This is one of a series of posts expanding on my 50 States in 50 Dates blog by documenting the global touring adventures of George Thorogood and the Delaware Destroyers and the earlier years of their career.
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Berklee Performance Center.
Date: November 2, 1980.
The Destroyers performed two concerts at the Berklee Performance Center on this date.
Venue: Berklee Performance Center. 136 Massachusetts Ave. Boston, MA. 02115. USA.
Find it on Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/ZyJTP6PnhDtgCSj17
Venue Exterior:
Circa 1977:
Source: Berklee College of Music. Course Catalog, 1980-1981. Pg. 98.
2020:
Venue Interior:
Circa 1983:
Source: Berklee College of Music. Course Catalog, 1983-1984.
Opening Act: The Needles.
There have been several groups around the world calling themselves the Needles over the years. The version of the Needles that opened for the Destroyers’ this night was a rock and R&B group from Brookline, MA.
Poster / Flyer / Handbill: I have not yet seen a poster, flyer or handbill to promote these concerts. Please send me a note if you have a lead.
Press & Promotion:
Source: Boston Globe. Oct. 23, 1980. Pg. 18.
Source: Boston Phoenix. Oct. 28, 1980. Pg. 10.
Source: Boston Phoenix. Nov. 4, 1980. Pg. 39.
Ticket Price: $8.50.
Ticket Stub:
Above: Concert ticket for the Destroyers’ late show at the Berklee Performance Center on November 2, 1980.
Attendance: Unknown. The Berklee Performance Center had capacity for an audience of 1,227 people at this time.
Source: Boston Globe. Feb. 1, 1976. Pg. 16.
Set List: Unknown.
Was the Concert Recorded? Unknown.
Concert Photos:
Above: Two of the many outstanding photos of George Thorogood and the Destroyers taken by Benjamin Levy on November 2, 1980. Please visit his Flickr account to see the entire set.
Concert Reaction: I not yet found a contemporary printed review of these concerts from 1980. If you have a lead, please send me a note.
Other Notes:
Above: Backstage pass for the Destroyers’ concerts at the Berklee Performance Center on November 2, 1980.
Fate of the Venue: At the time of this writing, the Berklee Performance Center continues to operate as a venue for concerts and other live events.
Rusty Nail Inn.
Date: November 6, 1980.
Venue: Rusty Nail Inn. 500 Hadley Rd. Sunderland, MA. 01375. USA.
Find it on Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/fCmepvHZc8UYAzQ48
Venue Exterior:
1978:
Above: The band Loose Caboose outside the Rusty Nail Inn. Source: Facebook.
2011:
Venue Interior:
1977:
Above: The band Bricker on stage at the Rusty Nail Inn. Source: Facebook.
Opening Act: Unknown.
Poster / Flyer / Handbill: I have not yet seen a poster, flyer or handbill to promote this concert. Please send me a note if you have a lead.
Press & Promotion:
Source: UMass-Amherst Daily Collegian. Oct. 23, 1980. Pg. 12.
Source: UMass-Amherst Daily Collegian. Oct. 24, 1980. Pg. 5.
Source: UMass-Amherst Daily Collegian. Oct. 27, 1980. Pg. 9.
Source: UMass-Amherst Daily Collegian. Nov. 4, 1980. Pg. 12.
Source: UMass-Amherst Daily Collegian. Nov. 6, 1980. Pg. 9.
Source: Mount Holyoke Choragos. Nov. 6, 1980. Pg. 9.
Ticket Price: $5.
Ticket Stub: I have not (yet) seen a ticket stub to the Destroyers’ concert at the Rusty Nail Inn in 1980. If you have a scan or a photo to share, please send me a note.
Attendance: Unknown. Differing sources indicate the Rusty Nail Inn had official occupancy of 600 or 1,000 people at this time. This concert was sold out. The Daily Hampshire Gazette reported that the Destroyers played to “a wall-to-wall hall of frenzied fans”.
Source: UMass Amherst Daily Collegian. June 16, 1976. Pg. 6; The Transcript. July 29, 1985. Pg. 2; Daily Hampshire Gazette. Nov. 11, 1980. Pg. 5.
Set List:
- Who Do You Love?
- The Sky is Crying.
- Cocaine Blues.
- It Wasn’t Me.
- Madison Blues.
- So Much Trouble.
- One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer.
- House of Blue Lights.
- Ruby Ann*
- Reelin’ and Rockin’.
- I Can’t Stop Lovin’.
- Move It On Over (encore).
* Ruby Ann was a hit song originally recorded by Marty Robbins in 1962. It is a true rarity to see it in a Destroyers’ set list.
Source: UMass Amherst Daily Collegian. Nov. 12, 1980. Pg. 6 & Daily Hampshire Gazette. Nov. 11, 1980. Pg. 5.
Was the Concert Recorded? Unknown.
Concert Photos:
Source: Daily Hampshire Gazette. Nov. 11, 1980. Pg. 5.
Concert Reaction:
Reviewer Ed Levine of the UMass Amherst Daily Collegian sacrificed his hearing to file this positive report of the Destroyers’ concert at the Rusty Nail Inn on November 6, 1980:
“Almost six days later, my ears are still ringing […] with the catchy blues sound of George Thorogood and the (Delaware) Destroyers.
When Thorogood and company left the stage, the full extent of the aural damage became evident to the sold-out throng in attendance. But instead of seeking quiet surroundings, the crowd cried out for more, and the Destroyers returned to play two more of their favorite tunes. The show, to say the least, was impressive. Often called “the master of the slide guitar,” Thorogood played the blues like few others can. His stage presence is awesome, and he controls the house. Exchanging barbs with members of the audience and cracking witty jokes, Thorogood keeps the tempo of the show up. And the music never gives up, with a hard driving beat and piercing sound.
Backed by a saxophone player [Hank Carter], bassist Billy Blough and drummer Jeff Simon, the Destroyers (once called the Delaware Destroyers, after their native state) provided a fine accompaniment to Thorogood’s talents. The band played material from all three of their albums, including the entire first side from their second and most popular effort, Move it on Over.”
Source: UMass Amherst Daily Collegian. Nov. 12, 1980. Pg. 6.
Reviewer David Geary of the Daily Hampshire Gazette also had positive things to say about the Destroyers’ November 1980 concert in Sunderland, MA:
“Just when you thought rock and roll had degenerated into depressing, three-chord slugfests or evolved into atonal, intergalactic space drivel, along comes George Thorogood and the Destroyers to let the good times roll again. Thursday at the Rusty Nail, Thorogood brought his hyperkinetic blend of white blues and straight-ahead, late 50s and early 60s rockers to a wall-to-wall hall of frenzied fans.
Thorogood performance was a genuine throwback to those guitar-crazed days a decade ago when the likes of Johnny Winter and Alvin Lee left their bands in the dust and audiences howling on their feet with [a] lightning-fast, screaming guitar extravaganza. While the Destroyers, bassist Jeff Simmons (sic), saxophonist Hank Carter and drummer Billy Blough, laid down an impressively solid rhythm foundation, it was Thorogood and his guitar who dominated the stage. With seemingly limitless energy, he propelled the audience with him… Duck-walking back and forth across the stage, snapping his head back manically as he reached for and found every note he wanted […] Thorogood played as if he were possessed.
Although not technically as proficient as better-known guitarists […], nor a particularly good singer, Thorogood transcends his limitations through sheer drive and instinct. He was not only able to sustain the momentum of his opening number but came back to eclipse it with an encore of ‘Move It On Over.’
By the end of this rock tour de force, the crowd appeared more exhausted than the performer. “Do ya’ll like rock and roll?”, Thorogood shouted to the audience. The answer was deafeningly predictable. George Thorogood and the Destroyers are about as good as rock and roll gets.”
Source: Daily Hampshire Gazette. Nov. 11, 1980. Pg. 5.
Other Notes: None.
Fate of the Venue:
The Rusty Nail Inn was completely destroyed (no pun intended) in a large, early morning fire on July 28, 1985. The wood and metal building was “a burning inferno” when firefighters arrived at 5am.
Source: The Transcript. July 29, 1985. Pg. 2.
50 States in 50 Dates 
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