Outlandos d'Amour: 1977/79

The Police at Bath University...

Andy Summers from ''One Train Later'': ''Miles has arranged a tour for us as the support group for the Alberto y Los Trios Paranoias. The Albertos are a comedy rock band with about eight members who enjoy great popularity on the college circuit. The pay is fifty punds a night, and we are happy to get it, a small handout that will let us continue the fantasy for a while. The first gig is at Bath University. Without rehearsing, we drive down from London in the late December afternoon, happy to be back together and not really knowing what to expect from this tour. It doesn't sound like our crowd - but then, we don't have a crowd. We set up our gear onstage in front of the Albertos. Though we are the support, at least we are getting paid and we are looking forward to playing in front of a packed auditorium. The hail looks as if it can hold about a thousand people, ten times larger than the matchbox-size holes we usually play in. Showtime comes and we dutifully trot out to warm the crowd up for the Albertos. As we arrive in front of our amps and drums the hail erupts into chaos. A rushing tide of black leather, spiked hair, and ripped T-shirts charge and push up against the stage as if this is the last band they will ever see. For a minute we are shocked; what the hell is going on? Is this the Aibertos' crowd? But in the heat of the moment we can't stop to analyze but instead react and begin churning through our set, responding to the wave of adrenaline as if this will be our final gig. It's pandemonium; we can hardly hear ourselves, but inspired by the force in front of us, we pull off a killer show and leave the stage to a mob of screaming, hysterical girls calling out after us.''