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.
- Part 1 – George Thorogood & the Destroyers’ 1981 Australian Tour.
- Part 2 – George Thorogood & the Destroyers’ 1981 Australian Tour.
- Part 3 – George Thorogood & the Destroyers’ 1981 Australian Tour.
Above: George Thorogood and the Destroyers on tour in Australia in 1981. Exact date and venue unknown. Jeff Simon’s kick drum is from the “Billy Hyde Drum Clinic”, a one-time chain of music stores that started in Melbourne. Source: Juke. Jan. 15, 1983. Pg. 9.
Quick Links:
- Sept. 1, 1981 – Granada Tavern. Hobart, TAS.
- Sept. 2, 1981 – Bombay Rock. Melbourne, VIC.
- Sept. 3, 1981 – Thebarton Theatre. Adelaide, SA.
- Sept. 6, 1981 – Nookenburra Hotel. Perth, WA.
- Sept. 7, 1981 – Raffles Hotel. Perth, WA.
- Sept. 8, 1981 – Sundowner Hotel. Sydney, NSW.
Granada Tavern. Hobart, Tasmania.
Date: September 1, 1981.
Venue: Granada Tavern. 666 Main Road. Berriedale, Tasmania. 7011. Australia.
Find it on Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/BBCYtd31vdC7aoK28
Venue Exterior:
1978:
Source: YouTube.
2022:
Venue Interior: I am still looking for a good photo inside the Granada Tavern, circa 1981. Please send me a note if you know of any.
Opening Act: Unknown.
Poster / Flyer / Handbill: I have not (yet) come across a poster, flyer or handbill for the Destroyers’ 1981 show at the Granada Tavern. Please get in touch if you have a scan or a photo that you can share.
Press & Promotion:
Source: Roadrunner. August 1981. Pg. 18.
Ticket Price: Unknown.
Ticket Stub: I have not yet seen a ticket stub to this concert. If you have a photo or scan to share, please get in touch!
Attendance: Unknown.
Set List: Unknown. Please send me a note if you have any information.
Was the Concert Recorded? Possibly. In a 1981 Billboard Magazine interview, Mike Kappus of the Rosebud Agency announced plans to record the Destroyers’ 1981 shows in Australia and New Zealand.
Source: Billboard Magazine. Aug. 29, 1981. Pg. 37.
Concert Photos:
Source: Facebook.
Concert Reaction: I have not (yet) found a contemporary printed review for this concert, circa 1981. Please send me a note if you can point me in the right direction.
Other Notes: None.
Fate of the Venue: As of this writing, the Granada Tavern continues to operate as a pub and restaurant that hosts concerts, conferences, weddings and other public events.
Bombay Rock. Melbourne, Victoria.
Date: September 2, 1981.
Venue: Bombay Rock. 303 Sydney Rd. Brunswick, Victoria. 3056. Australia.
Find it on Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/zjJQbkS1Vemo5BVU6
Venue Exterior:
1990:
Above: Screenshot from the 1990 movie “Death in Brunswick”. Source: YouTube.
2022:
Venue Interior: I have not yet found a photo inside Bombay Rock, circa 1981. Please send me a note if you can point me in the right direction.
Opening Act: Unknown.
Poster / Flyer / Handbill: I have not (yet) come across a poster, flyer or handbill for the Destroyers’ September 2nd, 1981 show at Bombay Rock in Melbourne. Please get in touch if you have a scan or a photo that you can share.
Press & Promotion:
Source: The Age. Aug. 28, 1981. Pg. 14.
Ticket Price: Unknown.
Ticket Stub: I have not yet seen a ticket stub to this concert. If you have a photo or scan to share, please get in touch!
Attendance: Unknown.
Set List: Unknown. Please send me a note if you have any details.
Was the Concert Recorded? Possibly. In a 1981 Billboard Magazine interview, Mike Kappus of the Rosebud Agency announced plans to record the Destroyers’ 1981 shows in Australia and New Zealand.
Source: Billboard Magazine. Aug. 29, 1981. Pg. 37.
Concert Photos: I am still looking for any photographs of this concert. Please send me a note if you have any leads.
Concert Reaction: I have not (yet) found a contemporary printed review for this concert, circa 1981. Please send me a note if you can point me in the right direction.
Other Notes:
Above: Backstage pass for the Destroyers’ September 2, 1981 concert at Bombay Rock in Melbourne, Australia.
Fate of the Venue:
A nightspot called “The World Club” was operating at this location as of October 1991. The building on Sydney Road that formerly housed Bombay Rock was “gutted” by a fire in May 1995.
Source: The Age. May 19, 1995. Pg. 9.
Thebarton Theatre. Adelaide, South Australia.
Date: September 3, 1981.
Venue: Thebarton Theatre (aka Thebarton Town Hall). 112 Henley Beach Rd. Torrensville, SA. 5031. Australia.
Find it on Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/6jHaYRFkExPnezzq6
Venue Exterior:
1928:
2022:
Venue Interior:
Date Unknown:
Opening Act: Unknown.
Poster / Flyer / Handbill: I have not (yet) come across a poster, flyer or handbill for the Destroyers’ 1981 show at the Thebarton Theatre. Please get in touch if you have a scan or a photo that you can share.
Press & Promotion:
Source: Roadrunner. August 1981. Pg. 18.
Ticket Price: Unknown.
Ticket Stub: I have not yet seen a ticket stub to this concert. If you have a photo or scan to share, please get in touch!
Attendance: Unknown.
Set List: Unknown. Please send me a note if you have any information.
Was the Concert Recorded? Possibly. In a 1981 Billboard Magazine interview, Mike Kappus of the Rosebud Agency announced plans to record the Destroyers’ 1981 shows in Australia and New Zealand.
Source: Billboard Magazine. Aug. 29, 1981. Pg. 37.
Concert Photos: I am still looking for any photographs of this concert. Please send me a note if you have any leads.
Concert Reaction: I have not (yet) found a contemporary printed review for this concert, circa 1981. Please send me a note if you can point me in the right direction.
Other Notes: None.
Fate of the Venue: At the time of this writing, the Thebarton Theatre continues to host concerts and other public events.
Nookenburra Hotel. Perth, Western Australia.
Date: September 6, 1981.
Venue: Nookenburra Hotel. 401 Scarborough Beach Rd. Innaloo, Western Australia. 6018. Australia.
Find it on Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/fZQpBVpSUdSUPbqQ6
Venue Exterior:
1976:
Source: State Library of Western Australia.
2020:
Venue Interior:
1981/1982:
Above: The Troupadores perform at the Nookenburra Hotel, circa 1981 or 1982. Source: Facebook.
Opening Act: Unknown.
Poster / Flyer / Handbill: I have not (yet) come across a poster, flyer or handbill for the Destroyers’ 1981 show at the Nookenburra Hotel. Please get in touch if you have a scan or a photo that you can share.
Press & Promotion:
Source: Roadrunner. August 1981. Pg. 18.
Ticket Price: Unknown.
Ticket Stub: I have not yet seen a ticket stub to this concert. If you have a photo or scan to share, please get in touch!
Attendance: Unknown.
Set List: Unknown. Please send me a note if you have any information.
Was the Concert Recorded? Possibly. In a 1981 Billboard Magazine interview, Mike Kappus of the Rosebud Agency announced plans to record the Destroyers’ 1981 shows in Australia and New Zealand.
Source: Billboard Magazine. Aug. 29, 1981. Pg. 37.
Concert Photos: I am still looking for any photographs of this concert. Please send me a note if you have any leads.
Concert Reaction: I have not (yet) found a contemporary printed review for this concert, circa 1981. Please send me a note if you can point me in the right direction.
Other Notes: None.
Fate of the Venue:
The Nookenburra Hotel was redeveloped in 2006 and 2007. An establishment called “Botanica” was operating at the site as of 2008.
Raffles Hotel. Perth, Western Australia.
Date: September 7, 1981.
Venue: Raffles Hotel. 70-72 Canning Beach Rd. Applecross, WA. 6153. Australia.
Find it on Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/An7WSpvmAzPHmY3T8
Venue Exterior:
1980s:
2022:
Venue Interior: I am still looking for a good photo from inside Raffles Hotel, circa 1981. Please send me a note if you know of one.
Opening Act: Unknown.
Poster / Flyer / Handbill: I have not (yet) come across a poster, flyer or handbill for the Destroyers’ 1981 show at the Raffles Hotel in Perth. Please get in touch if you have a scan or a photo that you can share.
Press & Promotion: I am looking for any print ads for this concert. Please send me a note if you have any leads.
Ticket Price: Unknown.
Ticket Stub: I have not yet seen a ticket stub to this concert. If you have a photo or scan to share, please get in touch!
Attendance: Unknown.
Set List: Unknown. Please send me a note if you have any information.
Was the Concert Recorded? Possibly. In a 1981 Billboard Magazine interview, Mike Kappus of the Rosebud Agency announced plans to record the Destroyers’ 1981 shows in Australia and New Zealand.
Source: Billboard Magazine. Aug. 29, 1981. Pg. 37.
Concert Photos: I am still looking for any photographs of this concert. Please send me a note if you have any leads.
Concert Reaction: I have not (yet) found a contemporary printed review for this concert, circa 1981. Please send me a note if you can point me in the right direction.
Other Notes:
Above: Hand-written postcard from Perth, Australia, postmarked on September 9, 1981 and sent by George Thorogood to the I Like It Like That record store in Newark, Delaware. The message reads:
“Found this picture of the Commotions. Sold out in Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand!! Next, Jagger meets George! – Kid Rio”.
To annotate this scene slightly, I Like It Like That records and tapes was located at 58 E. Main Street in Newark, Delaware. I Like It Like That closed in 1987 after more than 10 years in business.
Don Challenger, one of the owners of I Like It Like That, played guitar for The Commotions.
Above: The Commotions perform at the Deer Park Tavern in 1981. Source: University of Delaware Review. Nov. 3, 1981. Pg. 11-1.
Above: The interior of the I Like It Like That record store in 1983.
Source: Wilmington News Journal. Aug. 17, 1978. Pg. 26 & The Morning News. Nov. 17, 1983. Compass Supplement. Pg. 01.
Fate of the Venue: At the time of this writing, the Raffles Hotel continues to function as a venue for parties, corporate functions, and other public events.
Sundowner Hotel. Sydney, New South Wales.
Date: September 8, 1981.
Venue: Sundowner Hotel. Canterbury Rd & Punchbowl Rd. Punchbowl, NSW. 2196. Australia.
Find it on Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/uHiCa5hpkaLda5ez5
Venue Exterior:
1977:
Source: Screenshot from the 1977 movie “The FJ Holden”.
1970:
Source: Australian National University Archives.
2022:
Venue Interior:
1977:
Source: Screenshots from the 1977 movie “The FJ Holden”.
Opening Act: Unknown.
Poster / Flyer / Handbill: I have not (yet) come across a poster, flyer or handbill for the Destroyers’ 1981 show at the Sundowner Hotel. Please get in touch if you have a scan or a photo that you can share.
Press & Promotion:
Source: Sydney Morning Herald. Sept. 6, 1981. Pg. 104.
Ticket Price: Unknown.
Ticket Stub: I have not yet seen a ticket stub to this concert. If you have a photo or scan to share, please get in touch!
Attendance: Unknown.
Set List: Unknown. Please send me a note if you have any information.
Was the Concert Recorded? Possibly. In a 1981 Billboard Magazine interview, Mike Kappus of the Rosebud Agency announced plans to record the Destroyers’ 1981 shows in Australia and New Zealand.
Source: Billboard Magazine. Aug. 29, 1981. Pg. 37.
Concert Photos: I am still looking for any photographs of this concert. Please send me a note if you have any leads.
Concert Reaction: I have not (yet) found a contemporary printed review for this concert, circa 1981. Please send me a note if you can point me in the right direction.
Other Notes:
Above: The Destroyers’ 1981 tour of Australia was included in an end of the year trade ad from the Frontier Touring Company.
Source: Roadrunner. December 1981. Pg. 58.
Fate of the Venue: The Sundowner Hotel was purchased by the Punchbowl Croatian Club in 1982 and subsequently redeveloped.
50 States in 50 Dates 