Bob Geldof - lead vocals, guitar; Pete Briquette - bass vocals; Gerry Cott - guitar; Simon Crowe - drums, vocals; Johnny Fingers - keyboards; Garry Roberts - guitar, vocals
This was the second night of a two-night stand for the Boomtown Rats in San Diego, California. On this, the band's first U.S. tour, they played similar sets for much of the run. This second night, essentially the same show as the previous night's with a few setlist exceptions, is arguably not quite as tight or dynamically charged as the first night, but they still put on a commendable performance which undoubtedly delighted their cult following to no end.
Lead singer Bob Geldof (later to become Sir Robert Geldof, the mastermind behind Live Aid and Live 8) makes a valiant attempt at getting the crowd psyched, but in the end their performance fails to ignite as much audience excitement as the night before. Opening with "Blind Date" and proceeding with a string of tunes taken from their self titled debut album, sophomore release Tonic for the Troops, and 1979's release The Fine Art of Surfacing, this hour long set is clearly indicative of where the band was musically in early 1979.
Even though the Boomtown Rats and Geldof's solo career never catapulted them into mainstream superstardom, they did have pockets of devout fans. The west coast and Manhattan appear to be where they had the most support, and this show seems to back that up. Geldof would remain with the Rats for a few more albums before shifting gears to crusade against world hunger. Several years after this show, he played the main role of tormented artist in The Wall, the rock movie based on Pink Floyd's album by the same name. He resumed his solo career in 1986 and continues to record and tour today.