Allman Brothers -- Yeah, it was during the classic period when Duane Allman and Dickie Betts (was that his name?) were trading licks all night, but Duane only seemed to play one lick -- the whoop-de-doodle-do one. After about three hours of it I decided that if I heard one more whoop-de-doodle-do, I'm leaving. About fifteen seconds later, presto. I left. It didn't help that the band's attitude never strayed from an "I'm cool and you're not" sneer. The next morning I heard from my Allman Bros. acolyte/fellow concertgoer/college roomie that they continued boogying for another hour. And, hey man, did I miss something special!
New York Dolls -- loved the record but the performance was all about posing. No trace of conviction or chops. I have to say, though, that I love David Johansen's LP, the one where he does the demented lounge singer.
Vladimir Horowitz at the Ambassador Auditorium in Pasadena, maybe thirty years ago. My buddy's parents had an extra ticket. Was it front row center.? Anyway something to that effect. It was long past Vlad's prime. He couldn't get his fingers to work. He couldn't remember the scores. Of course, this never mattered in his prime because he was famous for taking audacious liberties with the music. But even Vlad was embarrassed by his performance. The audience, though, was too much in love to give him guff.
And then there was Steve & Edie Gorme with my parents in Vegas. At one point, Edie jokingly said, "Who needs the Doors?" It was maybe 1968. Being a Doors fan at the time, I took personal offence...
