I'm pretty sure I've seen GBV fake it more times than I've seen them actually drunk. Especially lately.
This. I've seen much of the band very hammered on more than one occasion (Dougie and March always seems to keep it together). I remember looking at Nate Farley a couple times and thinking, "That guy is gonna fall down." He looked green.
Uncle Al is the best. Who would have thunk that'd he'd go from a fake British new wave artist to one of the father's of industrial metal. He's lucky to be alive.
I must be lucky. I've seen both (MES 4 or 5 times) and never got anything but a professional show. Functional, maybe, but still working.
I saw them quite a few times in the 90s. They weren't faking it then. Haven't seen them in this century.
Eric Clapton - Derek and the Dominos. Many folks just walked out. I left too. It was bad, a real mess.
Stevie Ray Vaughan - State University College at Oneonta, New York - 1986. He was staggering and horrible. Really unfortunate considering he was playing in a tiny gymnasium.
By the way "Hippies", "60's rejects" and "acid casualties" were his words not mine. I was one of the hippie, acid casualties.
Unfortunately I've seen Eddie Van Halen when he wasn't at his best. Tampa 2008. He was fine other times I've seen him, like Hershey 1998 and 2004, Tampa 2012 and 2015. But I was disappointed with him in 2008.
Drunk or high, not sure, but Gregg Allman in 1998, or so. Ugh. Dickie was holding them together then.
Dennis Wilson with the Beach Boys at the Universal Amphitheater in June of 1979. I was there in the front row as I had friends with the Beach Boys at that time. After the first act the set was changed in less than 20 minutes, but we waited and waited, and the waited some more. All told it seemed to be over an hour before the Beach Boys came out and Dennis was so drunk he could barely walk. Luckily for him, there was another drummer. Dennis did manage to play drums for a few songs then took the mic and stumbled downstage to sing 'You Are So Beautiful' and it was a slobbering mess. I was backstage after the show and it was very strange. Nobody was talking to anybody.
I don't know the name of the band, but it was back in 1979. I was in NYC visiting friends and they suggested we gon out and see some bands. All well and good, but we didn't leave their place until just after midnight. We got to one club and after paying admission, waited about an hour before the first band. The band had already been there for hours and had finished their soundcheck before we got there and they were all drinking. When they finally came on, the drummer counted off the first song, the guitar and bass came right and the singer sauntered up to the mike. He took the mike from the stand and proceeded to fall forward into the audience and passed out. Classic punk move.
Ronnie Van Zant 74 in Charlotte NC. Came out drunk then someone in the audience handed him a bottle of Jack just before the 3rd song (Gimme 3 Steps). After some wild antics and the 1st verse he went down like George Foreman had just hit him. Carted off on a stretcher. Fortunately the members of the MTB came back out and saved Skynerds bacon.
Danny Joe Brown - Molly Hatchet Saw them at the Zepher Club in SLC in 1986. At the start of the show Danny told the bartenders over the PA to keep the Jack coming (they were doubles). He must have went thru 12 of those thru the show. He was drunk but he still put on a bourbon soaked & swaggering brilliant Southern Rock show. RIP Danny.
I've only seen Todd Rundgren drunk at a show once, but it was with Joe Jackson and Ethel. It should have been an amazing show, and he was just sloppy.
The Moody Blues, actually only the flute player. This was the late 80's. He was stumbling around the stage and deliberately getting in the face of his bandmates and distracting them. I thought Justin Hayward was going to punch him at one point. Then he put his fist through a tambourine. He thought it was funny so he tossed it into the audience and did it again. And again. And about ten more times. By that point the rest of the band was just trying to ignore him. Fortunately the rest of the band were sober and great.
Mac Davis at the Ohio State Fair in the 70's when he was hot. He would sing one or two lines to a song, then he'd turn and look at the band who went ahead and played the full song with no singing going on. The show was saved by the next artist up, Al Green who was fantastic.
Rickie Lee Jones in 1981 in Pasadena. Mite not have been just alcohol. Her buddy Tom waits in 78 in Chicago but i now think it was all an acting job. The Replacements with original guitarist Bob mid 80s. They were at least happy drunks.