Live Performances Gone Awry

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.

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.

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.