On April 24, 1983, the Desolation Center held the first of three concerts in the Mojave Desert. Formed by Stuart Swezey, the Los Angeles punk rock performing arts organization previously held gigs at various venues in the city. But tensions between the L.A. punk scene and the local police were hindering bands’ abilities to put on shows.
Initially, Swezey was booking bands for Desolation Center shows at warehouses downtown in an attempt to avoid the cops. But his true vision was leaving the city altogether and holding gigs where the law feared to tread.
“I liked the idea of doing shows downtown to be under the radar of the cops, but what I really had in mind was to get away from the vibe of these nightclubs on the Sunset Strip like The Whisky A Go-Go and The Roxy,” Swezey told The Hundreds in 2018. “It was just too Rock ‘N’ Roll for me, and I wanted to work with spaces that were blank slates.”…