Ramones
December 27, 1990
Campus Club
Providence, RI

FOR TRADING/SHARING ONLY

Before describing this show at the Campus Club, it's important to know that the Ramones loved playing at the Living Room in Providence. Rumor has it that the reason was, in part, due to home cooking provided as a way to satisfy the food portion of the contract riders. At any rate, the Ramones played there as often as several times a year throughout the 1980's. (This was the main reason I was able to see them 29 times over all the years they toured.) Then came September 1990; the Living Room was forced to close, as the building's owner had other plans for the location. The Living Room would eventually reopen elsewhere, but that's a story for another time.

In the meantime, the Ramones were booked to play the Campus Club - a place mostly known for dance parties with DJs spinning the music. The lack of knowledge in handling live shows was apparent from the moment people entered the club. This stared with a mandatory coat check which was promptly rejected by the crowd, as there was no way the leather jackets were coming off. The next problem was the bouncers or security. These guys had no clue about the Ramones or punk rock in general (and it was even more obvious after years of appropriate crowd control at the Living Room). Campus Club security interpreted the mosh pit as some type of threat to the band or the club, so they randomly and routinely started beating up any person who came near the stage barrier. This went on for the entire show. It was so bad that you could see the concerned looks on Joey and Johnny's faces.

All of the above is meant to explain Joey's comments throughout this show. For example, there is Joey's spiel at the start of Track 05. Instead of the usual, "It's good to be here in [insert city] at the [insert venue]." He acknowledges being in Providence, but then says, "God Bless the Living Room!" Anyone in the crowd that night from the old Living Room days knew exactly what he meant. Also of note is Joey's Saudi Arabia comment near the end of Track 17. This is a Gulf War reference directed at security. (Johnny must have cringed at that one, given their opposite political views!) By the end of the set, the band had witnessed enough; instead of the usual two encores of 3 songs each, they opted for a single 4-song encore and promptly left. This would be their one and only appearance at the Campus Club.

Aside from the fact that the venue was lacking, a Ramones show was always fun. There were a few sound problems, mainly early, as a PA or guitar amp fuzzed out a times. However, the recording itself is a decent one. Enjoy it!

Source: Audience Recording

Equipment: Sony PC-62 Stereo Mic > Sony WM-D3

Lineage: Cassette Master > Yamaha KX-500U > Audacity (16 bit/44.1 kHz) > AIFF > xACT (fix SBE) > FLAC (Level 8)

Recorded and transferred by Phil H.

Length: 1:03:56

Tracks [Time]:
01. (Intro) [1:47]
02. Durango 95 [0:47]
03. Teenage Lobotomy [1:34]
04. Psycho Therapy [2:11]
05. Blitzkrieg Bop [1:50]
06. Do You Remember Rock 'N' Roll Radio? [3:08]
07. I Believe In Miracles [2:49]
08. Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment [1:19]
09. Rock 'N' Roll High School (Aborted) [1:11]
10. Rock 'N' Roll High School [1:44]
11. I Wanna Be Sedated [2:08]
12. The KKK Took My Baby Away [3:07]
13. I Wanna Live [2:14]
14. Bonzo Goes To Bitburg [2:53]
15. Commando [1:21]
16. Sheena Is A Punk Rocker [1:47]
17. Rockaway Beach [2:16]
18. Pet Sematary [3:02]
19. 53rd & 3rd [1:46]
20. Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue [1:47]
21. Mama's Boy [2:18]
22. Animal Boy [1:50]
23. Wart Hog [1:34]
24. Surfin' Bird [2:06]
25. Cretin Hop [1:23]
26. I Don't Wanna Walk Around With You [1:10]
27. Today Your Love, Tomorrow The World [1:39]
28. Pinhead [2:08]
29. Beat On The Brat [2:16]
30. Chinese Rock [1:59]
31. Somebody Put Something In My Drink [2:28]
32. We're A Happy Family [1:39]
33. (Outro) [0:45]

Notes:
a) This is the complete set. The opening band was Backwash.
b) There is a nearly unnoticeable edit prior to Track 18 from the master tape flip.
c) Another nearly unnoticeable splice exists between Track 28 & 29 for the encore break.
d) The PA or a guitar amp fuzzes out at times, mostly early in the set. It is not the recording.