For no particular reason, I wondered if anyone know what the biggest audience New Order and Joy Division ever played to?
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Biggest audience NO/JD have played to
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Glastonbury 2005 must take some beating. How many people were on site? 150,000?!
Of course, not sure how many of them were actually watching New Order at the time?!
And it was beamed into people's televisions back home - does that count?
Other than that, Robbie Williams support in 2001? Fcuk knows how many were there? 40-50k in one arena? Less than 20 of them genuine fans though!
LeggyD wrote: Wouldn't Brasil 1988 have had the biggest non festival crowd? There just for NewOrder.
How big were they?
Hyde/Finsbree Parks must take some beating. 15k?
And some of those American ampitheatres must've been that size too.
Rio last year 1900 people 
El Jarvo wrote: Of course, not sure how many of them were actually watching New Order at the time?!
that's the point the gigs are better with a lot f people, or with few people who really value their music??
Good question.
A fair few decent crowds at gigs I've got to. But alas, I've never been to Finland.
I asked the same question about 3 years ago although I was after gigs which were exclusively NO headline shows and not festivals. The general consensus was that it was Finsbury Park 2001. No idea if that's correct though.
Would be interesting to get a definitive answer on this one.
GlasVegas wrote: I asked the same question about 3 years ago although I was after gigs which were exclusively NO headline shows and not festivals. The general consensus was that it was Finsbury Park 2001. No idea if that's correct though.
Would be interesting to get a definitive answer on this one.
2002..... yer memory is as bad as mine 
Yes, for gigs that were NO gigs as opposed to support slots and festivals, Finsbury Park 02 would have been the biggest that I can think of.
How about the smallest crowd? JD at Halifax Good Mood in 1979 probably wins that one, one attendee who left during the second song!
What wer4e the numbers at Finsbury 02 though? If there was much more than 10K there I'd be surprised. Is that really the biggest audience they've pulled on their own? I reckon they'd have been good for 25-30K during the Substance/Technique era. Which is almost a stadium gig!
MENA, NEC, Wembley Arena are in the 12,000 range int they?
Brazil 88 must have been bigger?
They played loadsa ampithetres etc in 89, but fuck knows what they held.
Ahhhh fuck knows.
GlasVegas wrote: What wer4e the numbers at Finsbury 02 though? If there was much more than 10K there I'd be surprised. Is that really the biggest audience they've pulled on their own? I reckon they'd have been good for 25-30K during the Substance/Technique era. Which is almost a stadium gig!
In fairness they didnt really pull it on their own though, did they? You'd have to say that Air and the Super Furrys would've pulled a bit of the crowd.
These mini festivals are always a bit misleading. its like when The Charlatans did the cricket ground four years ago, and everyone says that 15000 people had come to see them, obviously ignoring the streams of people walking out after Feeder had played. Same last year with Richard Ashcroft, when you could've argued that the majority of the corwd were there to see those bastards Razorlight.
On the Republic tour in 1993 they played Giants Stadium in New Jersey, which holds about 80,000 for a concert. I don't know what the attendance was, but it definitely had to have been more than 25,000 or else they would have booked the indoor arena that's adjacent to it. Hooky tells a story about being stuck in concert traffic headed to do a show at the LA coliseum and how ironic it felt to have all these with fans going to see New Order when he realized they were finished (for the first time, anyway). The LA coliseum held 110,000 for concerts - again, I don't know what the attendance was, but it must have been pretty big or else they would have cancelled the show. On the massive Technique tour, they played dozens of shows here to 20,000 - 25,000 a night.
Certainly sounds plausible - New Order + support in the USA would probably be a big crowd puller. Finsbury Park was fairly crowded, but when you think how many people left after the Super Furry Fuck Ups had 'played' maybe many weren't there to see New Order.
Biggest crowd I remember (hey, you know you can't rely on MY memory) was Wembley Dec '87 
Shakin' Baker wrote: On the Republic tour in 1993 they played Giants Stadium in New Jersey, which holds about 80,000 for a concert. I don't know what the attendance was, but it definitely had to have been more than 25,000 or else they would have booked the indoor arena that's adjacent to it.
They defo didn't play the Giants Stadium!
They played an arena. Mate drove me past it when I was last in Noo Yoik - they defo couldn't get 80k in there! 
Can't remember the name of it but a few English folk from here were defo there - Rusty Junker Squawker, ATR and Si & Neil - they'd be able to tell you where it was (if they ever login again!).
Shakin' Baker wrote: On the Republic tour in 1993 they played Giants Stadium in New Jersey, which holds about 80,000 for a concert. I don't know what the attendance was, but it definitely had to have been more than 25,000 or else they would have booked the indoor arena that's adjacent to it. Hooky tells a story about being stuck in concert traffic headed to do a show at the LA coliseum and how ironic it felt to have all these with fans going to see New Order when he realized they were finished (for the first time, anyway). The LA coliseum held 110,000 for concerts - again, I don't know what the attendance was, but it must have been pretty big or else they would have cancelled the show. On the massive Technique tour, they played dozens of shows here to 20,000 - 25,000 a night.
He tells the same story about Irvine Meadows and the 1986 tour.......rather than the LA Coliseum.
The Technique tour was played to mostly half empty venues, according to Molly when we talked about this in the pub a few years ago. Sure they were all big venues but many were set to reduced capacity, much the same way that Wembley Arena was reduced by 50% back in October.
Shakin' Baker wrote: On the Republic tour in 1993 they played Giants Stadium in New Jersey, which holds about 80,000 for a concert. I don't know what the attendance was, but it definitely had to have been more than 25,000 or else they would have booked the indoor arena that's adjacent to it. Hooky tells a story about being stuck in concert traffic headed to do a show at the LA coliseum and how ironic it felt to have all these with fans going to see New Order when he realized they were finished (for the first time, anyway). The LA coliseum held 110,000 for concerts - again, I don't know what the attendance was, but it must have been pretty big or else they would have cancelled the show. On the massive Technique tour, they played dozens of shows here to 20,000 - 25,000 a night.
They didn't play Giants Stadium in 93...they played at Brendan Byrne Arena....and I know that Hooky told the story about being stuck in traffic, but did he say it was for the Coliseum??? To the best of my knowledge, they've never played there...
edited:oops, don't try to cook while answering...see that I've already repeated what was said twice before...
Shakin' Baker wrote: My bad. You're right. No one likes 'em here.
that's not what anyone is saying at all...hell, I'm from "over here" and I've seen them more often in England than I have in Texas...your numbers were just a wee bit off...
when they played Starplex in Dallas back in '89, the show was sold out...and it held 20,000 (and I very sincerely doubt that many in the crowd were there to see Throwing Muses)...
If I had the resources back then, I'd have gone to every show they played in the States back in 89 and 93...but I was just a poor student back in those days...
Work kept me from Coachella in 05...
I don't think anyone is doubting that they have some rabid supporters over here...we just ask that you check your numbers...
jeez
I'm told there were about 50 000 people at the 2002 Sydney Big Day out. Mind you most of them weren't there for the Order.
That event always sells out.
NOOLigan wrote: I'm told there were about 50 000 people at the 2002 Sydney Big Day out. Mind you most of them weren't there for the Order.
That event always sells out.
well that's probably the biggest Australian audience they have ever played to, but two of the three Glastos, three Readings, Cologne as support to Robbie Williams will all have been bigger. Wouldn't mind betting that Roskilde was the biggest overall.
Well I was at Both CNE shows in Toronto. the '87 show (w/ Echo & Gene Loves whoever) and the '89 show (w/the sugarcubes and PIL) were both sold out.
According the Claude Flowers book the 87 show was the highest gate of the tour, and i think it was around 17,000. Maybe someone could check that, i can't remember when i put it.
The Kingswood show in '93 was reported to be around 8-9,000.
FC Can Can Man wrote: Well I was at Both CNE shows in Toronto. the '87 show (w/ Echo & Gene Loves whoever) and the '89 show (w/the sugarcubes and PIL) were both sold out.
According the Claude Flowers book the 87 show was the highest gate of the tour, and i think it was around 17,000. Maybe someone could check that, i can't remember when i put it.
The Kingswood show in '93 was reported to be around 8-9,000.
I was at the 89 CNE show also and can confirm that it was about 16-17,000 but I think the Kingswood show was close to sold out which was 14,000..
gerry jamieson wrote: smallest gig, got to be greenock town hall - no cunt turned up and i mean NO CUNT.
Can you blame them? It was in fuckin Greenock!!
I didn't read all the replies, but in USA, had to be:
Technique tour with Sugarcubes and Public Image Ltd. billed as the "Monsters of Alternative Rock tour."
and
Repuiblic tour with 808 State and The The.
I was at both and they were pretty much sold out in Chicago.
They were both at the same outdoor Ampitheatre where all the big bands today play.
I will never forget Technique tour, no one really stood up for Sugar Cubes, then Johnny Rotten came out and said, "Get off your fucking asses!" No one sat down rest of show.
How was that show?
I love PIL! I've got some good bootlegs from the PIL 89 tour....they were superb live during that period. Sure, thier music was more poppy...but it was stil excellent.
How did New Order and co. fare after Johnny Lydon and PIL?
New Order were at the top of thier game as well during that tour....great album to support plus lots of shows equals tight awesome playing and awesome setlists.
I would have thought that the Toronto Audience in '89 was closer to 20,000. The old grandstand at the EX held just over 20,000 on its own, and it looked pretty full from my seat. Seats on field level looked to be 3 to 4 thousand. It was a great evening. Early in the PIL set John Lydon told the crowd "None of you would fuckin' be here if it wasn't for me." He also milked some applause after the set by racing around the back part of the field on a golf cart while the stage was being set for New Order. PIL were respectable, but nothing compared to their first appearance (still with Keith Levene) in Toronto at the Concert Hall in '82. Somewhere I have a great recording of that show. The Sugarcubes got a good response from 'Birthday', but were ignored by much of the crowd.
Thats awesome. How was New Order at that show? Footage from the 89 tour is scarce. How did they go down with the crowd...what was thier stage set up like?
What abouy Joy Division audiences?
JD/The Fall/Magazine used to try and outdo each other at the Factory with 400 people.
Buzzcocks tour in Manchester at the Apollo probably sold out (2000 people) but as we all know with support acts (even phenomenal supports) not everyone bothers to watch or get to the venue in time.
I reckon Futurama was JD's biggest show - I don't know what the attendance was but I went to a Futurama in '83 in the same hall and it was a pretty big space.
Futurama was probably biggest audience to see JD play, with the Lyceum being their biggest attendance specifically to see JD. Only other one over 1000 was the Electric Ballroom in August 79 (28 years ago today, an anniversary worth remembering)
Actual attendance would've been Glasto 05 - though from the look of it I would say 40,000 people were there out of 150,000.
What about Reading 98? That had something like 50,000 people.
Headline shows would've been Technique USA I would've thought. Finsbury Park was around 17,000 in a 30k capacity. Hyde Park looked around 20-24,000 in a 40k capacity. There was the Robbie show, but that was probably sold out before anyone really knew that N.O. were there.
Sorry to say that a lot of people standing around me at Glasto 05 were merely ensuring that they had a good place for Coldplay. It was a nightmare getting away from the stage once New Order finished as everyone else swarmed forward.
Barney says something about 20.000 + crowds on the iTunes thing.
BIGINOIL wrote: Sorry to say that a lot of people standing around me at Glasto 05 were merely ensuring that they had a good place for Coldplay. It was a nightmare getting away from the stage once New Order finished as everyone else swarmed forward.
johnny wrote: What's the biggest audience Re:Order have played to?
Dunno, but St Albans was probably the roughest... Just ask Hacmustberebuilt.... 
There was one bouncer for every other NOOLer at one point...
Snorri xxx
Facsimile wrote:
johnny wrote: What's the biggest audience Re:Order have played to?
why?!
Quality not quantity - that's right, isn't it Will?
Even if there are just a few of us, we create more noise and charisma than the whole of, let's say, the Smyths fans put together! It's game over once we leave the building!
Well there was 300 at Blue Saturday, plus the various members of Flight, Digital and Pottsy's band who watched the set.
Bonzette wrote:
Facsimile wrote:
johnny wrote: What's the biggest audience Re:Order have played to?
why?!
Quality not quantity - that's right, isn't it Will?
Good point well made Bonz 
Bonzette wrote:
Facsimile wrote:
johnny wrote: What's the biggest audience Re:Order have played to?
why?!
Quality not quantity - that's right, isn't it Will?
Even if there are just a few of us, we create more noise and charisma than the whole of, let's say, the Smyths fans put together! It's game over once we leave the building!
And it was... No violence, no aggressive dancing, no charisma... 
Snorri xxx
johnny wrote: What's the biggest audience Re:Order have played to?
That's got to be the two Manchester Academy gigs we did,also the Portsmouth Wedgewood rooms are a good turn out...
Cheers for the responses , Tim and Hooky's Six String Bass.
Now what about Rocket Mick, what's the biggest audience he's played to? His pole dance in the Slaughterhouse Pub before Liverpool Summer Pops springs to mind.There were quite a few in attendance at that one.Any others?
