Referring to this incident, Andy said, "I have no doubt that if I wasn't having my problems, we could have been as big as U2 or R.E.M. ." Many if not most music fans have no doubt, either, Genius.
I actually disagree with this. I think XTC's music was always too clever for the average listener to truly appreciate. Andy just thinks this because he's still beating himself up, and he shouldn't be
I'm not talking shit. He was taking valium to help with his severe stage fright. She was trying to help him, made him go cold turkey by throwing out his prescriptions. This is a horrible way to go, usually people are slowly transitioned off the meds. He had a severe meltdown as a result and had to cancel touring. Very sad.
@@2degucitas He wasn't taking Valium to help with stage fright bro. He was on it since he was an early teen and when his wife thru it down the drain one of the many effects of the withdrawal was he would get panic attacks on stage
I am one of the lucky ones. I saw XTC live 7 times. To see this makes me sad cos Andy is a great guitarist, he Colin and the others were some of the best pop song writers ever and ok they probably would have self destructed by now but a few more could have appreciated just how good XTC were. Thanks chaps, you have left me with some great memories and my 13 year old daughter thinks your songs are special
Good on you. I was a fan starting Sept 79 with DnW, never got to see them. I have all of their music. Take Away. H Safari. Every bit. I am glad you gave compensated for we who missed out.
Absolutely extraordinary. I almost thought it was like Nigel Tufnel at the airbase but then I realised THIS was real !! Amazing. But at least we have vision of the last moments of Andy and the lads in concert. When the Beatles played their last gig at Candlestick Park, the one dude filming it RAN OUT OF FILM and there is no recorded footage of this iconic moment in rock. Unbeleivable.
wow that is so bizarre... who knew someone had this on video?...Andy seems really into it, then suddenly he's gone... and Colin is like WTF... Sad moment in music, because I never saw them live but they still rock:)
So sad, this gives me goosebumps to see. Amazing that this moment was captured on film. Come back Andy! XTC were always brilliant though, whether touring or not.
My God! I've always heard that this happened, but never in my life expected to actually see it. Incredibly sad. And too bad, they sound just as good live as they do in the studio. Brilliant artists. Thanks for posting.
Hi Denny, This gig was broadcasted on "France Inter" (french radio), and I was listening to it, since XTC already was one of my favourites. What happened next, is that Colin came back, and explained to the crowd that Andy was sick. At that time, the show was supposed to be postponed for later on, and didn't new this would be their last live appearance...
I can't imagine what he went through but I suffer with anxiety and panic and I understand his reaction to just get the hell out of there. I left my post at work that way a few times, eventually not returning not by my choice. Watching this clip upset me. I love XTC and Andy's music so much. I knew why he stopped touring but seeing him struggle on stage on film is heartbreaking 😭 He soldiered on as much as he could. Anxiety and panic disorder is no small problem 🙏
I've been there. Once your humpty dumpty version of reality cracks, at best all you can do is scotch tape some ersatz version of it together again. You're only option really is to figure out a different reality, one where you can thrive.
I think it's so much classier (sp?) to walk off stage than to dress up and write the word 'slave' on you cheek, or to write songs about how your industry treats you. I mean I love Prince and all, but these guys, especially Andy, are just superlative and when he walked off it came right from the gut. And Funkpoparoll is easily the greatest tune about the industry ever.
I got to see them live in Hamburg. I think it was a trio and a double billing with James Blood Ulmer. 'Plans for Nigel,' was so heavy. I will never forget. Andy is one of my major guitar heroes. Rock on!
I think this had to happen, and I can sort of understand the mindset of having enough all of the sudden. I'm thankful for the music that was created after Andy left the stage. Maybe that new music wouldn't exist, if Andy kept on playing live.
I think I was at what would have been there last show at the Paladium in LA. Waited for about an hour and they never showed or toured after that. Got a Drums and Wires Tshirt though. Did have the privelage of seeing them open with Oingo Boingo for the Police.
Andy did an interview prior to the gig which was also filmed. He said it was so surreal and there was some Phillip Glass music playing in the background. He was just burned out by the time they hit the stage and didn't want to be there anymore..so his mind made it happen with a panic attack and that was that. They did play on stage again twice I believe after this but that's all. If it wasn't for this moment though we certainly wouldn't have the brilliant music we got.
i've probably played about 3000 gigs in my lifetime, and i got nervous every single time on the day of a gig. and it doesn't get easier as you get older. i wanted to do what andy did about 500 times on stage.
Man this is crazy...Although Andy does look a bit shy. I hope his doing well and respect that he did what wanted to do. Don't know if its a phobia or sickness but the man has done a lot and don't really need to be doing it out of pressure. Way to go Andy. Keep rocking music! Laters!~
ive seen the sound check for that gig on videon somewhere,to see this,its still sad after all those years since it happened.i never got to see them live,closest thing to it was meeting ANDY.
Their studio recordings are truly great but when I see some of their live material (especially the Melbourne stuff) I realise that they might have been even better Live. Amazing!
The story I heard was Andy's then wife Marianne flushed his valium down the toilet. Andy couldn't cope with doing live performances without it. Also their then manager put them on rediculous tours that weren't very beneficial to them. Andy has said that he saw his contemporaries making far more headway than them doing the same sort of tours etc and felt that touring wasn't making his career worthwhile if he was being constantly ripped off. He felt trapped by it and wanted out.
I Can live with the fact i only saw XTC three times, Because the albums they have released are 10 out of 10 everytime. When you see bands getting back for the money, Like the stone roses, At least we do not have to see that, With the best British band of all time.
I'm revisiting XTC tonight on youtube and the thing that jumps out his how much of a showman Andy is - just as much a peacock as Mick Jagger. At the end of the day, it's all pretend I guess. And as long as you're having fun, it all holds together. But if you can't convince yourself that that's the case any longer, then that's the tipping point.
From what I heard this wasn't their final show, They played a full show in Los Angeles a couple weeks later (April third?) And when they started playing Melt The Guns a bunch of local punks and anarchists invaded the stage. I don't know if all of this is true though.
Mostly correct. A couple weeks after the Europe tour was cancelled, they started their North American tour in San Diego California, April 3. At one point protesters jumped on the stage and were escorted off after spraying literature around. XTC completed the show though. There was a very long intermission, and it was so long I started to wonder if something was wrong. I didn't now know anything of Andy's troubles at that point. The next night they were supposed to play the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles but never took the stage. San Diego was their last live show.
I saw them live 3x... they were ok. I think their studio stuff was 100x better... Andy was a control freak too uptight to relax onstage... they should have been huge though...
I'm not too sad. This incident may have enabled them to just concentrate on music, to produce the formiddable body of work which many think rivals any acts'. It's sadder that they're not going to make any more new albums.
I was refering to the fact that as we was so weary coming off stage some of his comments may not have been as intended. Spur of the moment if you like.
Certainly out of proportion. He didn't die, but as a long time XTC fan, it is very shocking to watch. Certainly the first time. I don't think I'll watch it again. Seeing anyone in real mental pain certainly isn't entertainment.
Ohhhhh now I get it. And yeah, they weren't my type of music, but neither was REM and they both had bangers and we all know how well REM did, just for example. XTC definitely had that buzz at the start.. Hey look I get it - you never know what traumas somebody has been through to get to that point in their lives. I'm 50 in the next 2 weeks and I'll be the first to tell you how hard it is to escape your own head when it's fighting moments in time a lifetime ago... Be kind.
It's a tragedy for sure, but let's count ourselves lucky that he didn't take matters into his own hands the way that Kurt Cobain did, after all he had been through. We are lucky he made more fantastic music after leaving the stage.
Damn, not how I pictured it at all. I thought the guy was seized with stagefright or something, he seemed fine. Well, kudos for him to say FUGGIT and do that. I love XTC.
Um, the real reason why he broke down was because his wife recently threw out his supply of Valium, which he had been addicted to for quite some time. Look up the facts before you go spout out nonsense.
Tony the Wanderer: Bau Haus are at the top of the "getting back for the money" pile. Their reunion album was a bland, uninspiring facsimile of their heyday. XTC could never have done that.
Did XTC not play one more concert after this incident, on the first date of their aborted American tour where Andy played "on autopilot", before scrapping the rest of the tour? I might have got the chronology wrong, but I remember reading he couldn't bring himself to take the stage for the following show...
Yes, they played a full show in San Diego California April 3 1982. They did not go on stage the next night in Los Angeles. But the show in San Diego didn't appear to be "autopilot" - they were fantastic.
@@donsheffler I hope the San Diego concert was recorded, but, I haven't heard of a tape. At least we have a good quality boot of the concert in Amsterdam on March 8th, 1982.
Didn't he suffer from a panic/anxiety disorder? Large crowds and his inability to feel grounded because of all the touring must have done a number on him. XTC rules!
I know this comment is 11 yrs old. I have to say you must not have been born with a sensitivity chip. Hopefully in 11 yrs you've grown up and can put yourself in another person's shoes. He almost died coming off Valium cold turkey; it is a miracle he is still alive. Just think about that for awhile Mr sensitive guy.
Видеоклипы
Referring to this incident, Andy said, "I have no doubt that if I wasn't having my problems, we could have been as big as U2 or R.E.M. ." Many if not most music fans have no doubt, either, Genius.
Fuck.
I actually disagree with this. I think XTC's music was always too clever for the average listener to truly appreciate. Andy just thinks this because he's still beating himself up, and he shouldn't be
stunningly sad. i'd pay anything to see them live now
What happens when your wife throws away your valium mid touring.
I'm not talking shit. He was taking valium to help with his severe stage fright. She was trying to help him, made him go cold turkey by throwing out his prescriptions. This is a horrible way to go, usually people are slowly transitioned off the meds. He had a severe meltdown as a result and had to cancel touring. Very sad.
@@2degucitas He wasn't taking Valium to help with stage fright bro. He was on it since he was an early teen and when his wife thru it down the drain one of the many effects of the withdrawal was he would get panic attacks on stage
I am one of the lucky ones. I saw XTC live 7 times. To see this makes me sad cos Andy is a great guitarist, he Colin and the others were some of the best pop song writers ever and ok they probably would have self destructed by now but a few more could have appreciated just how good XTC were. Thanks chaps, you have left me with some great memories and my 13 year old daughter thinks your songs are special
Good on you.
I was a fan starting Sept 79 with DnW, never got to see them.
I have all of their music. Take Away. H Safari. Every bit.
I am glad you gave compensated for we who missed out.
One of the saddest moments in music history. 😢
Absolutely extraordinary. I almost thought it was like Nigel Tufnel at the airbase but then I realised THIS was real !! Amazing. But at least we have vision of the last moments of Andy and the lads in concert. When the Beatles played their last gig at Candlestick Park, the one dude filming it RAN OUT OF FILM and there is no recorded footage of this iconic moment in rock. Unbeleivable.
This was the last Europe show. Three weeks later they tried again and did a full show in San Diego California. Nobody filmed it though.
wow that is so bizarre... who knew someone had this on video?...Andy seems really into it, then suddenly he's gone... and Colin is like WTF... Sad moment in music, because I never saw them live but they still rock:)
So sad, this gives me goosebumps to see. Amazing that this moment was captured on film. Come back Andy! XTC were always brilliant though, whether touring or not.
My God! I've always heard that this happened, but never in my life expected to actually see it. Incredibly sad. And too bad, they sound just as good live as they do in the studio. Brilliant artists. Thanks for posting.
Hi Denny,
This gig was broadcasted on "France Inter" (french radio), and I was listening to it, since XTC already was one of my favourites. What happened next, is that Colin came back, and explained to the crowd that Andy was sick. At that time, the show was supposed to be postponed for later on, and didn't new this would be their last live appearance...
I can't imagine what he went through but I suffer with anxiety and panic and I understand his reaction to just get the hell out of there. I left my post at work that way a few times, eventually not returning not by my choice. Watching this clip upset me. I love XTC and Andy's music so much. I knew why he stopped touring but seeing him struggle on stage on film is heartbreaking 😭 He soldiered on as much as he could. Anxiety and panic disorder is no small problem 🙏
What a pity! - I would love to have seen them!!
We love you XTC!!
...and then XTC walked on the Beatles' footsteps as regards concerts: no more live performances, only fruitful work in the studio
Lucky enough to have seen them live just a brilliant band :)
I've been there. Once your humpty dumpty version of reality cracks, at best all you can do is scotch tape some ersatz version of it together again. You're only option really is to figure out a different reality, one where you can thrive.
I think it's so much classier (sp?) to walk off stage than to dress up and write the word 'slave' on you cheek, or to write songs about how your industry treats you. I mean I love Prince and all, but these guys, especially Andy, are just superlative and when he walked off it came right from the gut.
And Funkpoparoll is easily the greatest tune about the industry ever.
I got to see them live in Hamburg. I think it was a trio and a double billing with James Blood Ulmer. 'Plans for Nigel,' was so heavy. I will never forget. Andy is one of my major guitar heroes. Rock on!
I think this had to happen, and I can sort of understand the mindset of having enough all of the sudden. I'm thankful for the music that was created after Andy left the stage. Maybe that new music wouldn't exist, if Andy kept on playing live.
I'm surprised there isn't a better quality video out there - I mean, this is a pro shot recording at least.
Love the band - who doesn't?
xTc
I think I was at what would have been there last show at the Paladium in LA. Waited for about an hour and they never showed or toured after that. Got a Drums and Wires Tshirt though. Did have the privelage of seeing them open with Oingo Boingo for the Police.
Wow. And there we have it. I had only heard Andy had stage fright. Didn't know the deatils until just now. Still one of the best bands ever.
Andy did an interview prior to the gig which was also filmed. He said it was so surreal and there was some Phillip Glass music playing in the background. He was just burned out by the time they hit the stage and didn't want to be there anymore..so his mind made it happen with a panic attack and that was that. They did play on stage again twice I believe after this but that's all. If it wasn't for this moment though we certainly wouldn't have the brilliant music we got.
i've probably played about 3000 gigs in my lifetime, and i got nervous every single time on the day of a gig. and it doesn't get easier as you get older. i wanted to do what andy did about 500 times on stage.
Man this is crazy...Although Andy does look a bit shy. I hope his doing well and respect that he did what wanted to do. Don't know if its a phobia or sickness but the man has done a lot and don't really need to be doing it out of pressure. Way to go Andy. Keep rocking music!
Laters!~
Speaking of which, My best friend who's favorite band is XTC told me that R.E.M wanted Andy Partridge to be their manager.
They wanted Partridge to produce one of their albums.
ive seen the sound check for that gig on videon somewhere,to see this,its still sad after all those years since it happened.i never got to see them live,closest thing to it was meeting ANDY.
Their studio recordings are truly great but when I see some of their live material (especially the Melbourne stuff) I realise that they might have been even better Live. Amazing!
The story I heard was Andy's then wife Marianne flushed his valium down the toilet. Andy couldn't cope with doing live performances without it. Also their then manager put them on rediculous tours that weren't very beneficial to them. Andy has said that he saw his contemporaries making far more headway than them doing the same sort of tours etc and felt that touring wasn't making his career worthwhile if he was being constantly ripped off. He felt trapped by it and wanted out.
Always women with their stupid bullshit ruining things up
u mad bro?
I Can live with the fact i only saw XTC three times, Because the albums they have released are 10 out of 10 everytime. When you see bands getting back for the money, Like the stone roses, At least we do not have to see that, With the best British band of all time.
I know that feeling.
I'm revisiting XTC tonight on youtube and the thing that jumps out his how much of a showman Andy is - just as much a peacock as Mick Jagger.
At the end of the day, it's all pretend I guess. And as long as you're having fun, it all holds together. But if you can't convince yourself that that's the case any longer, then that's the tipping point.
0:29
All because his wife flushed his Xanax.
A truly great band of the era, would tour no more.
From what I heard this wasn't their final show, They played a full show in Los Angeles a couple weeks later (April third?) And when they started playing Melt The Guns a bunch of local punks and anarchists invaded the stage. I don't know if all of this is true though.
Mostly correct. A couple weeks after the Europe tour was cancelled, they started their North American tour in San Diego California, April 3. At one point protesters jumped on the stage and were escorted off after spraying literature around. XTC completed the show though. There was a very long intermission, and it was so long I started to wonder if something was wrong. I didn't now know anything of Andy's troubles at that point. The next night they were supposed to play the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles but never took the stage. San Diego was their last live show.
Wow there are some vintage comments for this video!!
a defining moment in British music history, for me anyway. Such a shame as they could've and should've been huge
I saw them live 3x... they were ok. I think their studio stuff was 100x better... Andy was a control freak too uptight to relax onstage... they should have been huge though...
respectable street from the album black sea
What happened next? Is there any footage showing what the rest of the band did or said after this?
apparently they carried on and finished the song
He was found backstage on the ground from a panic & anxiety attack
Anyone who has ever gone off strong medication will know that feeling of not knowing where you are
we love you Andy
the Liarbirds
Amen bro.
perfect :)
I'm not too sad. This incident may have enabled them to just concentrate on music, to produce the formiddable body of work which many think rivals any acts'. It's sadder that they're not going to make any more new albums.
Andy walked off the stage and never looked back......
I think when he uttered those words he wasn't in a particularly sane stae of mind.
I was refering to the fact that as we was so weary coming off stage some of his comments may not have been as intended. Spur of the moment if you like.
Certainly out of proportion. He didn't die, but as a long time XTC fan, it is very shocking to watch. Certainly the first time. I don't think I'll watch it again. Seeing anyone in real mental pain certainly isn't entertainment.
Ohhhhh now I get it. And yeah, they weren't my type of music, but neither was REM and they both had bangers and we all know how well REM did, just for example. XTC definitely had that buzz at the start.. Hey look I get it - you never know what traumas somebody has been through to get to that point in their lives. I'm 50 in the next 2 weeks and I'll be the first to tell you how hard it is to escape your own head when it's fighting moments in time a lifetime ago... Be kind.
It's a tragedy for sure, but let's count ourselves lucky that he didn't take matters into his own hands the way that Kurt Cobain did, after all he had been through. We are lucky he made more fantastic music after leaving the stage.
Damn, not how I pictured it at all. I thought the guy was seized with stagefright or something, he seemed fine.
Well, kudos for him to say FUGGIT and do that. I love XTC.
Bill Hader brought me here.
What do you mean? Did he reference xtc?
Yeah. During an episode of Guest DJ (podcast), he references that you can find the exact moment that Andy stops touring because of stage fright.
It was a panic & anxiety attack from his body going cold turkey off valium that he had been taking for over 16 years
Fair points pikey
Um, the real reason why he broke down was because his wife recently threw out his supply of Valium, which he had been addicted to for quite some time. Look up the facts before you go spout out nonsense.
Tony the Wanderer: Bau Haus are at the top of the "getting back for the money" pile. Their reunion album was a bland, uninspiring facsimile of their heyday. XTC could never have done that.
Terrible and so sad, XTC are the best band, my single biggest regret is that due to this I never got to see them live
Rock on Andy
Check Colin's is looking back to see where Andy is running off and then he looks to the other band members like "What the heck is going on"?
Troll 2: Troll Harder.
@therealsoulproduct Yeah good for him.
out of proportion... or not?
@bandcouver Sounds like darn good reasons to stop touring.
Did XTC not play one more concert after this incident, on the first date of their aborted American tour where Andy played "on autopilot", before scrapping the rest of the tour? I might have got the chronology wrong, but I remember reading he couldn't bring himself to take the stage for the following show...
Yes, they played a full show in San Diego California April 3 1982. They did not go on stage the next night in Los Angeles. But the show in San Diego didn't appear to be "autopilot" - they were fantastic.
@@donsheffler I hope the San Diego concert was recorded, but, I haven't heard of a tape. At least we have a good quality boot of the concert in Amsterdam on March 8th, 1982.
Austin Lucas No I have never heard of any tape from that last show! Bummer. Honestly, who knew it would be the last?
are you saying they couldn't have been as big? You may be right. They were too good for mass market consumption.
How was it denied? It's still there and always will be. You don't need to tour to sell records.
so sad
ohh fuck.
he felt like a potato
Much clearer clip exists here: ruclips.net/video/yK56TC-UhOM/видео.html
Didn't he suffer from a panic/anxiety disorder? Large crowds and his inability to feel grounded because of all the touring must have done a number on him. XTC rules!
Forget it, there's no reasoning with you. Satan? LOL.
He did the rocking in a fetal position in the privacy of his dressing room.
I know this comment is 11 yrs old. I have to say you must not have been born with a sensitivity chip. Hopefully in 11 yrs you've grown up and can put yourself in another person's shoes. He almost died coming off Valium cold turkey; it is a miracle he is still alive. Just think about that for awhile Mr sensitive guy.
Yes Suzanne. It was so sad and he really could have died. Thankfully he recovered and went on to make some of the best songs and albums ever made. 💕
@@lesliegooch7565 Very well said, Leslie!