1982 - Romance and Exploding PAs!
The death of Alex Harvey in Zeebrugen, Belgium, on the eve of his 47th birthday in February 1982 marked the end of what many consider to have been the quintessential Glasgow Apollo act.
1982 was the year that the New Romantic movement reached its peak and many of the genre's stars were to perform at the Apollo.
Following the release of their second album "Rio" and huge worldwide singles "Rio" and "Hungry Like The Wolf", Duran Duran headline in October. The band start with Rio and follow it with Anyone Out There. Simon Le Bon preludes the track with "Good afternoon everybody in Glasgow, we are called Duran Duran, is there anyone out there?"
ABC followed in November in support of their album Lexicon Of Love, bringing their mixture of violins, romantic lyrics and gold Elvis suits to Glasgow.
A projected Blondie tour is cancelled shortly before the first scheduled gig (at the Apollo) owing to poor ticket sales.
The Jam play the first gig of their final tour at the Apollo. The first of the 2 April shows is recorded and would later appear on "Live Jam". The bands singer, Paul Weller, would return to the Apollo with the Style Council; the last band to play at the venue.
Roxy Music release a mini live EP from the Apollo recorded by Radio Clyde's Mobile 2 called "The High Road".
Alice Cooper releases "Under My Wheels, Who Do you Think We Are and Model Citizen" live from the Apollo.
Hawkwind record "The Golden Void". The much bootlegged show is released in 1991 with a blank label. Only 1000 copies are produced.
The Exploited, Anti-Nowhere League and Infa Riot play at the "Gathering Of The Clans" concert at the Apollo. At the time the new mod movement was a common feature on Glasgow's streets. After the concert , punks had to face gangs of mods who objected to their presence in the city.
Unable to get a performing license to play a stadium in Scotland The Rolling Stones play three theatre shows in Scotland on successive nights (26-28 May) in Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh to a combined crowd of about 7,500 people. The shows were announced at such short notice and were so hush-hush that tickets simply said "The Concert" on it and the date, no band name was included.
The country was gripped by World Cup fever that summer (for the Spain '82 World Cup - Scotland, England and Northern Ireland all qualified for the finals) and Mick performed part of the show in Glasgow wearing a Scotland football shirt.
Whitesnake's PA blows up during the sound check. Thanks to local music stores the gig goes ahead. Local police were on the brink of cancelling the show and were only dissuaded by the vocal Glasgow crowd!
Whilst the fans can remember the incident David Coverdale was not so sure: "Apollo...er...perhaps I must retreat to my corner in the C.R.A.F.T Club...'I Can't Remember A F'in' Thing!!!...Certainly about that episode...My Apollo memories are of the Magnificent Apollo Choir...and that CRAZY stage!!!I LOVED playing the Apollo...'Twas a grand soulful Choir you had there...and some bonnie lasses, if memory serves...Oh...and I still proudly display my little statuettes from our sold out shows there...Please send my best to your gang...and thanks for the memories."