Tracks Across America Tour '82

Tracks Across America Tour 82'

Tour by Blondie
Associated album	The Hunter
Start date	July 23, 1982
End date	August 21, 1982
Legs	1
No. of shows	19 in North America
Blondie concert chronology

The Tracks Across America Tour '82 is the last concert tour by American band Blondie during its original existence. The tour supported their latest album, The Hunter, and was the first tour since European Tour 1979-'80 which supported the 1979 album Eat to the Beat.

Background

Though the tour nominally supported the album The Hunter, songs from Autoamerican also saw the first live performances since there was no tour in support. Non-album hit single "Call Me" and Debbie Harry's solo "Chrome" were also performed live for the first time.

For the tour guitarist Frank Infante was replaced with a session musician Eddie Martinez due to Infante's difficult relationship with other band members.^[1] The performances also featured a horn section playing with the band.

Originally, the tour was supposed to have two legs, the second being in Europe^[2] with 41 concerts total, but it was cancelled after slow ticket sales.^[3] Only 19 of the concerts (all in North America) were performed.

The show at the Exhibition Stadium in Toronto, Canada, which took place an 18 August 1982, was recorded and filmed for the broadcast on HBO. Since that is it has been released several times as a semi-official live album^[4] and a video album, both on VHS and DVD.^[5]

The tour turned out to be unsuccessful for Blondie with shows taking place at half-empty halls.^[1] Chris Stein's health has been worsening during the tour. He was rapidly losing weight and shortly after the tour was diagnosed with pemphigus vulgaris, a rare autoimmune disease.^[1] Shortly afterwards, Blondie disbanded. They would not have any further live performances until a series of reunion concerts in 1997 and 1998.

Opening acts

• Duran Duran (August 2–18; Duran Duran did not appear with Blondie at John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia on August 21. Blondie were third on the bill of an all-day stadium show. The line-up that day consisted of Robert Hazard and the Heroes, A Flock of Seagulls, Blondie, Elvis Costello and the Attractions, and Genesis.) ^[1]

Personnel

Blondie

• Debbie Harry – vocals
• Chris Stein – guitar
• Clem Burke – drums
• Jimmy Destri – keyboards
• Nigel Harrison – bass

Additional musicians^[6]

• Eddie Martinez – guitar
• Abel Domingues – keyboards
• Douglas Harris – horns
• Joseph Kohanski – horns
• Arthur Pugh – horns

Setlist

Average setlst (based on data from 5 shows) 

1. "Rapture"
2. "In the Sun"
3. "Sunday Girl"
4. "Little Caesar"
5. "Union City Blue"
6. "Chrome" (Debbie Harry cover)
7. "Island of Lost Souls"
8. "Danceway"
9. "The Tide is High"
10. "Heart of Glass"
11. "Hanging On The Telephone"
12. "Dreaming"
13. "One Way or Another"
14. "War Child"
15. "Start Me Up" (The Rolling Stones cover)
16. "Call Me"

Notes

• "Chrome" is a song from Debbie Harry's first solo studio album KooKoo.
• "Theme from A Summer Place" was performed on 7 August at the Parade Stadium in Minneapolis.^[7]
• Fab Five Freddy joined Blondie onstage on 14 August at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey.^[8]

Tour dates

Date	City	Country	Venue
North America
July 23, 1982	Baton Rouge	United States	LSU Assembly Center
July 24, 1982	Mobile		Municipal Auditorium
July 25, 1982	Atlanta		Six Flags Over Georgia
July 26, 1982	Lakeland		Lakeland Civic Center
July 28, 1982	Pembroke Pines		Hollywood Sportatorium
July 30, 1982	Memphis		Mid-South Coliseum
August 2, 1982	Kansas City		Starlight Theatre
August 4, 1982	Rockford		Rockford MetroCentre
August 5, 1982	Cedar Rapids		Five Seasons Center
August 7, 1982	Minneapolis		Parade Stadium
August 8, 1982	Hoffman Estates		Poplar Creek Music Theater
August 9, 1982	Clarkston		Pine Knob Music Theatre
August 10, 1982	Cleveland		Agora Theatre and Ballroom
August 12, 1982	Providence		Providence Civic Center
August 13, 1982	Boston		Boston Garden
August 14, 1982	East Rutherford		Meadowlands Sports Complex
August 16, 1982	Columbia		Merriweather Post Pavilion
August 18, 1982	Toronto	Canada	Exhibition Stadium
August 21, 1982	Philadelphia	United States	John F. Kennedy Stadium

References

1. "Once More (Into the Bleach): Blondie Returns For Its Fifteenth Round". Discoveries magazine. Retrieved 2013-11-24.
2. "Debs launches Blondiemania memorial tour". NME Magazine. Retrieved 2013-11-24.
3. "Tour off, rumours of split BLONDIE SHAMBLES". NME. Retrieved 2013-11-24.
4. Live in Toronto at Allmusic
5. Blondie.net store
6. End credits of Blondie Live it Toronto video
7. Parade Stadium setlist at setlist.fm
8. Meadowlands Sports Complex at Blondie.net