September 22, 1983 (Thursday)
Jonathan Swift's Club
Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.A.

My great friend Brian Mercer and I had attended one of the last live shows Tommy performed at the Jonathan Swift's club in Cambridge, Massachusetts in September 1983. This iteration of Badfinger consisted of Tommy, Bob Jackson, Tony Kaye, Glenn Sherba and Lenny Campanaro. The band was superb live but the deep well of sadness, resignation, and despair bore upon Tommy's face. Playing small venues in a string of one night stands while lesser lights played large concert halls and stadiums had to weigh mightily upon this sensitive artist. The band played two sets and the second set (which began over an hour later than scheduled) found Tommy heavily inebriated. At one point, he fell off the stage onto tables below the stage. Despite this, his beautiful voice and playing did not suffer, although his acid tongue dispatched several heckling patrons obviously not there specifically to see the band.

I still remember the phone call I received from Brian in late November relaying the awful news of Tommy's suicide. It was a gut punch and a shock that has never lost its sting. With Bob Jackson teaming with Tommy, I and other fans still believed redemption and recognition for Badfinger was forthcoming in the '80s with the rise of second generation power pop bands like Shoes that owed a debt to Badfinger. The music emanated from Tommy's heart and soul and is immortal as is his essence. 

Jack Sullivan (2020 November 19)

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