On May 29th, 1981, Throbbing Gristle performed their last live show at the Kezar Pavillion in San Francisco, CA. This legendary performance marked the initial breakup of the group and end of its mission.

One of the attendees remembers:

You know for the life of me I can’t remember anymore about the actual music. I can remember closing my eyes during one piece and floating off into the 4th dimension (no drugs here just TG). I can remember jumping up and down because of the intense beat, and I can remember screaming along with the rest of the audience as they yelled back at Genesis during ‘Heathen Earth’. The show ended within the usual 60 minutes with a short version of ‘Discipline’. At the end there was no screaming for more. I think the audience was too mesmerised by the last 60 minutes to really do anything. The group stayed on stage and started packing things up. Genesis talked with the audience for a while and I spoke with peter for a few minutes. As I said at the beginning it wasn’t your average rock concert, it was more a happening, an event and one I’ll remember for a long time to come.

Set list:

“Dead Souls”
“Guts On The Floor”
“Circle Of Animals”
“Looking For The OTO”
“Vision And Voice”
“Funeral Rites”
“Spirits Flying”
“Persuasion U.S.A.”
“The Process”
“Discipline (Reprise)”

I’ve watched the video literally dozens of times already and it simply blows my mind.

In related news, all five TG albums have been remastered and reissued by Industrial Records last year and according to Chris Carter, the sixth and final TG album, TG’s Desertshore – The Final Report, is in the works and set to be released later this year. Bring it!