Tracks_Across_America_Tour_'82

Tracks Across America Tour '82

Tracks Across America Tour '82

1982 concert tour by Blondie


The Tracks Across America Tour '82 was a concert tour by the American band Blondie in 1982. The tour supported their latest album, The Hunter (the first tour since their European Tour in 1979–1980) and would be Blondie's last tour before disbanding in late 1982. The band would reconvene in the late 1990s.

Quick Facts Associated album, Start date ...

Background

Though the tour nominally supported the album The Hunter, songs from Autoamerican (1980) also saw their first live performances as the band had not toured in support of that album. The non-album hit single "Call Me" and Debbie Harry's solo track "Chrome" were also performed live for the first time.

For the tour, guitarist Frank Infante was replaced with a session musician Eddie Martinez due to Infante's conflicting relationship with other band members.[1] The tour also featured a horn section performing with the band.

Originally, the tour was supposed to have two legs, the second being in Europe[2] with 41 dates in total, but the second leg was cancelled after slow ticket sales.[3] Only 19 of the concerts (all in North America) were performed.

The show at the Exhibition Stadium in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, which took place an 18 August 1982, was recorded and filmed for the broadcast on HBO. Since then, it has been released several times as a semi-official live album[4] and on video (both on VHS and DVD).[5]

The tour turned out to be unsuccessful for Blondie with shows taking place at half-empty venues.[1] Guitarist Chris Stein's health had been worsening during the tour. He was rapidly losing weight and shortly after the tour ended was diagnosed with pemphigus vulgaris, a rare autoimmune disease.[1] Shortly afterwards, Blondie disbanded. They would not have any further live performances until a series of reunion concerts in 1997 and 1998.

Opening acts

  • Duran Duran (August 2–18; Duran Duran did not appear with Blondie at John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia on August 21. Blondie were third on the bill of an all-day stadium show. The line-up that day consisted of Robert Hazard and the Heroes, A Flock of Seagulls, Blondie, Elvis Costello and the Attractions, and Genesis.) [1]

Setlist

  1. "Rapture"
  2. "In the Sun"
  3. "Sunday Girl"
  4. "Little Caesar"
  5. "Union City Blue"
  6. "Chrome"
  7. "Island of Lost Souls"
  8. "Danceway"
  9. "The Tide is High"
  10. "Heart of Glass"
  11. "Hanging On The Telephone"
  12. "Dreaming"
  13. "One Way or Another"
  14. "War Child"
  15. "Start Me Up" (The Rolling Stones cover)
  16. "Call Me"
Notes

Tour dates

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Cancelled shows

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Personnel

Blondie
Additional musicians[9]
  • Eddie Martinez – guitar
  • Abel Domingues – keyboards
  • Douglas Harris – horns
  • Joseph Kohanski – horns
  • Arthur Pugh – horns

References

  1. "Once More (Into the Bleach): Blondie Returns For Its Fifteenth Round". Discoveries magazine. Archived from the original on 2017-09-11. Retrieved 2013-11-24.
  2. "Debs launches Blondiemania memorial tour". NME Magazine. Retrieved 2013-11-24.
  3. Live in Toronto at Allmusic
  4. Meadowlands Sports Complex Archived 2013-10-16 at the Wayback Machine at Blondie.net
  5. "Official Blondie Web Site: Gig List - Blondie". archive.blondie.net. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
  6. End credits of Blondie Live it Toronto video

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