Tucson Region

Tucson Time Capsule : Oh but they're weird, wonderful

They were "a first-rate psychedelic-rock band," according to the Star review, which followed the March 21, 1988, concert by Echo and The Bunnymen. The band from Liverpool, England, surrounded by an eerie stage set of "dead trees and dried hanging vines," performed before 1,200 fans in the Tucson Convention Center Music Hall. The band's dark-themed music explored the human psyche and probed the depths of consciousness, as audience members screamed their approval. But the opening group, Screaming Blue Messiahs, "was received with indifference by the restless crowd." When the jarring rock trio from London failed to get applause following some of their songs, the group exited the stage without an encore.