XTC would tour no more

[kingjojothegreat]

Panic attack?

[TheYTChronicles]

This makes me so sad. Such bad luck for Partridge and the band, they could of been huge

[phnuff]

I am one of the lucky ones. I saw XTC live 7 times. To see this makes me sad cos Andy is a great guitarist, he Colin and the others were some of the best pop song writers ever and ok they probably would have self destructed by now but a few more could have appreciated just how good XTC were. Thanks chaps, you have left me with some great memories and my 13 year old daughter thinks your songs are special

[101Volts]

From what I heard this wasn't their final show, They played a full show in Los Angeles a couple weeks later (April third?) And when they started playing Melt The Guns a bunch of local punks and anarchists invaded the stage. I don't know if all of this is true though.

[ShiftCarp]

I think I was at what would have been there last show at the Paladium in LA. Waited for about an hour and they never showed or toured after that. Got a Drums and Wires Tshirt though. Did have the privelage of seeing them open with Oingo Boingo for the Police.

[TheColininla]

Yes, they should have held a much larger place in rock's history. Their albums are brilliant.

[vootie99]

I saw them live 3x... they were ok. I think their studio stuff was 100x better... Andy was a control freak too uptight to relax onstage... they should have been huge though...

[Stube437]

Wow! the things you find on y/t. I didn't know that this moment was filmed. Strange when you see Andy elsewhere he seems like the kinda guy who'd love performing.

[philrouge77]

Incredible video ! I was there, at the Palace, I have taken a picture of Colin Moulding explaining that the concert must be cancelled...

When Andy left the stage, the band continued to play the song, Colin singing "la-la-la" while looking backstage, with an anxious face... Sad evening.

XTC is a great band.

[stereolabb]

XTC. Genius genius genius.

[asiaownsuk]

He suddenly realized how awful they were.

[addalee]

@asiaownsuk And lets see your live performance, genius

[dynamohums]

The 80's were mostly crap musically. XTC were a beacon of light. Thank god they also shone so brightly in the 90's and 00's too :).

[bandcouver]

The story I heard was Andy's then wife Marianne flushed his valium down the toilet. Andy couldn't cope with doing live performances without it. Also their then manager put them on rediculous tours that weren't very beneficial to them. Andy has said that he saw his contemporaries making far more headway than them doing the same sort of tours etc and felt that touring wasn't making his career worthwhile if he was being constantly ripped off. He felt trapped by it and wanted out.

[101Volts]

@bandcouver Sounds like darn good reasons to stop touring.

[wedrinkmountaindew]

never get hooked on prescription drugs kids

[therealsoulproduct]

Andy walked off the stage and never looked back......

[Nigelxman]

@therealsoulproduct Yeah good for him.

[disc64]

I'm revisiting XTC tonight on youtube and the thing that jumps out his how much of a showman Andy is - just as much a peacock as Mick Jagger.

At the end of the day, it's all pretend I guess. And as long as you're having fun, it all holds together. But if you can't convince yourself that that's the case any longer, then that's the tipping point.

[fuckamericanidiot]

perfect :)

[shadouge4eva97]

aaw feel sorry for him. i would've done that too! andy partridge is minted any way!

i loooooovvveess xtc! WHOO!

[righteouslyfunky]

Andy Partridge is the greatest song writer ever and seeing this doesn't change my feeling. I was one of the lucky ones to see them live in 1980 backing up the Police (they kicked the Police ars!) Seeing this for the 1st time shocked me but it doesn't change how I feel about Andy. So what if he has something in common with another of my favorite song writers, Brian Wilson.

MUCH LOVE & RESPECT 4 AP!

[tsopuaifa]

Their studio recordings are truly great but when I see some of their live material (especially the Melbourne stuff) I realise that they might have been even better Live. Amazing!

[95thFoot]

Knowing you're getting screwed out of an astronomical sum of money, and the amount you still owe, and all the people that depend on you keeping the fake dream alive, coupled with a withdrawal from a Valium prescription of years past, would make anybody go crackers. It's amazing he lasted as long as he did. Had it been me, I'd have been ready for the rubber room long before that.

[jamezpackerfan]

stage fright in paris

[SpreadingLoveAround]

the black sea was angry that day my friend, these blokes had the titelist, dukes cried, ladies larked

[lyonslaforet]

...and then XTC walked on the Beatles' footsteps as regards concerts: no more live performances, only fruitful work in the studio

[TerribleFLY]

he felt like a potato

[Quidditch910]

*sigh* God, I would have loved to see them live!

It's okay, Andy. Nobody blames you.

[GloucesterAdam]

@Quidditch910 I agree, it's unfair to just blame Andy. There were other factors at the time (Terry Chambers moving to Australia) and Colin and David didn't seem too fussed about touring anyway. I think it was inevitable that they would stop touring sometime around this point, but they didn't do too badly out of just being a studio band. Plus David Gregory is still touring, albeit with the Tin Spirits.

[Ursulauu]

What a pity! - I would love to have seen them!!

We love you XTC!!

[cranie4]

Andy did an interview prior to the gig which was also filmed. He said it was so surreal and there was some Phillip Glass music playing in the background. He was just burned out by the time they hit the stage and didn't want to be there anymore..so his mind made it happen with a panic attack and that was that. They did play on stage again twice I believe after this but that's all. If it wasn't for this moment though we certainly wouldn't have the brilliant music we got.

[hennocksholinepurpur]

They played one further gig: the California Theatre in San Diego on April 3rd '82. They were set to play a sold-out show at the Hollywood Palladium the following night, but Partridge only did the soundcheck and then couldn't bear playing another note on stage again...

[awnplmigo]

Referring to this incident, Andy said, "I have no doubt that if I wasn't having my problems, we could have been as big as U2 or R.E.M. ." Many if not most music fans have no doubt, either, Genius.

[axelfols1]

I think when he uttered those words he wasn't in a particularly sane stae of mind.

[MrSExperience]

are you saying they couldn't have been as big? You may be right. They were too good for mass market consumption.

[axelfols1]

I was refering to the fact that as we was so weary coming off stage some of his comments may not have been as intended. Spur of the moment if you like.

[Yorkmackem]

But Andy never wanted that level of fame, or was comfortable with the trappings that went with it. The great shame is that the music was denied to a larger audience.

[cromwellian13]

How was it denied? It's still there and always will be. You don't need to tour to sell records.

[Yorkmackem]

It was denied because, like it or not, the wider public is spoon-fed musical tastes on the back of media exposure. I discovered the band only by chance via research of "New Wave" bands and second hand vinyl shops - had XTC broken into the mainstream without compromising their style then who knows ? The landscape of mid 80s chart music could have been very different....

[101Volts]

Speaking of which, My best friend who's favorite band is XTC told me that R.E.M wanted Andy Partridge to be their manager.

[PikeyTynkerGyppo]

Whit a bain xtc woods hae bin if colin, terry an' barry woods hae kicked it thes joker andy partridge. this andy guy ran th' bain intae th' grin until aw 'at was left was andy dumpster divin' fur unreleased alternate versions ay lang ago recorded songs.

[DocFliege]

Wtf?

[JDirvin5592]

lmfao...

[secallen]

Fair points pikey

[leeraconteur]

Amazing. I heard about this in college.  I had no idea it was filmed.

Andy just stopped singing at "Cara-"

And that was it.

[MrsAntonPhibes]

This is incredible. I've heard about this since I was little but I had no idea it was actually filmed. Sad, yeah, but if they kept touring I doubt that they'd have gotten as complex and symphonic as they ultimately became.

[wolftoes]

enjoy the music and fuck off.

[XTC0000]

Pier23ca only some god-loving prick like you can cough up such a ridiculous statement like that. The point of being an atheist is so shit like god, satan and the holy fuckin ghost does not rule your sorry lives. I probably think the reason Andy got stage fright was from living on a diet of speed for the 6 years! Not satans wrath you fool, ha ha

[pier23ca]

From their waking moment, atheists obsess over God. They hate God. They cannot stop thinking about God.

Many Christians never think much about God, until they get into a jam and then they pray to God for help.

Satan owns Andy.

Even Colin dumped Andy. Ha ha ha.

[32INCHSTRIPER]

No, not obsession about God but an obsession about the people who live their lives thinking there is a God and ruining it for the people who know better. Satan... Please. Is he down in a firey hell while God yells at him from the clouds above? The #1 fairy tale ever written.....

[stargate669]

George Bush has adopted Andy?!

[axelfols1]

middleclass cunts

[pier23ca]

HA HA HA.

How great that Satan tricked Andy into stage fright.

What a loser.

What could be worse than an ATHEIST afraid of his fellow man?

Only a COWARD cannot sing in front of his fellow man, especially an ATHEIST.

HA HA HA.

LOSER.

[modestmaus]

Troll 2: Troll Harder.

[nucknards]

see, the trick is to not have another XTC video in your favorites, giving you away completely.

[pier23ca]

Giving away what?

The early songs are great, especially those when Barry Andrews was in the band.

Black Sea is their best work, start to finish.

Afterward, XTC begins their long descent into failure led by Satan's trick over Andy.

[pier23ca]

Radios in Motion

This Is Pop

Life Begins at the Hop

Generals and Majors

Making Plans for Nigel

Crowded Room

Spinning Top

Neon Shuffle

Meccanic Dancing (Oh We Go !)

Afterward, XTC sang song for Satan-controlled, depressive losers.

[zaslantsy]

I am confused.

Which completely unpopular, starch-ridden, chemically-illiterate branch of government-sponsored anti-darwinists did YOU come from? And why are you listening to XTC?

[pier23ca]

Either you are a man (the OE word for the French 'person') who is right to want and fight for liberty in Freedom or you are a suck up seeking privilege from the Power Wealthy living under their yoke of Officialdom.

Your expression reveals that you want Officialdom, just not the current one.

[ApolloBoy]

Um, the real reason why he broke down was because his wife recently threw out his supply of Valium, which he had been addicted to for quite some time. Look up the facts before you go spout out nonsense.

[pier23ca]

What a pussy, getting pushed around by his wife.

How unmanly. Bitch slapped by his wife and Satan.

[ApolloBoy]

Forget it, there's no reasoning with you. Satan? LOL.

[pier23ca]

Charming fellow. You should meet him. Dapper and knows magick.

Has a couple of ugly sidekicks with pointy ears. They look like they are Indonesian.

[skypup13]

Where do people like you live?? Satan owns Andy!! You are one funny fucker, shame for you is your that feeble minded your gonna let such shit dogma rule your life then you'll die and then realise how you've wasted your life believing such crap. Thank god for Atheists!

[pier23ca]

Nevermind dogma. You amuse with the expression of your childlike intellect.

I own your life. You dance like a puppet upon the strings I pull as you react -- OCD style -- to my words.

[stargate669]

Satan is very charming and gets to date all the bad girls and then invades Iraq

[northeastlinda]

Andy - you are great!

I don't know what happened. But you will always be remembered as a great musician and vocalist.

your fans love you

Laura

[nucknards]

gah... what song is this, i can't place it...

[phukketA]

respectable street from the album black sea

[hk459]

I wrote to Andy shortly after this incident asking him about it. He replied back that "stage fright is a possibility."

[awnplmigo]

I'm not too sad. This incident may have enabled them to just concentrate on music, to produce the formiddable body of work which many think rivals any acts'. It's sadder that they're not going to make any more new albums.

[deadwoodmountain]

Didn't he suffer from a panic/anxiety disorder? Large crowds and his inability to feel grounded because of all the touring must have done a number on him. XTC rules!

[shrew972]

we love you Andy

the Liarbirds

[TheCosmicFluke]

Damn, not how I pictured it at all. I thought the guy was seized with stagefright or something, he seemed fine. Well, kudos for him to say FUGGIT and do that. I love XTC.

[geech55]

He did the rocking in a fetal position in the privacy of his dressing room.

[handsomedevil357]

a terrible moment

[paulsmartialarts]

Did XTC not play one more concert after this incident, on the first date of their aborted American tour where Andy played "on autopilot", before scrapping the rest of the tour? I might have got the chronology wrong, but I remember reading he couldn't bring himself to take the stage for the following show...

[moestaiano1]

They did. It was in San Diego. You can read all about it in their biographic book Chalkhills and Children. It's truly a bummer.

[soulrebel4c]

wow that is so bizarre... who knew someone had this on video?...Andy seems really into it, then suddenly he's gone... and Colin is like WTF... Sad moment in music, because I never saw them live but they still rock:)

[flanissimo]

I think it's so much classier (sp?) to walk off stage than to dress up and write the word 'slave' on you cheek, or to write songs about how your industry treats you. I mean I love Prince and all, but these guys, especially Andy, are just superlative and when he walked off it came right from the gut. And Funkpoparoll is easily the greatest tune about the industry ever.

[Hanserific]

Amen bro.

[merkiron]

YOU KNOW, YOU Can see just how much energy Andy and the guys POURED intotheir shows. Its on allthese live vids. they are fantastic! They are really tearing up Respectable Street on this one. No wonder he burned out. How long could it last? I have the LIVE BBC recording. It kicks ass too. Afer finally seeing this legendary moment on video, I can say its just the way it was meant to be.

[feralmusic]

i've probably played about 3000 gigs in my lifetime, and i got nervous every single time on the day of a gig. and it doesn't get easier as you get older. i wanted to do what andy did about 500 times on stage.

[nigel630711]

Terrible and so sad, XTC are the best band, my single biggest regret is that due to this I never got to see them live

Rock on Andy

[bigarv65]

My God! I've always heard that this happened, but never in my life expected to actually see it. Incredibly sad. And too bad, they sound just as good live as they do in the studio.  Brilliant artists. Thanks for posting.

[phil117]

I was 17 and i had a bllody ticket for this concert in paris

i was really found of the band

i was late

when i came in, the concert has stopped

is'nit good ? Norwergian wood

[MARKY41]

ive seen the sound check for that gig on videon somewhere,to see this,its still sad after all those years since it happened.i never got to see them live,closest thing to it was meeting ANDY.

[rifle07]

So sad and hard to believe. Is there a longer video that shows what happens after Andy leaves the stage?

[graffitypsycho]

Man this is crazy...Although Andy does look a bit shy. I hope his doing well and respect that he did what wanted to do. Don't know if its a phobia or sickness but the man has done a lot and don't really need to be doing it out of pressure. Way to go Andy. Keep rocking music!

Laters!~

[mgolden111]

I had no idea this was on film. Just read that this happened and it's why they stopped touring. Youtube is amazing.

[peepingpom]

I've read about this but didn't know that it had been filmed - thanks for posting.

[gibbie7842]

Unbelievable that such an extrovert performer could get stage fright.

[KillbotLuna]

Wow, I'd always heard about this incident but I never even imagined I'd actually see it someday. So sad, for them and for all of us.

[hudemaj]

Wow. And there we have it. I had only heard Andy had stage fright. Didn't know the deatils until just now. Still one of the best bands ever.

[holybear]

This is so sad. Like watching Kennedy get shot.

[andreaprodan]

out of proportion... or not?

[orbfile]

Certainly out of proportion. He didn't die, but as a long time XTC fan, it is very shocking to watch. Certainly the first time. I don't think I'll watch it again. Seeing anyone in real mental pain certainly isn't entertainment.

[ePhilosopher]

put on the new man

[escarcha]

Check Colin's is looking back to see where Andy is running off and then he looks to the other band members like "What the heck is going on"?

[ozbocfan]

Absolutely extraordinary. I almost thought it was like Nigel Tufnel at the airbase but then I realised THIS was real !! Amazing. But at least we have vision of the last moments of Andy and the lads in concert. When the Beatles played their last gig at Candlestick Park, the one dude filming it RAN OUT OF FILM and there is no recorded footage of this iconic moment in rock. Unbeleivable.

[denny333]

why do you vid-bloggers stop tape just when it gets interesting. I found myself wonder what the rest of the band did when they realized they were on respectable street sans andy. this happens everytime i find something remotely interesting on this site. thanks for the footage anyway, it is interesting to see, just wish it didnt stop so abruptly-like coitus interruptus

[Volanne]

Hi Denny,

This gig was broadcasted on "France Inter" (french radio), and I was listening to it, since XTC already was one of my favourites. What happened next, is that Colin came back, and explained to the crowd that Andy was sick. At that time, the show was supposed to be postponed for later on, and didn't new this would be their last live appearance...

[mdziak]

Vid-blog this.

[hyena73]

Holy shit! That is so REAL and so sad....

[aaronprice]

What is this really like the LASt time he played with the band live or what's the deets??!!

[sleepybomb]

they played semi-live shows, in-the-studio stuff and record store shows for later lps on virgin, but this was the last of the stage shows... what a shame. still they are STILL a band!

[NUCLASH]

A truely great great band.

Up there with Numan and The Clash

[earlfist]

What a light weight

[paulsmartialarts]

^ ^ ^ What a cunt

[sanslatete]

Sad end to a great live band.