The Clash, Jan. 1, 1977, London (the Roxy)

After the botched Anarchy in the U.K. tour with the Sex Pistols, where all but three shows were cancelled, the Clash welcomed the 1977 New Year as headliners at the opening of the Roxy Club in London's Covent Garden. A turning point in London's underground punk rock scene, the Roxy, ironically a former gay gangster bar and disco, would become the stage for punk rock's freshest talents.

"It was the only time as a booking agent and as a fan that I thought I wouldn't get out of a venue alive," recalls Entourage Talent and Associates LTD. President Wayne Forte about seeing the Clash play live in London before helping the band stage its first U.S. performances in 1979.

Forte reminisces of the early London misfit scene, "The crowd was two sections: There were the punks and there were the skinheads. It was like a riot in the audience and the band played onstage. It was the single most energetic and life threatening experience I ever had."

In the wake of the gig, the Clash signed a record deal with British label CBS, which led to the release of its self-titled debut. The lucky hundreds who saw the band on Jan. 1, 1977, experienced punk rock at its rawest -- the true "White Riot."