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.