concerts i wish i hadn't seen

I went to the 20th anniversary of Earth Day in Washington DC because John Denver was supposed to play live. He played with a canned backing track. It was like karaoke to his own songs.  Fortunately, the backing track had an issue and he couldn't perform, so he cut out with an apology half way through the first song (Calypso).  The Indigo Girls came out and did a longer set than they were supposed to do and they had whatisname from U2 who hangs out with them along.  That was great.  Much better than karaoke, even by John Denver.  After a speaker told us about the horrors of voting Republican (I was Republican at the time and none too excited about her outlandish claims), John Denver came back out, saying he borrowed a guitar from Emily Sailers (one of the Indigo Girls) and he proceeded to do I think it was six songs with just him and guitar playing like a pub singer.  That was awesome.

So, I guess the moral of the story is that I got the concert that I wanted to see, but it wasn't the one scheduled which I didn't want to see. 

I may have just confused myself.

This past summer I saw the Marshall Tucker Band (or what's left of them) and was so disappointed. The original lead singer was still performing and he was terrible. His voice was gone and he sounded like he was just mumbling random words and would stop mid verse to flirt with women standing by the stage. The sound tech must have been sleeping because all the guitar leads were buried but the flute parts were so jacked up it felt like spikes being shoved in your ears. I had waited years to see these guys and afterwards realized I should have kept waiting

Dylan - at Doubleday field in Cooperstown a few years ago

It was awful.  Placed was packed - but  many left halfway through.  I stayed for entire event b/c I'm a Dylan diehard no matter what. My wife and daughter left to go to local bar for drinks.  At the end- I kind of wished I had left with them.
With that being said two years later I saw him in NYC and it was great.   
Guess everyone can be lousy some nights.

I have seen Dylan 4 times and the first time he was touring with Paul Simon. Dylan went on for an hour, then Paul Simon for an hour, and then they played several songs together. The sound of those two singing at the same time was like oil and water mixed.

The other times Dylan was great. In the time period you saw him I wonder if it was beer or something else.  Do you remember the Byrds? They sang Dylan better than anyone else including Dylan.

This is a completely awesome topic ... I bow to you, Sir Phill !

I have four crap-shows in mind:

a) Joe Cocker (Halifax, mid-70's)
He was so drunk that he barely got through 3 or 4 songs. He then tried to climb into the back of his piano, and a couple of roadies had to free him from his predicament. The concert came to a close, and we were all eventually refunded for our tickets. He acted like a pompous idiot during his 10-minutes on stage, and I have no respect for him as a result.

b) Seals & Crofts / Nazareth (Halifax, mid-70's)
What kind of promoter books S&C to open for Nazareth? Halfway through their 3rd song, the audience booed them off the stage, and Nazareth came on for a terrific performance.  It was a weird experience.

c) April Wine (Montreal, mid-70's)
The sound system blended everything into a wall of noise, with no one instrument being discernible from the rest. I give the sound people 0/10 for their part. When lead-singer Myles Goodwin stepped to the front of the stage, he played the worst guitar solo I've ever heard by anyone claiming to be a professional. Missed notes, dropped pick twice, and just plain dreadful. We were about 15-feet away from him, and we all booed him at the top of our lungs. He cut it short, and we all cheered. Pretty cruel, but he should have left the lead guitar work to Gary Moffatt (who was quite good).

d) Rockin' the Island (Baddeck, Cape Breton, mid-70's)
An outdoor weekend concert with 6 or 8 decent bands was advertised, and we bought tickets and went. We got there, saw the stage, lighting, PA system all set up, so we pitched our tents along with hundreds of others. No bands ever showed up, and no explanation was ever given. A bunch of people trashed the stage setup, but we just left.

Sounds like the time I saw him. He was touring minor league ball parks with Willie Nelson. Willie was awesome, sang every popular song, interacted with the audience. It was a joy to see - actually brought tears to my eyes, seeing this American Icon.

Then came Dylan - all electric amped to the max, totally incoherent vocals and not a single song recognizable. I left early. I still am a huge fan, but man was that disappointing.

That's why I didn't see The Who last year when I was in Vegas. After the fiasco in the Super Bowl half time a few years back, I didn't want taint my love for Pete and Roger by witnessing it in person.

I'd have high expectations to come see you in concert Phill !

Okey dokey ... this is starting feel weird.