Live Performances Gone Awry

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.

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).

Van Morrison earned my contempt. Three years ago he played Toronto's Air Canada Center- wrong venue for the kind of band, lack of amplification or video screens - made the entire concert a strain. $150 a ticket didn't help.

He basically sang with his back to 20,000 people in between gulps out of a white plastic cup.

After barely an hour, he did a rousing version of Gloria, the audience finally happy, standing, clapping, singing along, thinking that the concert's finally going - and he walked off stage. No thank you, no encore, nothing.

He's a tool and doesn't know what the phrase to "give" a performance means. Love his music, but he blows as a performer. Takes your money and runs.

when i was living in sf in the early 90s, we drove three hours to some resort in the mountains to see the ex-byrd gene clark, who was opening for leon russell. we got there in time for the second show; the people who were leaving told us that clark was drunk as shit, but in good form. well, he started doing trays of bourbon shots during the show, maybe 20 or 30; i've never seen anyone drink as much and remain conscious. in between shots, he played a remarkably coherent set.
anyway, next day i read he was performing a mile or so from my house; when we got to the venue there was a sign posted (unsurprisingly) that he was ill and couldn't perform. next morning, i read he was dead.

Ozzy Osbourne/White Lion/Vixen Pine Knob July 89'. From the opening song you knew Ozzy would suck that night. When Ozzy performed a horrible "karaoke" version of Iron Man the remaining sober(included) fans begin to jeer. The band was not much better, were they all stoned? Could be a reason why so many fights broke out. The mens restroom could have doubled as a blood bank with all the blood splashed on the walls, floor and sinks. If memory serves me right Ozzy was in rehab and the tour was canceled within a month after this show.