Gigs - the bad and the ugly ..

[Deleted User 728]

We've all been to amazing concerts and loved seeing our heroes in the flesh, but what about the crap shows or the ones when a star is obviously drunk or grumpy or they fall over mid-set ?

Anyone got any unusual tales to tell ??

The Smiths
I saw them on the Meat Is Murder tour and Mozzer walked off halfway through a song. He literally just dropped the mic and strutted off stage because loads of people were gobbing at him in the time-honoured punk way of showing your gratitude. I didn't blame him - I hated punk then and still don't like it and think it's a disgusting thing to do, along with throwing beer/pi55 at the band. It's just sub-human (also the name of a punk band, so that probably explains it).
Johnny Marr asked everyone to stop and ten minutes later they came back out and carried on, but so did the gobbing .. great gig, nonetheless.

Van Morrison
Seen him three times at various blues events and I've yet to see him smile, laugh or even say anything remotely human .. he just grunts, grumbles and has a go at the soundman, the crowd, the guitarist, anyone who gets in his eyeline, basically. He's a really horrible bloke and also a bit of a letch. I worked with a beautiful Irish girl for a while and she somehow ended up at the after-show party following a concert at Southampton Gaumont. In those days, all the stars stayed just round the corner at the rather plush Polygon hotel and they all went back to his suite for a booze-up, where he proceeded to spend the best part of an hour trying to get into her pants. At first she thought it was funny but it slowly dawned on her that he was being serious and it took her a while to politely extricate herself from the situation, before running away as soon as she got outside.
He was in his 40s and she was 19

Nina Simone
Pi55ed as a fart.
Bolloxed.
Completely sh1t-faced.
Drunk as a skunk and she was headlining a small blues festival in the west country.
It was embarrassing.
She was dolled up to the nines, carrying what can only be described as a feather tickling stick a la Ken Dodd.
Trouble was, when she sat down to play the piano she sounded like Les Dawson doing his comedy pianist routine. She sang like him too.
Truly embarrassing, yet the crowd were going wild, so happy to see a legend in the flesh.
What a let-down ..

[Wigan White]

We've all been to amazing concerts and loved seeing our heroes in the flesh, but what about the crap shows or the ones when a star is obviously drunk or grumpy or they fall over mid-set ?

Anyone got any unusual tales to tell ??

The Smiths
I saw them on the Meat Is Murder tour and Mozzer walked off halfway through a song. He literally just dropped the mic and strutted off stage because loads of people were gobbing at him in the time-honoured punk way of showing your gratitude. I didn't blame him - I hated punk then and still don't like it and think it's a disgusting thing to do, along with throwing beer/pi55 at the band. It's just sub-human (also the name of a punk band, so that probably explains it).
Johnny Marr asked everyone to stop and ten minutes later they came back out and carried on, but so did the gobbing .. great gig,

Unless it happened twice, I was at that gig.

Preston Guild Hall?

[Deleted User 728]

It happened twice.

Mine was Portsmouth Guildhall

[Wigan White]

Thinking back, I think my gig when Morrissey walked off stage was on The Queen Is Dead tour.

[Deleted User 3289]

Never liked Gigs. Great footballer but a lying, cheating excuse of a man. I hope his wife screws him back in the divorce.

[LAsouthcoast]

Van Morrison at Brighton Centre back in the eighties, he did about 40 mins and walked off, he is well known for it. Also, we went to see Badly Drawn Boy at the Duke of York in Brighton a few years back with another couple and like you do went to the pub opposite for a few drinks, after a little while in walks Damon Gough with three other blokes gets a beer and they all start playing the pool table, we left him in there to go and take our seats in the theatre and he turned up late, complained about the size of the stage and then walked off after playing about 30 mins clearly the worse for wear not to return, I have to say though we had seen him previously at Pompey Guild Hall and that night they had trouble getting him off the stage.

[Deleted User 728]

I had the chance to interview Damon Gough about ten years ago but turned it down because I'm not a fan and thought someone else would be better off asking the questions.

These days I'd probably do it but ask everyone on Facebook for the questions beforehand

[Deleted User 3289]

Ray Lamontagne at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool. The guy was so shy it became quite uncomfortable for him and the crowd. I remember one guy shouted out, asking if the woman on stage with him was single, and he just snapped and "No she isn't she's married" and that just set the whole tone for the gig. There was a earie stony silence in between songs for the rest of the gig.

[Deleted User 728]

Ray Lamontagne at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool. The guy was so shy it became quite uncomfortable for him and the crowd. I remember one guy shouted out, asking if the woman on stage with him was single, and he just snapped and "No she isn't she's married" and that just set the whole tone for the gig. There was a earie stony silence in between songs for the rest of the gig.

That's weird, isn't it ?
I read an interview with Laura Marling ahead of her new album release and she quite painfully described how she's best suited to be on her own. She talked about the breakdown of two relationships - both with other singers, one of 'em from Mumford but I can't stand them so I quickly erased that from my memory banks - and went on to say how she's just not wired to be with anyone.

I know exactly what she means myself and although she may come across as a weirdo, playing the "introvert on stage" card, it only endeared her to me all the more ..

[Deleted User 3289]

I think Morrissey is like that aswell isn't he? Two of my good mates both in their mid fifties are both single after being married once each for over 10yrs. They both say they are content being alone these days and are not really looking for the everyday commitment of a relationship. They are both happy visiting Thailand twice a year though.