the tour)
Set:
One Step Beyond
E.R.N.I.E
Mistakes
Disappear
Bed & Breakfast Man
Close Escape
Overdone
Not Home Today
Razor Blade Alley
Embarrassment
Take It Or Leave It
On The Beat Pete
My Girl
Shadow of Fear
You Said
Swan Lake
In the Middle of the Night
Baggy Trousers
The Prince
Rockin’ in Ab
Madness
encore: Night Boat to Cairo
encore: One Step Beyond
The tour kicks off in Italy with five sell-out shows. Before the show, some minor complications occur; Suggs’ suit is ripped to shreds by the dry-cleaner while Carl’s turns out to be one size too small. Chris, Lee and Mark watch The Lambrettas from backstage. For the Italian shows, One Step Beyond is performed in a bilingual version, as the band have recorded it in Spanish and Italian (Uno Passo Avanti). Mistakes goes out to those “who pay and don’t enjoy themselves”, and Take It Or Leave It “to all the punkrockers”. For the introduction of On The Beat Pete, Suggs uses the Italian phrase for ‘police’ (polizia) in his clumsy attempts to address the crowd in their own language. “This is a song called Shadow of Fear; it is about Londre, Londina”. Chris plays Batman’s Theme during the song intro of Night Boat to Cairo. Creating a future habit, Carl jumps offstage for the reprise of One Step Beyond to let the crowd shout “Beyooooond”. One fan, looking for a souvenir, grabs his shades.
10 October, 1980: TURIN, ITALY: Palasport
Attendance: 11,500 sell-out
Madness’ largest ever Italian show. Daniela Soave writes in Record Mirror: ‘The gig was enjoyable, the quality of sound was far superior (compared to last night), they played even better and were even nuttier. The only dampner was at the end, when riot police cleared everyone out molto subito, so there weren’t many people clamouring for autographs.’
11 October, 1980: PADOVA, ITALY: Palasport
As in Turin, this show is invaded by a group of anarchists who don’t believe in paying entry to hear live music. In an attempt to clear them out, the riot police fall victim to their own teargas grenades.
12 October, 1980: BOLOGNA, ITALY: Palasport
Set: same as in Milan, plus Land of Hope and Glory after Razor Blade Alley. Chipmunks Are Go is linked to the reprise of One Step Beyond.
As another future habit, Suggs changes the lyrics of Close Escape; Carl adds an intro-speech to Take It Or Leave It. During Swan Lake he refers to 1969, a peak year for the original skinheads. A widely participated Chipmunks Are Go is added to the second version of One Step Beyond.
14 October, 1980: ROME, ITALY: Teatro Tendastrisce
Attendance: 6,000 sell-out
Set: same as in Bologna
Marco Ferranti writes in Ciao 2000 magazine: ‘Madness’ show at the Tendastrisce violated the Impenetrability Law. 6,000 people turned up, half of them suffered from the lack of breathing space. The band used a simple but effective stage set-up with a lighted M. Although musically flawed, this sweated show proved to be a success with three encores including (the Italian version of) One Step Beyond’.
18 October, 1980: AMSTERDAM, HOLLAND: Jaap Edenhal
Attendance: ? sell-out
Countdown Live Line-up third day: Raymond van het Groenwoud/Madness/The Specials
Set:
One Step Beyond
Mistakes
Bed & Breakfast Man
Close Escape
Land of Hope and Glory
Overdone
Not Home Today
Razor Blade Alley
Embarrassment
On The Beat Pete
My Girl
Shadow of Fear
You Said
Swan Lake
In the Middle of the Night
Baggy Trousers
The Prince
Rockin’ in Ab
Madness
encore: Night Boat to Cairo
Purely because of the line-up, the third day of the ‘Countdown Live’ festival is the only one to sell out. Belgium’s Number 1 rock singer Raymond van het Groenewoud goes down pretty well with an audience that have come here in the first place to see Madness and headliners The Specials. Bed & Breakfast Man is dedicated to those who’ve travelled all the way from Greater London. “This is a very important song, and it covers a lot of important subjects” Suggs introduces Embarrassment. The Dutch phrase for police (wrongly pronounced as politti) is used for On The Beat Pete. A long version of Night Boat to Cairo ends the set. “Going on a river now” Suggs traditionally says, and they were the previous night when the band reluctantly took part in a press conference on a canal trip boat. Woody and Mark watch The Specials’ set from the dressing room while the rest of Madness mingle with the audience. Highlights of the entire festival are broadcast on TV and radio six days later. Embarrassment and Baggy Trousers are shown on January 14, 1981. For years to come, the ‘Countdown Live’ version of Night Boat to Cairo gets preference above the original video clip. The next week, ‘Absolutely’ enters the album charts at 41 and reaches Top 10 by December.
19 October, 1980: DEINZE, BELGIUM: Brielpoort
Tonight, Woody celebrates his 20th birthday.
20 October, 1980: LE MANS, FRANCE: La Rotonde
21 October, 1980: ORLEANS, FRANCE: Halle De Pretige
22 October, 1980: ROUEN, FRANCE: Studio 44
24 October, 1980: REIMS, FRANCE: Maison De Scots
Set: same as in Bologna, minus Chipmunks Are Go/One Step Beyond (reprise).
25 October, 1980: (Two Shows)PARIS, FRANCE: Le Pavillion Baltard
The first show is recorded by Radio 7 and the second for Europe 1. A review in Rock & Folk dismisses both Madness and The Lambrettas as fakes, and predicts the end of the ska revival 2-Tone that indeed has lost its ‘flavour-of-the-month’ status by now.
26 October, 1980: STRASBOURG, FRANCE: Parc Expositions
27 October, 1980: STUTTGART, GERMANY: Exhibition Centre Sindelfingen
28 October, 1980: FRANKFURT, GERMANY: Volksbildungsheim
29 October, 1980: HANOVER, GERMANY: Kurhaus Friedensthal
30 October, 1980: COLOGNE, GERMANY: Stadthalle
1 November, 1980: GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN: Scandinavium
2 November, 1980: LUND, SWEDEN: Olympen
3 November, 1980: STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN: Gota Lejon
4 November, 1980: OSLO, NORWAY: Chateau Neuf
The encores include Solid Gone and a widely participated Chipmunks Are Go. Both songs appear in ’86 on ‘MIS Live’.
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