# Do critically-acclaimed musicians ever make mistakes in concert? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 3, 2005, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-critically-acclaimed-musicians-ever-make-mistakes-in-concert/310926 "2005-07-03T17:26:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2005, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-critically-acclaimed-musicians-ever-make-mistakes-in-concert/310926/21 "2005-07-03T20:11:54Z")
And sometimes it’s the less-than-perfect version of a song that becomes a classic. Like Ella Fitzgerald’s _Mack the Knife_, and a few others. ---
**Author:** ![phouka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c5a1d2/32.png) [@phouka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phouka)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2005, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-critically-acclaimed-musicians-ever-make-mistakes-in-concert/310926/22 "2005-07-03T20:31:25Z")
I was at a Peter Gabriel concert once, about eight or nine years ago. I can’t remember which song it was, but on starting, he flubbed something, tried to recover, flubbed again, stopped, and said “ladies and gentlemen, that’s what’s known in the music industry as _fucking up_.” We all had a good laugh, and he nailed the song. Except, I told that story to a boyfriend a couple of years later. He’d also seen Peter Gabriel in concert, before I had, and PG had done The Same Exact Thing, down to the joke. So, we agreed that it was a bit of friendly theatricality. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2005, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-critically-acclaimed-musicians-ever-make-mistakes-in-concert/310926/23 "2005-07-03T20:44:25Z")
> [@ouryL](#): > > Yes, I’m dating myself, but… Don’t feel bad…that’s ALL my social life is currently. Someone else mentioned Clapton on “Unplugged.” When Paul McCartney was recording his “Unplugged,” he started singing “We Can Work It Out.” However, he started singing the wrong verse. He then stopped, said, “This is so informal, we’ll start again.” And then played the song correctly. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2005, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-critically-acclaimed-musicians-ever-make-mistakes-in-concert/310926/24 "2005-07-03T20:58:30Z")
There’s also the recording of “You’re Only Human,” Billy Joel’s anti-suicide song. On one of the takes, he came in late on a line and kind of rushed it all in, then laughed. He was going to redo it, but (IIRC) Christie told him to leave it in, since that was the point of the song – we all make mistakes. So there it is on the album. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2005, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-critically-acclaimed-musicians-ever-make-mistakes-in-concert/310926/25 "2005-07-03T21:06:28Z")
I went to a see Richard Zimmerman (a ragtime pianist) at a jazz club. He was really good, and by the third set everything was very casual and informal, and he said there was one piece he’d been practicing but didn’t know if he had it down well enough to play in a concert yet, but he was going to give it a try. About halfway through, in a pretty tricky sounding passage, he had to stop. He apologized, said he’d give it one more shot, and nailed it. Certain kinds of music, certain shows, sometimes you relax, be human, and let things happen. For a famous recorded mistake, there’s _I Saw Her Again Last Night_ by The Mamas and the Papas. After the bridge, Denny came in early with “I saw her…”, and then came in correctly with everyone else. And the group liked the way it sounded, so they left it in. (And considering the inspiration for that song, making the best of it seems somehow appropriate.) When you’re really good, even your mistakes work. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2005, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-critically-acclaimed-musicians-ever-make-mistakes-in-concert/310926/26 "2005-07-03T21:11:34Z")
**Eric Clapton** : Though his blistering take of _Crossroads_ on _Wheels of Fire_ is regarded as golden by many of us, Clapton himself can’t bear to listen to it. He says it’s sloppy. **Artur Rubinstein** : A recording of his live performance of (I can’t remember the piece) has him repeating a big section of the piece. A critic on NPR’s _Performance Today_ griped about the fact that the CD version cropped out the mistake. Rubenstein, for those who don’t remember, was a highly regarded classical pianist. **Buddy Guy** : When he played the Vogue in Indianapolis a few years ago, he got derailed in the middle of the show. He started, and gave up on, 5 or 6 songs before settling on _Mustang Sally._ He seemed frustrated with himself. **The Siegel-Schwall Band** : The band was breaking up, and I was at their final show. This was the second show of the night, and they were plowed. They were uncommonly sloppy. A friend had seen the first show, where they were very sharp. Apparently, they got drunk between shows. Jazz great **Winton Marsalis** : I can’t find the exact quote, but he said that musicians make mistakes, and that’s the part that’s jazz. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2005, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-critically-acclaimed-musicians-ever-make-mistakes-in-concert/310926/27 "2005-07-03T21:27:56Z")
This is ancient history, but **Cab Calloway’s** Hi-de-ho chorus on _Minnie the Moocher_ was improvised one night when Cab forgot the words to a verse. The audience loved it, and they kept it in. _Minnie_ became his signature song. ---
**Author:** ![deadbeater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7c8e57/32.png) [@deadbeater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/deadbeater)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2005, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-critically-acclaimed-musicians-ever-make-mistakes-in-concert/310926/28 "2005-07-03T22:13:18Z")
The King of Ashbury Park once forgot the words to ‘Hungry heart’. But not to worry, Bruce belivers; his fans sang the entire first verse. ---
**Author:** ![deadbeater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7c8e57/32.png) [@deadbeater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/deadbeater)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2005, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-critically-acclaimed-musicians-ever-make-mistakes-in-concert/310926/29 "2005-07-03T22:22:36Z")
other famous recordings with flubs that were kept in: someone from the Temptations says ‘pa’ a split second before the group sang the chorus of ‘Papa Was a Rolling Stone’ a second time. The Bee Gees totally flubbed the third verse to their version of ‘Barbara Ann’. ---
**Author:** ![Hung\_Mung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@Hung\_Mung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hung_Mung)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2005, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-critically-acclaimed-musicians-ever-make-mistakes-in-concert/310926/30 "2005-07-03T23:32:07Z")
A buddy of mine who’s an excellent guitar player in a slowly-gaining-popularity rock band told me once, “If you fuck up…do it twice and call it jazz.” Sort of what **Club33** said. ---
**Author:** ![Talon\_Karrde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Talon\_Karrde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Talon_Karrde)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2005, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-critically-acclaimed-musicians-ever-make-mistakes-in-concert/310926/31 "2005-07-03T23:35:24Z")
David Bowie will often stop the band in the middle of a song and start over. I’m not sure if it’s due to mistakes or if he just doesn’t like the way it’s going. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2005, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-critically-acclaimed-musicians-ever-make-mistakes-in-concert/310926/32 "2005-07-03T23:41:55Z")
I’ve sung as a member of the choir in performances with all sorts of well-known musicians: singers, conductors, instrumentalists. They are not infallible. They all can, and do, make mistakes. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2005, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-critically-acclaimed-musicians-ever-make-mistakes-in-concert/310926/33 "2005-07-03T23:51:46Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > For example… has Eric Clapton ever hit a wrong note on his guitar while playing live? > > Do critically-acclaimed musicians _ever_ make mistakes in concert? Oh yes. Especially the ones who improvise a lot, a category Clapton certainly used to fit in and perhaps still does. > [@Snakescatlady](#): > > Saw Gregg Allman once - he was so drunk all he **did** was make mistakes. He had to be helped to his piano bench and couldn’t even remember the words to half the songs Gregg’s sober these days, but he’s still known to forget some lyrics now and again. And you guys think breaking strings is unusual? Happens every other show I go to. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2005, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-critically-acclaimed-musicians-ever-make-mistakes-in-concert/310926/34 "2005-07-04T00:16:04Z")
The really good musicians I’ve seen have always made a wrong note sound like an intro to a new solo variation. Lindsey Buckingham does this all the time, it seems. As for broken strings…I’ve seen real show-offs launch into blistering solos right after they’ve broken a string, just to prove that they could do it. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2005, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-critically-acclaimed-musicians-ever-make-mistakes-in-concert/310926/35 "2005-07-04T00:20:50Z")
I was watching a live performance of Youssou N’Dour and Annie Lennox on MTV last year (it was one of those charity-fundraising things for AIDS research). They sang Youssou’s signature song “Seven Seconds Away”. Annie was doing fine until she forgot one of the lines and started rushing into the chorus. You could clearly see Youssou getting nervous, but it worked out. It was an awkward moment, but a short-lived one. The fact that even Annie Lennox, a goddess if there ever was one, can flub things up makes me feel better about my own screw-ups. ---
**Author:** ![Imasquare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Imasquare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Imasquare)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2005, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-critically-acclaimed-musicians-ever-make-mistakes-in-concert/310926/36 "2005-07-04T00:30:55Z")
> [@Bryan Ekers](#): > > There’s a famous recording of Elvis cracking up in the middle of a live performance of _Are You Lonesome Tonight?_ This has become known as the “Laugh Version”. I saw some sad footage from one of Elvis’ last concerts in which he often forgot the words and either ad-libbed or mumbled. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2005, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-critically-acclaimed-musicians-ever-make-mistakes-in-concert/310926/37 "2005-07-04T01:07:42Z")
> [@](#): > > **Hung Mung** : “If you fuck up…do it twice and call it jazz.” I’ve been given the same advice, and since we’re both from “Music City,” that makes it official. It’s strange what memories a question like the OP can bring back. Not quite the same, but I remember that the buglar that played _Taps_ at JFK’s burial messed up. How weird to have that floating around in my brain after forty-two years. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2005, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-critically-acclaimed-musicians-ever-make-mistakes-in-concert/310926/38 "2005-07-04T01:19:31Z")
The vocalist from The Kingsmen tries to come in a full bar too early on the third verse of **Louie, Louie**. You can hear him sing “Me see-” before he realizes he’s screwed up. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2005, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-critically-acclaimed-musicians-ever-make-mistakes-in-concert/310926/39 "2005-07-04T01:20:40Z")
When I saw \*Jethro Tull \* and _Saga_, I did not hear any mistakes. But then I was pretty high… ---
**Author:** ![NoCoolUserName](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5fc32e/32.png) [@NoCoolUserName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoCoolUserName)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2005, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-critically-acclaimed-musicians-ever-make-mistakes-in-concert/310926/40 "2005-07-04T02:25:49Z")
My bass player saw Zep live (this was, as you might imagine, some years ago–like 1970 or so). His remark “I know it’s all just choices, but Jimmy Page made some pretty darned poor choices during his solos.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-critically-acclaimed-musicians-ever-make-mistakes-in-concert/310926.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-critically-acclaimed-musicians-ever-make-mistakes-in-concert/310926.md?page=3)