This is kind of strange, because exactly the same story is repeated when it’s Van Halen (a band who’s lead singer always wanted the band to be Montrose and even took their singer) in the UK, and the end of the tale is that Ozzy quit the band after a particularly great warm up from VH. Van Halen then claimed they never wanted an act with their type of music to open for them, because of that night.
I did however see Ozzy himself in his solo career at Wembley Arena, at something which was referred to as “Ozzfest” at the time. I date it about 91-92, an all day thing with the likes of Quireboys, Magnum, Wolfsbane and Little Angels, looking up it seems to be a day in the Great British Music weekend, but my friend who was a big Sabbath fan had said it was an Ozzfest and referred to one of those happening before, so I think they were kind of unofficial at that time.
Anyway, he pretty much fell onto the stage, was propped up by roadies, and only seemed to shout “Everybody clap their hands” at 1 minute intervals which the backing singers sang it all for him. This seemed to make absolutely no difference for the devout fans there. I think I stood just sort of not clapping my hands. Never seen him since, though people insist he is actually very good if you get him sober.
Only one sticks in my mind of recent years which made a difference and probably a small enough artist for nobody to care. We used to go to Hard Rock Hell in the UK, a weekend of various old and new rock artists.
About six years ago, Paul Laine, the singer from an old hair metal band Danger Danger was performing, he had a bottle of jack in his hand as he came on stage. Probably drank from it for two songs, then threw it into the audience.
Now this wasn’t that big a venue. He wasn’t that much higher than the crowd. It was probably just luck that he didn’t kill at least one person, and it sailed so close over their heads a whole line of people ducked and moved sideways. It smashed harmlessly near the mixing desks halfway up the venue.
We left right then and there. He has been booked by HRH to play again since.
I think I’ve been lucky. I’m sure many of the performers I’ve seen have been under the influence but that was part of their stage personae and it may have actually been a necessary part of their preparation before taking the stage. The only performers I’ve walked out on were Bob Dylan and Van Morrison but I think their problem was apathy not drugs.
I do remember in my punk days when backing members were too messed up to find the stage and the band had to go on late or without them, or draft a musician from another band. Social Distortion was really bad about this but frontman Mike Ness was able to perform just fine when wasted.
My memories kind of hazy, being that it was now 30 years ago (OMG) but I believe that they stopped serving alcohol at 12:00 due to state liqueur laws pertaining to events, so people loaded up and started getting irate when that ran out. The concessions closed as well soon after which just irritated people more. I think that the venue and the band felt like they had to let them play or they were going to have a riot. I’m pretty sure the GNR was used to playing until the sun came up anyway due to Axel’s nature, because that’s the rock and roll lifestyle.
I saw Social Distortion in about 1990 in Charleston and don’t remember this being an issue for that show.
I saw REM in St. Petersburg in ‘86 and Stipe gave every impression of being drunk off his ass. I see he says that he got clean in ’83, but I don’t know whether that includes (ab)use of alcohol. As to the OP’s question, I didn’t leave early, but I drove back to Orlando pissed that I’d wasted the time and money.
I saw him with the Popes, the band he formed after the Pogues kicked him out. He was beyond drunk. He had to hold on to the microphone to keep upright and mumbled the lyrics. The Popes played with the enthusiasm of men who don’t like their jobs but appreciate the paycheck. It was terrible. I stuck around because I was with a friend, but I just felt sad.
I would feel … cheated. What I’d do … is never attend one of that group’s concert’s again unless the offending band member got himself together.
As long as he can do that crap and get away with it, he will continue his behavior. If the group sees that it is going to lose venues and income because of that behavior, then it will force change. He’ll either clean up his act, or the group will drop him or cease public performances.
From a humanitarian standpoint, his behavior seems to indicate that he has become a danger to himself, and the people who care for him should be doing everything they can to encourage and help him gain the self-control necessary for him to stay alive. He’s in the process of killing himself and, if something doesn’t change, he will succeed.
No! Not Evan. He always seemed like such a straight-edge guy…
Personally, if he’s still capable of playing and singing, even if he’s being erratic, I’d have stuck it out. From what I’ve read, he’s always been a bit … eccentric … live.
We thought he had his act together. Won’t make that mistake again.
I’m pretty sure the “group” at this point is Dando and whoever will play with him. (He mentioned that they were already on their third drummer this tour.) There is no Lemonheads without Dando.
I agree, and I believe they do. (Hatfield’s concern was evident and genuine.) But he’s been fighting these demons for 30+ years.
I probably would have if I’d been there myself. But as I mentioned, Ms. A gets extremely uncomfortable around wasted people, having grown up with one in the house.
I’m not angry at Dando. He’s an addict. And Hatfield’s set was worth the price of admission all by itself.
I’ve been to a Pogues show and Replacements show where the singer was obviously drunk. That also comes with the territory for both those bands. Hell, I might have asked for a refund if Shane wasn’t drunk. Both were fine shows.
I’m sorry I missed word of this show. I like the Lemonheads, but I would have loved to have seen Juliana Hatfield.
It was a long time ago but as I recall they played a long set and they were great. I looked them up and there was supposedly a lead guitar player,Frank Marino, but I recall mostly some excellent keyboard player that dominated.
I saw the Beach Boys in the late 70s. I remember that Brian Wilson was wearing a muumuu or something similar, and wandering around on stage in a daze. One of his brothers took him to the side of the stage and had a talk with him, but I don’t remember that it had any effect.
I don’t know if he was under the influence or was having some sort of mental breakdown.
I saw the legendary performance by Thelonious Monster at the Pink Pop Festival 1993 (Netherlands). I didn’t know the band at all, and when they entered the stage, it was immediately clear that singer Bob Forrest was stoned to the gills. I don’t know what he had taken, but I suspect mountains of speed and/or coke because he was hyperactive. Nonetheless, when they started with a great cover of the Clash’s “White Riot”, they had me. A few songs into the show, Forrest in mid-song climbed up a 15 meter amp tower, and everybody in the audience worried and thought we were going to witness a stage death. Surprisingly, he managed to climb down again and deliver a great, very passionate performance. So what did I do? I stared in awe and fright and well, enjoyed the show.
She was, as I said, worth the ticket alone. Just her on electric guitar, and she just oozed honesty.
The early opener was cool, too, a bunch of kids from Austin called On Being an Angel. So new they barely have a web presence, but they won me over with an ace cover of Lucinda Williams’ “Metal Firecracker.”
