GDTS did the same for me—I had already sent in my mail order for Madison Square Garden, which would have included a show on my birthday (Sept 21) and when they sent my money order back, they included the tickets that I would have been sold, with the stamp of Garcia’s profile on the back.
Hard to think it was 15 years ago this week that he left…
Yeah…they did…the DAY he (Jerry) passed I got my tixs for the 6 night CLOSING of the old Boston Gardens (just before the MSG shows)…have them in a frame too…I was finally gonna get to see a show with my sister, she was connected to the “east coast” tapers for a long time…sorry sis!
Jerry…the Straightest dope of us all…RIP
tsfr
I was at the legendary (at least among Deadheads) 6 night run at Boston Garden back in Sept 1991—In the early 1980’s the Grateful Dead had been “banned” from Boston Garden, this was the first time playing there in many years, and the entire city of Boston was on notice; the second night was my birthday and they gave me a ticket on the first row on the floor risers, about 20 feet from Phil Lesh…
For a kid from Utah, on his 22nd birthday, in Boston for his first time, in one of the most hallowed, storied sports venues of all time, it was a pretty exciting week.
There’s a commentary track with Sarah Vowell, in which she points this out. I don’t have a copy of the DVD to check, but she says something to the effect of, “Ah, the last day before everything sucked.”
For my 15th birthday I had tickets to see ‘Rock Suberbowl 15’, at least I think it was number 15, in the Tangerine Bowl in Orlando. I think the bands were Bryan Adams (a NOBODY at the time), UFO, Foreigner, and Ozzy Osbourne. That show was held a couple of days after the accident where the Ozzy’s band’s plane flew into the tour bus (at least I think that’s how it happened), about 10 miles from my house in Florida. Ozzy’s lead guitar dude, Randy Rhoads, died from the accident.
The show went on as scheduled, with Pat Travers and his band filling in for Ozzy. I barely knew who Pat Travers was at the time, but he filled in pretty gamely, knowing full well that everybody there had bought tickets so that they could hear “Crazy Train” live.
So did they reimburse the audience when the guitarist of the group Stone the Crows was electrocuted on stage?:
My university Fresher’s Ball was supposed to have Oasis as the band and Terry Christian as the DJ. Neither bothered to show up. Mark Lamarr DJ’d for half an hour and there was a four-person middle-aged brass band in the hallway. But no refunds!
OTOH, Peaches did an amazing set from a wheelchair the other week at the Lovebox Weekender - more active than some artists with two working feet.
I’ve personally played a gig with my left wrist in a cast, playing bass by putting my leg on an amp and the guitar on my knee for the entire set.
I saw a John Cougar Mellencamp concert at Madison Square Garden that was plagued with sound problems for the first 20 minutes. Mellencamp took a break to allow for repairs and came back after about 20 minutes to announce the problems were fixed, he would continue the fullconcert and anybody who wanted a refund would get one. Made a fan for life out of me
One of my friends tells me Mountain played at his high school around 1970. About 15 minutes somebody throw a bottle at the band. Leslie West grabs the microphone says “we didn’t come here to be target practice for you kids” and the group leaves. Don’t think they offered any refunds.
I do so hate this meme, but here goes anyway:
Sonny, you missed a few blades o’ grass back there. Now, go back and clean 'em up. And when you’re finished, you need to get offa mah lawn!
He fell ON the stage. It was extremely wet and rainy that night and in one run from one side to the other went down on his arm.
Another one I remembered is the Cranberries riot show in Washington.
Local alt-rock station WHFS sponsored a free show by the Cranberries in the shadow of the Washington Monument during lunchtime one weekday. They and the park police anticipated about 4-5K turnout and got over 15K. Chisel opened up and was OK but when the Cranberries came on things exploded with moshing and multiple fights down front and spreading. In the midst of their second song ‘Linger’ things got out of control and the police shut it down mid-song.
How the hell does one riot to ‘Linger’? I continue to be bemused by that.
Another one. Cowboy Mouth at the Niteclub 9:30. The show was almost over and some guy climbed on stage and did a stagedive and squashed some poor little girl flat. The singer (also he drummer) yelled ‘stop the music!’ and then ‘stop that guy!’ as the diver headed for the exit. The girl was checked out and the band made the diver apologize to her on his knees. Then the singer sang ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’ to her and the killed the rest of the show because ‘stage diving and moshing is stupid’.
Ray Davies was scheduled to play at the State Theater in Falls Church, VA (a DC suburb) on Sept. 12, 2001, but…
I remember going to see Foreigner in Chicago in the late 70s. The doors never opened. After an hour or so they told us the show was cancelled. No reason given at the time, or on the radio the next day (we heard our money would be refunded, which it eventually was). Nothing on the Internet (because it hadn’t been invented). Foreigner had already gotten kind of crappy by then anyway, so it was easy to start hating them.