In 1978, American new wave rock band The Cars were thrilled when their single My Best Friend’s Girl hit No.3 on the UK chart - but they were in for a nasty surprise when they played live in the UK for the first time.
When guitarist Elliot Easton is asked about the worst shows of his career, he tells MusicRadar: “The gig that comes to mind for me—and it wasn’t equipment or a malfunction—was during our first tour of England.
“This was like ’78, and the punk thing was still very popular, and very big.
“The audience was into gobbing, which was hocking big loogies at you while you were playing!
“It was the most disgusting thing I could ever imagine. I was just fucking nauseated by it. I hated it!
“It started with the Sex Pistols and all that. But when The Cars came, the audiences were still doing it.
“It was just disgusting. To have phlegm on the stage, on your guitar, and your nice clothes… it makes me sick just thinking of it!”
Easton also remembers a particularly difficult night during that same year, when The Cars played a show in the US as the opening act for The Dickey Betts Band, led by the former Allman Brothers Band guitarist.
As Easton says, The Cars’ new wave sound was not entirely in tune with Betts’ brand of Southern rock.
Easton recalls: “During The Cars’ first year of touring after our first record came out, we’d sometimes headline a big club, and sometimes, we’d be the opening act.
“Sometimes, we’d open for a bigger arena band, and one time, we were playing in Western Chicago and were opening for The Dickey Betts Band—and it was Dickey’s audience.
“I love the Allman Brothers, but this was just like a sea of cowboy hats!
“So, when The Cars came up, they just were not interested.”
Worse than that, there was outright hostility from that audience - and The Cars’ keyboard player Greg Hawkes was a sitting duck.
Easton says: “The turning point that I remember came when someone threw a bottle up on stage, and it smashed at Greg’s feet down by his keyboards.
“He got so flustered and upset that he just walked off the stage. So the rest of us did… we didn’t even finish the show.”
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