Live Performances Gone Awry

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.

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.

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

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?

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.