Live Performances Gone Awry

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.

Anyone ever see a GWAR show? They are always terrible, well both I saw were. Just plain bad sound, custumes (at the time) seemed to hamper playing ability but it was a freak show when I was in my late teens early twenties.

Dayglow. I know what you mean about Ozzy giving a karaoke version of Iron Man. I drove up to Montreal sometime in the 90's to see Black Sabbath's farewell tour. The entire band played perfectly with the exception of Ozzy's voice. I'll never forget that show because our hotel had a Molson vending machine on each floor and the Canadians were smoking black hash in front of security at the concert. I was so used to smelling pot at concerts, so to be at one with 20k fans filled with black hash smoke was totally new to me.