I recall a concert I attended in NYC in the late 60s where Tim Buckley got sick halfway through his set and left; I can only speculate on what caused it, but I think we all have a pretty good idea. I was at three concerts where he was to perform within a year, finally got a full performance in the last one I attended (I believe at the Fillmore East, but it may have been a Schaeffer concert in the Park). |
Joni Mitchell on acid at the Hollywood Bowl in the late 70's. She sang beautifully and had poetic lyrics. Unfortunately, the lyrics were not from any of her songs and came from whatever alternative reality her mind had drifted off to. She was seeing things and babbling. In the 80's at the Beacon theater in New York I saw Gene Loves Jezebel where one of the twin brothers (the lead singer) was so whacked out that he could not stand up. Really a cultural treat because at the time he was dressed in a diaphanous black dress with pearls. |
Saw The Dead, Bob Dylan and Tom Petty in the Akron Rubber Bowl in 1986, literally days before Jerry went into his infamous "diabetic coma." I am as big a deadhead as anyone, but in response to Lokie above, Jerry DID NOT remember any of the song lyrics for any song that night. He bumbled and stumbled through the performance but what did I know--I was still in high school then. Of course, after that I saw many great shows in the late 80s/early 90s.
Anyone have any Replacements stories--they were notorious for drunken, messy, but occasionally inspirational live shows. |
Philo,
I was there, too. But The Who left me cold that night (pun intended as it was well below zero outside). Lots of recorded accompaniement to Quadraphenia. Different strokes, I guess.
Other Michigan disasters:
Patti Smith's band gets snowed in and she does a solo acapella poetry reading instead of a concert.
Sly Stone shows up 4 hours late for a concert and sleepwalks thru it.
I brought a date to a Talking Heads show one Friday night only to find that it had taken place the night before. (I guess that one's on me.)
In New York:
Van Morrison played a pissed-off, 35 minute set at Jones Beach.
Chris Wood (Traffic) was so stoned at a NY Academy of Music show that he lost his sax mid-solo. He was swaying left to right and it just flew from his hands.
A fist fight in the crowd at a new wave/punk show at CBGB (The Shirst, maybe)spilled onto the stage and took out the drum kit.
Beer bottles were also hurled at opening act Michael Quattro at an ELP concert in Jersey City. He tried to catch them in the top he was wearing.
Those come to mind quickly, so I guess that I've had my share of bad moments.
Marty |
in December 1975 I saw the Who at the Pontiac Silverdome and the opening band was the Reggae band Toots and the Maytals.
There were 76,000 there and several people threw dozens of bottles at the bandmembers until they left the stage.
Pete Townsend even asked them to quit throwing bottles but they did not listen.
Afterwards the Who played the best concert I ever saw. |
Jerry Jeff Walker in show in Mississippi was so drunk he could not remember the words to his songs. Fell over after the third song and was carried off. Back up band did one more song and it was over since he was the headliner. No refunds for a this 25 minute embarassment.
Roy Buchanan in a small venue in Norfolk, Virginia. Showed up an hour and 15 minutes late. Played for 35 minutes and left. That was it - done. Very angry crowd but the club took the position that he came and he played as promised but we never said for how long the show would be. No refunds. |
Did anybody else see Lucinda Williams read her own lyrics off a sheet of paper on Austin City Limits while she mumbled/sang? Bazaaro.
On the other hand, it has always amazed me how some artists, Jerry Garcia comes to mind, can remember 1000's of song lyrics on the fly, while playing an instrument and under the influence.
No George "No Show Jones" Jones stories? |
Went to a Dixie Dregs concert around 1990 at a downtown NYC venue that is long since closed down. We waited more than an hour past the posted start time for the warm-up band to start, which was a quasi-Kansas progressive fiddle-rock band as I recall. They weren't terrible but they were not the Dregs and the crowd rapidly grew hostile. After being steadily pummeled with beer and assorted projectiles the front man stepped up to the mic and said, "You know, you guys stink like smelly feet", at which point a barrage of footwear of every possible description was thrown onstage. The warm up band beat a hasty retreat and the Dregs came on and played a killer show. |
Isochronism - I saw Motorhead in 1983 ( I listen to a huge variety of music). The lead singer 'Lemmy' was playing their popular 'Ace of Spades' song at ear bleeding levels. We were third row side stage and I watched Lemmy flick his burning cigarette butt into the crowd. I couldn't believe it. At the same show, someone jumped off the balcony into the crowd below and they lived without a scratch. I think Merciful Fate was playing when that happened.
I'm glad I lived though the heavy metal days. Not that I did anything out of control, but the fans could get scary. |
Sebof. I saw that Who tour in Buffalo NY but instead of the Jethro Tull it was The Clash. I was about 14 maybe 15 at that show. I remember we blew off John Cougar. Knowing whaat I know now, he might have been awesome at a smaller venue. I saw Tull once but can't remember with who. I have my ticket stub but I'm too lazy to find out right now. |
This isn't MY experience, but ..... I saw a very modified vintage Les Paul guitar for sale on Ebay, with full signed documentation. Hank Williams Jr was playing a large venue. At the end of his last song he threw his harmonica out into the crowd. It hit a women in the forehead requiring several stitches. He gave her the guitar he was playing at the time as consolation. The women had it up for sale. Nice scar story, I suppose. |
One more story. I went to see Ronnie James Dio with a co-worker in 1998 at a very small venue. The show was amazing. Half way through the show, someone in the audience threw a beer bottle at Ronnie James Dio and just barely missed him. Ronnie stopped playing and told the audience one more time and he's done. Another guy from the audience who witnessed the guy throw the beer bottle, broke a beer bottle across that guys head and they had to take him away in an ambulance. Draft beer in cups is the way to go at some shows. |
Ncarv...OMG,,,,that Bowie story is horrible.
The Lucinda Williams show cracks me up (kind of). I think everyone that's seen her has a story. We were second row of a small venue in 2009. Nobody was dancing and my wife, who ALWAYS DANCES, got out of her seat, walked to the isle and went right up in front of the stage and started dancing. Lucinda stopped playing, had some light talk with my wife and then told everyone they should be dancing too. We ended up having some cocktails with her after the show. She seems a bit depressed. It made me realize that even if you're an amazing song writer doesn't make you a happy person. Her band was awesome.
Speaking of dancing at shows, we live in Rochester NY so I've been to a ton of shows in Canada. It's not customary to dance at live shows in Canada, so every time my wife dances, we get treated as though we're bad audience members. Once in awhile someone will give in and dance with her.
We saw the Cranberries in Toronto last year, and Delores (lead singer) had to tell the audience to get out of their seats. Once she did that, the show rocked and it was one of the best shows I've ever seen. The drummer for the Cranberries is out of control he's so good. |
John Cougar then Jethro Tull then The Who in 1982 Boulder CO, the Who's farewell tour.
Cougar had probably 1 or 2 albums at that time I guess. He started first in the early afternoon maybe 1 or 2 pm. It's Boulder in the summertime, people playing frisbee and hacky sac, politly applauding after each song for the guy many might not have even heard of. After 2 or 3 songs he yelled "This ain't no Rick f***ing Springfield concert!!!" He played one or 2 more songs, same response from the crowd, so he simply walked off the stage. I remember his backup singers standing there for a few sesconds all confused, looking to their right to see if he was coming back. Then they hastily walked off stage. That was it. Then an extra long wait for Tull. |
Absolute worst happening: David Bowie, May, 2004, Knight Center, Miami. After The Stereophonics opened, a stagehand fell from the scaffolding and landed on the stage in front of the audience and died. Bowie canceled and my money was refunded. Never rescheduled.
Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, The Greencards, May, 2005, Ft. Lauderdale Stadium. After The Greencards played, a horrible lightning and thunderstorm erupted. Sat under a cheap pancho and prayed I didn't get hit by lightning.
Lucinda Williams, March, 2004, Carefree Theater, West Palm Beach. Show delayed about an hour because Lucinda wouldn't get out of bus and come on stage. Came on, looked miserable through a few songs. Then opened up and put on a killer show. Going to see her tomorrow (11/20) at Parker Playhouse, Ft. Lauderdale.
Yellowman, late 1980's, Central Park, Negril. "Yellowman is coming! He's on his way!" Heard this for hours. He never showed.
Sly & The Family Stone, 1970, Miami Jai-Alai Fronton. Sly came on, fell off his stool. Carried off. Concert delayed about an hour, but, then, another killer show. Another time, in Washington, D.C., he never showed. Sly was (in)famous for this.
Going back that far, there's probably more, but I don't remember.
All in all, though, I've seen some great shows. The bad events were memorable, though few. |
