Concert for Kampuchea

When I posted a Rockpile song last week… I heard from Sharon E. Cathcart talking about this concert. A few days later Val mentioned this concert on a Little Richard post. I haven’t thought of this concert in years so I thought it would be a great subject.

I did see a copy of this in the 80s at some point. I’ve watched it the last few nights and it is really good. A few facts about the show…The Pretenders debut album was released the day before they played, this was John Bonham’s last appearance on stage in England, and the Wings last concert appearance.

Concert for the People of Kampuchea was a series of concerts in 1979 featuring Queen, The Clash, The Pretenders, Rockpile, The Who, Elvis Costello, Wings, and many more artists. I’ll post the entire lineup at the bottom. These concerts had a great amount of British talent that would not be rivaled until Live Aid in 1985. The proceeds would be directed to the emergency relief work of the U.N. agencies for the civilians in Kampuchea.

The concerts were held at the Hammersmith Odeon in London over 4 days from 26-29 December 1979 to raise money for the victims of war-torn Cambodia (then called Kampuchea). The event was organized by former Beatle Paul McCartney and Kurt Waldheim (who was then Secretary-General of the UN, later Austrian president).

Waldheim initially approached McCartney, hoping his current band Wings would participate. But he also discussed a performance with George Harrison, and then the gossip wheel started turning. The Beatle reunion rumors started to overtake the press for the show itself. Paul had to completely deny it of course. He was quoted saying: “The Beatles are over and finished with,”  “None of us is even interested in doing it. There’s lots of reasons. Imagine if we came back and did a big show that wasn’t good. What a drag.” None of the ex Beatles showed…except Paul

An album and EP were released in 1981, and the best of the concerts was released as a film, Concert for Kampuchea in 1980. The album wasn’t released until 1981 and it peaked at #36 and the song Little Sister by Rockpile and Robert Plant peaked at #8.

When Wings’ main set was complete on the last night, McCartney invited a Who’s Who assemblage of British rockers to the stage to play four songs as an encore as the “Rockestra”. The list included three members of Led Zeppelin (Plant, John Bonham and John Paul Jones), Townshend, former Small Faces/Faces bandmates Ronnie Lane and Kenney Jones, Procol Harum’s Gary Brooker, Wings, plus members of Rockpile and the Pretenders, among others.

Here is a complete list.

• Piano: Paul McCartney
• Keyboards: Linda McCartney, Tony Ashton, Gary Brooker
• Guitars: Denny Laine, Laurence Juber, James Honeyman-Scott, Dave Edmunds, Billy Bremner, Pete Townshend, Robert Plant
• Bass: Paul McCartney, Bruce Thomas, Ronnie Lane, John Paul Jones
• Drums, Percussion: Steve Holley, Kenney Jones, Tony Carr, Morris Pert, Speedy Acquaye, John Bonham
• Horns: Howie Casey, Steve Howard, Thaddeus Richard, Tony Dorsey
• Vocals: Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney, John Paul Jones, Ronnie Lane, Bruce Thomas, Robert Plant

That is a talented bunch.

McCartney did assemble the above musicians with some more like David Gilmour to record a couple of songs on the Wings Back To The Egg album…So Glad to See You Here and Rockestra Theme.

Here is the complete list of acts who played during the concerts.

The Blockheads
The Clash
Elvis Costello
Ian Dury
The Pretenders
Matumbi
Robert Plant
Queen
Rockpile
The Specials
Wings
The Who

December 26

• Queen

December 27

• Ian Dury and the Blockheads (with guest Mick Jones on “Sweet Gene Vincent”)
• Matumbi
• The Clash

December 28

• The Pretenders
• The Specials
• The Who

December 29

• Elvis Costello & The Attractions
• Rockpile (with guest Robert Plant on “Little Sister”)
• Wings
• Rockestra

Selected setlists

Queen

1. Jailhouse Rock
2. We Will Rock You (fast version)
3. Let Me Entertain You
4. Somebody to Love
5. If You Can’t Beat Them
6. Mustapha
7. Death on Two Legs
8. Killer Queen
9. I’m in Love with My Car
10. Get Down, Make Love
11. You’re My Best Friend
12. Save Me
13. Now I’m Here
14. Don’t Stop Me Now
15. Spread Your Wings
16. Love of My Life
17. ’39
18. Keep Yourself Alive
19. Drums solo
20. Guitar solo with parts of Silent Night
21. Brighton Rock reprise
22. Crazy Little Thing Called Love
23. Bohemian Rhapsody
24. Tie Your Mother Down
25. Sheer Heart Attack
26. We Will Rock You
27. We Are the Champions
28. God Save the Queen (tape)

Ian Dury & The Blockheads

1. Clevor Trevor
2. Inbetweenies
3. Don’t Ask Me
4. Reasons To Be Cheerful
5. Sink My Boats
6. Waiting For Your Taxi
7. This Is What We Find
8. Mischief
9. What A Waste
10. Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick
11. Sweet Gene Vincent

The Clash

1. Clash City Rockers
2. Brand New Cadillac
3. Safe European Home
4. Jimmy Jazz
5. Clampdown
6. The Guns of Brixton
7. Train in Vain
8. Wrong ‘Em Boyo
9. Koka Kola
10. (White Man) In Hammersmith Palais
11. Stay Free
12. Bankrobber
13. Janie Jones
14. Complete Control
15. Armagideon Time
16. London Calling

The Specials

1. (Dawning Of a) New Era
2. Do The Dog
3. Monkey Man
4. Concrete Jungle
5. Too Hot
6. Doesn’t Make It Alright
7. Too Much Too Young
8. Guns Of Navarone
9. Little Bitch
10. A Message To You Rudy
11. Nite Club
12. Gangsters
13. Longshot Kick The Bucket
14. Skinhead Moonstomp
15. Madness

The Who

1. Substitute
2. I Can’t Explain
3. Baba O’Riley
4. The Punk and the Godfather
5. My Wife
6. Sister Disco
7. Behind Blue Eyes
8. Music Must Change
9. Drowned
10. Who Are You
11. 5.15
12. Pinball Wizard
13. See Me Feel Me
14. Long Live Rock
15. My Generation
16. I’m a Man
17. Hoochie Coochie Man
18. Sparks
19. I Can See for Miles
20. I Don’t Want To Be an Old Man
21. Won’t Get Fooled Again
22. Summertime Blues
23. Dancing In The Streets
24. Dance It Away
25. The Real Me

Rockpile

1. Three Time Loser
2. Crawling From The Wreckage
3. Little Sister

Wings

1. Got to Get You into My Life
2. Getting Closer
3. Every Night
4. Again And Again And Again
5. I’ve Had Enough
6. No Words
7. Cook Of The House
8. Old Siam, Sir
9. Maybe I’m Amazed
10. The Fool on the Hill
11. Hot As Sun
12. Spin It On
13. Twenty Flight Rock
14. Go Now
15. Arrow Through Me
16. Coming Up
17. Goodnight Tonight
18. Yesterday
19. Mull of Kintyre
20. Band on the Run

Rockestra

1. Rockestra Theme
2. Let It Be
3. Lucille
4. Rockestra Theme (reprise)