Phil Cusimano, guitarist with L.A. mod band The Question, told us about his Jam experience...
Phil Cusimano: My most memorable show I ever saw was The Jam at Perkins Palace in Pasadena, 1982. The Jam had not toured in two years, and they seemed to have a disdain to tour the USA as was reported in various music mags. I'm sure they wee surprised to find out that they had a very strong, cult like fan base, here, especially in Los Angeles. This was mostly due to the growth of fans of Mod music, who were also patrons to the legendary ON Klub on Sunset Blvd, and with heavy airplay of their latest single “A Town Called Malice”.
The Jam were scheduled to play three nights over Memorial Day weekend. I bought tickets for all, but the most special one for me was the first night. A perfect Saturday night gig. When I arrived at the venue, there was what seemed to be a mile long row of Vespa and Lambretta motor scooters parked in front and the side street of the venue. This was the largest gathering of scooters I had ever seen, probably around 100- 200. Some of the riders came as far away as San Diego.
Once inside the venue, I had a reserved seat, but that didn’t matter, as there was the pit to attend to. I managed to get just to the edge of the pit. We were packed in like sardines in a can, except at this point we could still breathe. Over the P.A., the pre-recorded music played some of our favorites that were spun at the ON Klub, but the track that stood out for me was the Purple Hearts’ “Frustration”. A perfect song to get the crowd ready.
The lights went dark, and a large older man appeared at the front of the stage. This was Paul Weller’s father John. “Get your hands together for the best fucking band in the world, The Jam!” he hollered. We were in hyperspace. They came out. Weller was in a Polka dot button collar shirt, stylin' as ever. “ I keep on calling I keep on hoping....” . Foxton was in a grey suit, pumping out the opening bass lines to “Happy Together”. Buckler coming in with rat a tat tat beat....“We're happy together now” - how true. At this point the crowd was just one large unit bouncing up and down to the beat of the music that was being played at a rapid pace, the pit seemed like it was getting more and more packed.
Some of the songs they played that I can remember were:”Carnation” in which I was fixated on the red color of the stage. ”In the Crowd” along with “David Watts” being the oldest songs that were played from their repertoire. ”Running on the Spot”, “Town Called Malice” (which was getting considerable airplay and what I believe brought in a more diverse crowd) ,”Tales from the Riverbank”,”Precious”,”Private Hell”,”Trans Global Unity Express” with strobe lights absolutely making a very hypnotic and chaotic atmosphere , and finishing with a raucous “The Gift”.
At this point with so many bodies in the pit I was squeezed in such a way that my feet had lost contact with the ground and I seemed to be floating in whatever way the crowd moved. A bit harrowing and I had to bail out, although I didn't want to as I was so close to my heroes. I finally extricated myself out, and even though to some that would been a troubling experience, I was in a state of exhilaration. I was soaked in sweat and started to think about the scooter ride in the night....but no matter. I was on cloud nine and so satisfied with what even then I considered the best fucking night of music in my life.
The Question's "Shall Be Love" is out now.
