I saw them Saturday night, and they put on a helluva show. They played all the hits, including my favorite, "Let There Be Rock." Another bonus for me: It wasn't so loud that my ears would ring for days, like happened the first time I saw them! That was bloody awful.
Phil Collins at Sheffield City Hall in 80. Joe Cocker at The Pheasant, Sheffield around 83 when he played with the Frank White Band. Molly Hatchets phil mccormack in sheffield december 2018. He died earlier this year. That night he was completely off his head, even worse than Collins and Cocker
Ace telling jokes in Glendale Colorado at some bar about 30 years ago. It was to be a concert but he became Shecky Frehley....barely standing. Peter Criss in Greenwich Connecticut at a liquor store about 40 years ago. Alice Cooper same store in '72. Both alive and well 2019. Jake E Lee at some Vegas club years ago, his teeth were black, and it wasn't a goth thing. Zakk Wylde toasted with Ozzy onstage. At least he mentioned thanking Ozzy for slamming a case of Bud before the show that Ozzy gifted him. Ozzy replied "Awwwwriiightttt".
Eric Clapton Denver 1975. His eyes were slits. The promoter Barry Fey wrote about it years later. It seems his eyes were totally shut and he needed to get to a hospital to open them that afternoon. I asked Patti Clapton about it and she just smiled and said Brandy. Stevie Nicks Red Rocks 1985. They reshot most of her concert video on a soundstage. Her pupils were like dots when I shook her hand up front. Totally zoned out. Promoter Barry Fey wrote in his bio that she had to be hauled to the dressing room before the show, as she couldn't walk.
Dan Stuart. I saw Green on Red live three times in the 80s, and he was drunk every time. But so was I, and my mates. It was all good fun. Dwight Yoakam. A concert in 1987. He was so drunk he could barely stand up, but he gave the performance everything he had.
I forgot about Jerry Jeff, and that was playing golf. I hear Sam The Sham in the early 70's could drink like a monster. Dennis Wilson at Westbury Long Island (no Carl tour). He used a music stand to put his favorite drinks on. He was sloshed and brother Brian was on Mars. Worst show I've ever seen by them.
My friends dad played in the James Gang with Joe Walsh. All of his stories start with the word "Joe" and end with the words "projectile vomit."
Amy Winehouse, Belgrade, Serbia, Summer 2011: her first gig in years & her last before dying a few weeks later. She was the headliner but they made her switch slots with Moby in the hope of getting a performance out of her before she got too drunk. Sadly, it was too late. She came out & slurred “hello Athens” & it was downhill from there. After she was incapable of singing the first song, the huge Serbian audience booed with real hostility (Serbian wages are extremely low & the tickets were pricey for this huge outdoor gig overlooking the river Danube) & it only got worse. She was falling all over the place & kept leaving the stage, only to be repeatedly pushed back on. She didn’t sing one song properly; mostly just barking incoherently into the mic like a drunken waster. It was the worst concert I’ve ever been to - hands down - & extremely sad & disappointing to witness. We left before Moby came on. As she was leaving the venue, a reporter managed to ask Amy how she felt the gig went; to which she replied (I assume, slurring) that they played all the hits & the audience loved it. Alcohol...........
It was called Hopcats on Elston (west side of the street) just south of Addison back in 1999. Not the same place that was on Clark St that also closed.
By the time Deer Tick was through with their set they were kissing each other and I'm pretty sure they aren't gay.
I guess I have been lucky. I have attended hundreds of concerts and every performer was very professional and not drunk.
Every Replacements show. Unlike some fans, I didn't find the Bob Stinson years of half-finished covers very entertaining. They were still very drunk in '87 on the Pleased to Meet Me tour, but somehow it all clicked and ended up being one of the best concerts I've ever been to. I did have a terrifying moment in the front row when Westerberg stared down with a look that made me think he was going to hurl right on my head; instead, he just pitched forward and collapsed on us.
Rick Danko 1978. Yes, with Paul Butterfield (not wasted) and Blondie Chaplin. Both were toast. Gene and Michael Clark on a Byrds revisited or whatever they called themselves at an Aurora Colorado country bar. Dewey Martin at the same place kinda toasted, same thing, Buffalo Springfield revisited or something like at. They all had only had a few years to go before they hit the great bar in the sky. Kale of the Guess Who leading some bar band Guess Who group 30+ years ago was ugly. Dennis Wilson at a Peaches store in '77 was kinda toasted. I'm remembering lots of train wrecks, but; they were cheap train wrecks. John Martyn (sic?)opening for Eric Clapton at the Nassau Coliseum in '78 was ugly. He was booed so much he went at the crowd screaming mad. I guess he was blitzed. Beat Farmers '85 but I think it was part of the act.
If Joe only played at Great America that one time, then I was at the same show. I didn't have as good a seat location as you did, but Joe didn't seem THAT drunk. A little bit off, but I enjoyed the show. What do you remember about Rick Rosas taking control?
In all my years of live shows can't say I saw any! I be really pissed if they were...I did not pay to see a fool.
If Rick The Bass Player took over then you know Joe was completely gone. In '85 everybody in his band was touching clouds. 1985 was a good year for me seeing wasted performers. Stevie takes the crown.
I saw Cale & Spedding 7 times -- I couldn't get enough of that! Just the two of them, very stark, but very musical. Spedding's one of my favorite guitarists. But I don't think Spedding was drinking -- I think it was something else he was "consuming". The last time I saw those two together (I saw Cale once after that with B. J. Cole and Soldier String Quartet, and Spedding with Robert Gordon and Spedding with Bryan Ferry), Spedding was hitting some real bum notes. Cale stopped the show midway through (and since I'd seen their show 6 times before, I knew it wasn't something they usually did), dragged Spedding off the stage, and during this impromptu "set break" a very loud ruckus could be heard coming from backstage dressing room area. Couldn't tell who was yelling or what he was saying, but it had to be Cale ranting and raving. When they eventually re-took the stage, Spedding was much subdued, and played very conservatively the rest of the show. Still made a few mistakes, but not as noticeably. I'm sure Spedding isn't "misbehaving" the way he used to -- I'm sure Ferry would not put up with that sort of thing for even a second.
I see a few mentions of Clapton here. Yes, saw him at New Jersey's Roosevelt Stadium in Summer 1974. Same tour mentioned with Freddy King. Clapton wore shades looking pretty zombied and was extremely subdued. Kept receding to the back of stage. He allowed Freddy to blow him off stage when they brought King out to join band for a song (or two?) Funny thing was, I went to see him within a week later at Madison Square Garden and he was truly great. If we hadn't already bought those MSG tickets before the NJ show, I probably would have never gone to see Clapton again.
Courtney Love with Hole at Lollapalooza 95 in Vancouver. At one point she sat down behind her mic and started rifling through her purse mid-song. She had major trouble standing up straight and a roadie came out onstage to help her. I'd guess that there was more than alcohol involved though.
A shame about Phil McCormack. Saw Hatchet a couple of years previously and Phil was one of the best front men I've ever seen. Had the crowd eating out of his hands. Really sorry you didn't have the same experience.