uniforms and organized a makeshift video featuring himself, his friends and the band. Partridge called it "the worst video ever made by man." Touring From 1980 to 1981, XTC toured Australia, New Zealand and the US as the opening act for the Police. They did two tours with the group, one in the summer and another in the autumn. Todd Rundgren attended a date in Chicago, and Robert Stigwood met XTC backstage at The Ritz in New York, telling them they were the most exciting live band he had seen since the Who. In Athens, Georgia, XTC were supported by local band R.E.M., who covered XTC songs in their set. The night after John Lennon was killed, XTC played a gig at Liverpool, where they performed both "Towers of London" and "Rain" in tribute to the Beatle. At this point, XTC were playing in arena stadiums while Partridge, encumbered by XTC's touring regimen, began declining further in his mental state. While in upstate New York in December 1980, Partridge exited the tour van to relieve himself: "I jumped out of the van and wandered into this field ... and I thought, 'Who am I? Who the hell am I, and what am I doing in this field?' And just got back in the van, not knowing who I was." He requested to cease touring, but was opposed by Virgin, his bandmates and the band's management. On 2 June 1981, XTC performed their last ever British date, in Cardiff. In 1982, "Respectable Street" was the only song they performed at a televised gig simulcast in Paris, which became one of the last live performances of their career. Partridge experienced a panic attack mid-performance and walked off the stage. Critical reception Contemporary Black Sea received critical acclaim. An unnamed Billboard reviewer deemed the album "consistently appealing and more accessible than [Drums and Wires]. The vocals of Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding have an attractive breeziness and the instrumentation is tight." In Musician, Roy Trakin wrote of XTC as among "the new English art rock" and praised Black Seas successful fusion of "Partridge's love of rhythm and Moulding's affinity for melody ... Songs like 'Towers of London' and 'Burning With Optimism's Flames' show the two approaches finally achieving a seamless synthesis." Writing for Rolling Stone, Don Shewey of Rolling Stone found Black Sea to be overall consistent—with the exception of "Travels in Nihilon",