Touchy subject -- if you've ever missed a band and regretted it... you later live by the rule, get your ass out the door and go hear more live music.

You don't know if that show playing on your weekend will some day be THAT SHOW of THAT BAND. So, go and hear more live shows, m'kay?

Regret Missing: Pistols. Old, new, whatever. Went to a Professionals show to console myself, but that ain't the same thang. PIL live didn't do the trick either.

Anyone who knows me knows I'll go pretty damned far for a show. After 2 attempts, I finally made it to hear Roky Erickson a few weeks ago. But, I made it. And yeah, I've been known to drive several states over to hear a band.

Regret Missing: More Cramps shows -- I just kept missing those and only heard 'em once, which is sad.

Regret Missing: Johnny Cash -- ok, not garage and a mega-star, but never got to hear him sing and that is a downright shame. *sigh*

Joy Division -- to hear what the fuss was about. Ditto Nirvana, though I had several chances, missed that completely. I was going through a blues phase and wouldn't go. Wished I'd seen XRay Specs, The Adverts, and of course, the Buzzcocks (yeah, never got to hear them play :(  Never heard Willie DeVille play live either!

I'll include Frank Sinatra, yeah, had several chances to hear him sing and wished I did, even when he was past his prime, it would have been interesting.

Most of all, I wish I could have heard The New York Dolls when they started. I was way too young; what a bummer. I still love them and never get tired of their music. 

My pleasure. We've at least has the good fortune to see some of the original Rockabillies , some , sadly , driving in Elvis' solid gold Cadillac (THREE TIMES THE SIZE OF THE ONE AT THE Country Music Hall of Fame Museum , which EVERYONE should visit , in Nashville.).

You've just added about 10 more names to my list... gee thanks,   ; )

John Battles said:

Of course , the late Ronnie Dawson NEVER failed , and the late Janis Martin kicked major ass. Great lady.

John Battles said:

Yeah , that's the deal . When I go to these Rockabilly fests (I only went to the first Viva Las Vegas , but , the next one actually looks good.) , I catch a few new acts on the flip flop , but go see the older cats , out of respect....The best have included Art Adams , Huelyn Duvall , Joe Clay , The Collins Kids (Of course) , Wanda Jackson (Ditto.) , Charlie Gracie , Billy Lee Riley , and Hayden Thompson and Sonny Burgess (But he was TERRIBLE the last time I saw him , and I missed the Batusis to go , again , out of respect , and , while he usually BLAZES , he failed.
 
Joe said:

I recently saw both Ray Campi and Mac Curtis for the first time, at last April's Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend.  Both are a little worse for wear - hell, they're in their eighties! - but it was cool to see them perform, nonetheless. 

I regret not having seen the whole Nirvana-concert dec.91 in Chicago. I catch just the end!

Back to ´84, Virgin Prunes were suppose to play in Catania/Italy (of course at that time everything was organized in a different way), so i got myself 2 piles of tickets to sell.
After a couple of weeks and after selling about 150 tickets, the band communicated they won´t come anymore!! (i don´t recall the reason) and so, a wile after that, i had lot of fun to give all the money back and recollect the tickets! :/
Newer saw them again!

I'm really sorry to hear about that.  Bands frequently skip Pittsburgh too, but at least I can always make a bus trip to NYC or Cleveland to see them.  That's really sad that you're so isolated.

Lita said:

I live in a very small town in the middle of a shit hole called South Dakota. We never get any good music to come through this state other than old, fading, dying out bands desperate to make their last quarter; so when I heard The White Stripes were coming I practically pissed myself. Then come close to show time Meg had that "nervous" breakdown and they canceled tour...I can't believe I was that close to seeing one of my favorite bands and now there isn't a chance in hell i'll see them. Hopefully I get to see The Dead Weather sometime in my lifetime. 

I live in a very small town in the middle of a shit hole called South Dakota. We never get any good music to come through this state other than old, fading, dying out bands desperate to make their last quarter; so when I heard The White Stripes were coming I practically pissed myself. Then come close to show time Meg had that "nervous" breakdown and they canceled tour...I can't believe I was that close to seeing one of my favorite bands and now there isn't a chance in hell i'll see them. Hopefully I get to see The Dead Weather sometime in my lifetime. 

Of course , the late Ronnie Dawson NEVER failed , and the late Janis Martin kicked major ass. Great lady.

John Battles said:

Yeah , that's the deal . When I go to these Rockabilly fests (I only went to the first Viva Las Vegas , but , the next one actually looks good.) , I catch a few new acts on the flip flop , but go see the older cats , out of respect....The best have included Art Adams , Huelyn Duvall , Joe Clay , The Collins Kids (Of course) , Wanda Jackson (Ditto.) , Charlie Gracie , Billy Lee Riley , and Hayden Thompson and Sonny Burgess (But he was TERRIBLE the last time I saw him , and I missed the Batusis to go , again , out of respect , and , while he usually BLAZES , he failed.
 
Joe said:

I recently saw both Ray Campi and Mac Curtis for the first time, at last April's Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend.  Both are a little worse for wear - hell, they're in their eighties! - but it was cool to see them perform, nonetheless. 

John Battles said:

SOME of our experiences , or lack of , are similar.....I did see Ray Campi in Dallas once , in 1986 , but , my Brother (Who was nice enough to take me , tho' he's not a big Rockabilly fan.) insisted we  leave after the second song of the set (His backing band had done a VERY long opening set , andit was getting late.). I saw him at the last Green Bay Fest. Like a lot of the still active Rockabillies , it was good , but , not great.
  Mac Curtis played , too , again , not great , but , honest...

 I got a couple of free passes to see Gene Summers in '83. I tried to get my other Brother to go , but , he was'nt into it. Who'da thunk that , years later , he'd be in a band with the younger Brother of one of Summer's former band members ? To be fair , I was'nt familiar with Gene Summers , I just wanted to see one of the originals , if I could. Naturally , I got the word , later , that HE was the one to see , and , the one time I had the chance to see him , he had to cancel (He'd had a heart transplant years ago , so , it may have been related to that. He's still living , but , I think he still performs just once in a great while.).

When The Clash played in Dallas , in 1982 , everybody was there , from the too punk to the not punk enough , I remember how cool and how friendly the audience members were , as much as I remember the show , itself. The Jam  were supposed to follow right behind at the same venue , but , they broke up before they ever made Dallas. I guess I don't regret it as much , now , knowing they'd be doing more of their "Soul Boy" stuff than songs from the first few albums , or even "Sound Affects" , but , sure , I wish I'd seen 'em. It's cool that you were even aware of the LA Punk scene in your early teens. But , I did meet Alice Bag , recently , on her book tour. She's VERY cool , and she told great stories , as well as doing about a half dozen songs with a pared down backing group. HER BOOK , "VIOLENCE GIRL" comes recommended.     Funny thing , too , I was even supposed to have an arranged meeting with Gary Panter when I went to what was , unfortunately , his Alma Mater , too , East Texas State University. THEY HAD A GREAT ART DEPT. , WHICH WAS THE MAIN REASON I WAS LIVING IN THAT SHITHOLE (COMMERCE , TEXAS.). I happened to be their star pupil , that and 50 cents'll get you a local newspaper , and the Dept. Head knew I was a fan of Panter's . But , it did'nt happen.
  He also did two appearances here in Chicago , neither of which I heard about.

Mike said:

Working shift work for the past 20 years, there are so many. But in my younger days I would have to say it'd be:

The Germs - by time I got into music they had stopped playing, but there was the Darby Crash band and then they did that re-union/final show in December of '80 that, being 14, I couldn't manage to get a ride to.

The Screamers - they were still playing a bit towards the end of '80 as I recall, but I was "too punk" to get it. Outside of a few demos Rodney Bingenheimer would play, they were more known to me for that Gary Panter logo that seemed to be so prolific.

The Clash - There were several opportunities to see them, yet again, I was "too punk" (aka too young and dumb) and they were too comercial. I remember using my limited funds to go see the Angelic Upstarts instead during an '82 7 night stand by the Clash at the Hollywood Palladium. The upstarts were playing just a stone's throw away from the Palladium. By time I realised the error of my ways I saw the "new" Clash on their 'Cut The Crap' tour. Not the same thing obviously.

The Jam - What can I say, my "mod" friiends were smarter than me. I passed and now regret it.

Bags - Another band I never caught thatI could of towards their end.

Ray Campi - How and why I haven't seen him I do not know! There's still a chance to though!

Mac Curtis -  see above

The list is actually quite long now that I start thinking of it, so I leave at that.

Yeah , that's the deal . When I go to these Rockabilly fests (I only went to the first Viva Las Vegas , but , the next one actually looks good.) , I catch a few new acts on the flip flop , but go see the older cats , out of respect....The best have included Art Adams , Huelyn Duvall , Joe Clay , The Collins Kids (Of course) , Wanda Jackson (Ditto.) , Charlie Gracie , Billy Lee Riley , and Hayden Thompson and Sonny Burgess (But he was TERRIBLE the last time I saw him , and I missed the Batusis to go , again , out of respect , and , while he usually BLAZES , he failed.
 
Joe said:

I recently saw both Ray Campi and Mac Curtis for the first time, at last April's Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend.  Both are a little worse for wear - hell, they're in their eighties! - but it was cool to see them perform, nonetheless. 

John Battles said:

SOME of our experiences , or lack of , are similar.....I did see Ray Campi in Dallas once , in 1986 , but , my Brother (Who was nice enough to take me , tho' he's not a big Rockabilly fan.) insisted we  leave after the second song of the set (His backing band had done a VERY long opening set , andit was getting late.). I saw him at the last Green Bay Fest. Like a lot of the still active Rockabillies , it was good , but , not great.
  Mac Curtis played , too , again , not great , but , honest...

 I got a couple of free passes to see Gene Summers in '83. I tried to get my other Brother to go , but , he was'nt into it. Who'da thunk that , years later , he'd be in a band with the younger Brother of one of Summer's former band members ? To be fair , I was'nt familiar with Gene Summers , I just wanted to see one of the originals , if I could. Naturally , I got the word , later , that HE was the one to see , and , the one time I had the chance to see him , he had to cancel (He'd had a heart transplant years ago , so , it may have been related to that. He's still living , but , I think he still performs just once in a great while.).

When The Clash played in Dallas , in 1982 , everybody was there , from the too punk to the not punk enough , I remember how cool and how friendly the audience members were , as much as I remember the show , itself. The Jam  were supposed to follow right behind at the same venue , but , they broke up before they ever made Dallas. I guess I don't regret it as much , now , knowing they'd be doing more of their "Soul Boy" stuff than songs from the first few albums , or even "Sound Affects" , but , sure , I wish I'd seen 'em. It's cool that you were even aware of the LA Punk scene in your early teens. But , I did meet Alice Bag , recently , on her book tour. She's VERY cool , and she told great stories , as well as doing about a half dozen songs with a pared down backing group. HER BOOK , "VIOLENCE GIRL" comes recommended.     Funny thing , too , I was even supposed to have an arranged meeting with Gary Panter when I went to what was , unfortunately , his Alma Mater , too , East Texas State University. THEY HAD A GREAT ART DEPT. , WHICH WAS THE MAIN REASON I WAS LIVING IN THAT SHITHOLE (COMMERCE , TEXAS.). I happened to be their star pupil , that and 50 cents'll get you a local newspaper , and the Dept. Head knew I was a fan of Panter's . But , it did'nt happen.
  He also did two appearances here in Chicago , neither of which I heard about.

Mike said:

Working shift work for the past 20 years, there are so many. But in my younger days I would have to say it'd be:

The Germs - by time I got into music they had stopped playing, but there was the Darby Crash band and then they did that re-union/final show in December of '80 that, being 14, I couldn't manage to get a ride to.

The Screamers - they were still playing a bit towards the end of '80 as I recall, but I was "too punk" to get it. Outside of a few demos Rodney Bingenheimer would play, they were more known to me for that Gary Panter logo that seemed to be so prolific.

The Clash - There were several opportunities to see them, yet again, I was "too punk" (aka too young and dumb) and they were too comercial. I remember using my limited funds to go see the Angelic Upstarts instead during an '82 7 night stand by the Clash at the Hollywood Palladium. The upstarts were playing just a stone's throw away from the Palladium. By time I realised the error of my ways I saw the "new" Clash on their 'Cut The Crap' tour. Not the same thing obviously.

The Jam - What can I say, my "mod" friiends were smarter than me. I passed and now regret it.

Bags - Another band I never caught thatI could of towards their end.

Ray Campi - How and why I haven't seen him I do not know! There's still a chance to though!

Mac Curtis -  see above

The list is actually quite long now that I start thinking of it, so I leave at that.

I recently saw both Ray Campi and Mac Curtis for the first time, at last April's Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend.  Both are a little worse for wear - hell, they're in their eighties! - but it was cool to see them perform, nonetheless. 

John Battles said:

SOME of our experiences , or lack of , are similar.....I did see Ray Campi in Dallas once , in 1986 , but , my Brother (Who was nice enough to take me , tho' he's not a big Rockabilly fan.) insisted we  leave after the second song of the set (His backing band had done a VERY long opening set , andit was getting late.). I saw him at the last Green Bay Fest. Like a lot of the still active Rockabillies , it was good , but , not great.
  Mac Curtis played , too , again , not great , but , honest...

 I got a couple of free passes to see Gene Summers in '83. I tried to get my other Brother to go , but , he was'nt into it. Who'da thunk that , years later , he'd be in a band with the younger Brother of one of Summer's former band members ? To be fair , I was'nt familiar with Gene Summers , I just wanted to see one of the originals , if I could. Naturally , I got the word , later , that HE was the one to see , and , the one time I had the chance to see him , he had to cancel (He'd had a heart transplant years ago , so , it may have been related to that. He's still living , but , I think he still performs just once in a great while.).

When The Clash played in Dallas , in 1982 , everybody was there , from the too punk to the not punk enough , I remember how cool and how friendly the audience members were , as much as I remember the show , itself. The Jam  were supposed to follow right behind at the same venue , but , they broke up before they ever made Dallas. I guess I don't regret it as much , now , knowing they'd be doing more of their "Soul Boy" stuff than songs from the first few albums , or even "Sound Affects" , but , sure , I wish I'd seen 'em. It's cool that you were even aware of the LA Punk scene in your early teens. But , I did meet Alice Bag , recently , on her book tour. She's VERY cool , and she told great stories , as well as doing about a half dozen songs with a pared down backing group. HER BOOK , "VIOLENCE GIRL" comes recommended.     Funny thing , too , I was even supposed to have an arranged meeting with Gary Panter when I went to what was , unfortunately , his Alma Mater , too , East Texas State University. THEY HAD A GREAT ART DEPT. , WHICH WAS THE MAIN REASON I WAS LIVING IN THAT SHITHOLE (COMMERCE , TEXAS.). I happened to be their star pupil , that and 50 cents'll get you a local newspaper , and the Dept. Head knew I was a fan of Panter's . But , it did'nt happen.
  He also did two appearances here in Chicago , neither of which I heard about.

Mike said:

Working shift work for the past 20 years, there are so many. But in my younger days I would have to say it'd be:

The Germs - by time I got into music they had stopped playing, but there was the Darby Crash band and then they did that re-union/final show in December of '80 that, being 14, I couldn't manage to get a ride to.

The Screamers - they were still playing a bit towards the end of '80 as I recall, but I was "too punk" to get it. Outside of a few demos Rodney Bingenheimer would play, they were more known to me for that Gary Panter logo that seemed to be so prolific.

The Clash - There were several opportunities to see them, yet again, I was "too punk" (aka too young and dumb) and they were too comercial. I remember using my limited funds to go see the Angelic Upstarts instead during an '82 7 night stand by the Clash at the Hollywood Palladium. The upstarts were playing just a stone's throw away from the Palladium. By time I realised the error of my ways I saw the "new" Clash on their 'Cut The Crap' tour. Not the same thing obviously.

The Jam - What can I say, my "mod" friiends were smarter than me. I passed and now regret it.

Bags - Another band I never caught thatI could of towards their end.

Ray Campi - How and why I haven't seen him I do not know! There's still a chance to though!

Mac Curtis -  see above

The list is actually quite long now that I start thinking of it, so I leave at that.

Never saw The Doors. That's kinda shit!

SOME of our experiences , or lack of , are similar.....I did see Ray Campi in Dallas once , in 1986 , but , my Brother (Who was nice enough to take me , tho' he's not a big Rockabilly fan.) insisted we  leave after the second song of the set (His backing band had done a VERY long opening set , andit was getting late.). I saw him at the last Green Bay Fest. Like a lot of the still active Rockabillies , it was good , but , not great.
  Mac Curtis played , too , again , not great , but , honest...

 I got a couple of free passes to see Gene Summers in '83. I tried to get my other Brother to go , but , he was'nt into it. Who'da thunk that , years later , he'd be in a band with the younger Brother of one of Summer's former band members ? To be fair , I was'nt familiar with Gene Summers , I just wanted to see one of the originals , if I could. Naturally , I got the word , later , that HE was the one to see , and , the one time I had the chance to see him , he had to cancel (He'd had a heart transplant years ago , so , it may have been related to that. He's still living , but , I think he still performs just once in a great while.).

When The Clash played in Dallas , in 1982 , everybody was there , from the too punk to the not punk enough , I remember how cool and how friendly the audience members were , as much as I remember the show , itself. The Jam  were supposed to follow right behind at the same venue , but , they broke up before they ever made Dallas. I guess I don't regret it as much , now , knowing they'd be doing more of their "Soul Boy" stuff than songs from the first few albums , or even "Sound Affects" , but , sure , I wish I'd seen 'em. It's cool that you were even aware of the LA Punk scene in your early teens. But , I did meet Alice Bag , recently , on her book tour. She's VERY cool , and she told great stories , as well as doing about a half dozen songs with a pared down backing group. HER BOOK , "VIOLENCE GIRL" comes recommended.     Funny thing , too , I was even supposed to have an arranged meeting with Gary Panter when I went to what was , unfortunately , his Alma Mater , too , East Texas State University. THEY HAD A GREAT ART DEPT. , WHICH WAS THE MAIN REASON I WAS LIVING IN THAT SHITHOLE (COMMERCE , TEXAS.). I happened to be their star pupil , that and 50 cents'll get you a local newspaper , and the Dept. Head knew I was a fan of Panter's . But , it did'nt happen.
  He also did two appearances here in Chicago , neither of which I heard about.

Mike said:

Working shift work for the past 20 years, there are so many. But in my younger days I would have to say it'd be:

The Germs - by time I got into music they had stopped playing, but there was the Darby Crash band and then they did that re-union/final show in December of '80 that, being 14, I couldn't manage to get a ride to.

The Screamers - they were still playing a bit towards the end of '80 as I recall, but I was "too punk" to get it. Outside of a few demos Rodney Bingenheimer would play, they were more known to me for that Gary Panter logo that seemed to be so prolific.

The Clash - There were several opportunities to see them, yet again, I was "too punk" (aka too young and dumb) and they were too comercial. I remember using my limited funds to go see the Angelic Upstarts instead during an '82 7 night stand by the Clash at the Hollywood Palladium. The upstarts were playing just a stone's throw away from the Palladium. By time I realised the error of my ways I saw the "new" Clash on their 'Cut The Crap' tour. Not the same thing obviously.

The Jam - What can I say, my "mod" friiends were smarter than me. I passed and now regret it.

Bags - Another band I never caught thatI could of towards their end.

Ray Campi - How and why I haven't seen him I do not know! There's still a chance to though!

Mac Curtis -  see above

The list is actually quite long now that I start thinking of it, so I leave at that.

I missed the booze when they came to Portland a while back. It still bums me out.

Rollins Band back in '92. It was the End of Silence tour, and Andrew Weiss was still playing bass. I planned on going, but I totally forgot the day. By the time they came back to Salt Lake, they were on the Weight tour, and their sound changed in my view for the worse. 

Working shift work for the past 20 years, there are so many. But in my younger days I would have to say it'd be:

The Germs - by time I got into music they had stopped playing, but there was the Darby Crash band and then they did that re-union/final show in December of '80 that, being 14, I couldn't manage to get a ride to.

The Screamers - they were still playing a bit towards the end of '80 as I recall, but I was "too punk" to get it. Outside of a few demos Rodney Bingenheimer would play, they were more known to me for that Gary Panter logo that seemed to be so prolific.

The Clash - There were several opportunities to see them, yet again, I was "too punk" (aka too young and dumb) and they were too comercial. I remember using my limited funds to go see the Angelic Upstarts instead during an '82 7 night stand by the Clash at the Hollywood Palladium. The upstarts were playing just a stone's throw away from the Palladium. By time I realised the error of my ways I saw the "new" Clash on their 'Cut The Crap' tour. Not the same thing obviously.

The Jam - What can I say, my "mod" friiends were smarter than me. I passed and now regret it.

Bags - Another band I never caught thatI could of towards their end.

Ray Campi - How and why I haven't seen him I do not know! There's still a chance to though!

Mac Curtis -  see above

The list is actually quite long now that I start thinking of it, so I leave at that.

i JUST SAW YOUR COMMENT , MikeL . We all have friends like that , especially if we or they are musicians. People we don't see too often m but are still on good terms with.

It's interesting , because some of your biggest names in music , Elvis , Bonzo , and Hank Williams before them , died with unfulfilled dates ....Tickets for shows that were supposed to happen , be it on account of death , band breakups , what have you , are known to go up in value. I can't think of any shows I was going to attend that were cancelled due to a death
 in the band , except that ill - fated "California '66" tour. Sky Saxon died , but the plan was to do the tour , anyway , in his memory. Then , The Electric Prunes cancelled , leaving just Love ( Baby Lemonade with Johnny Echols , that is.) . Jerry Miller from Moby Grape was supposed to fill one of the opening slots , but , he did'nt show , either. "Love" were still remarkably good .
MikeL said:

Mmm, that's all very interesting, John.  And I like those examples of Elvis and Led Zeppelin tickets being worth something years later.

Actually, I really don't see Michael all that often.  He's on the road a lot, and nowadays he's something of a recluse when he's home.  I used to hang out with him more often years ago, but even that was kind of sporadic.

John Battles said:

MikeL  . It's not name - droppin'. If he's your friend , he's your friend. YOU KNOW , I HAVE STRONG SUSPICIONS THAT THOSE GIGS THAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED (THEY TELL US.) AFTER THE PISTOLS' JAN. '78 SHOW IN SAN FRANCISCO WERE EVER REALLY BOOKED AND CONFIRMED.  The band was originally denied entrance into the US , THEN , WHEN THAT GOT ALL SORTED OUT , THEY WERE PROBABLY ONLY GRANTED THE STANDARD TWO WEEK TOUR VISA THAT MOST UK BANDS WHO DON'T SUCK GET FROM THE CONSULATE.  IT TOOK , OF COURSE , JUST UNDER TWO WEEKS FOR THE BAND TO BREAK UP.   Tickets were also sold for a Chicago gig at The Ivanhoe Theatre , but , were refunded , like the Pittsburgh gig , but , I have the feeling McLaren told the promoters they could have The Pistols on those other dates , even when , he , himself could'nt have been certain they'd be intact  , or , in Sid's case , alive , to fulfill them.  He told Saturday Night Live they could have The Pistols , that was as high profile as it got in 1978. But , then , when the band did get here ,well , we all know where they played and what happened.....His method was to do provocative , but comparatively low profile , gigs, instead of New York , Chicago , LA .......  markets where they already had more than a couple of hundred fans.

Maybe those bookings were on the level , but , even so , tickets were a modest $3.50 AT MOST OF THE GIGS THAT DID AND DID'NT HAPPEN , and all , or most , excepting The Wintergarden , were at venues that probably held 500 people , tops. The TICKET AGENCIES DID'NT EXACTLY RAPE HOWARD HUGHES' VAULTS TO REIMBURSE THE FEW PEOPLE WHO BOUGHT ADVANCE TICKETS....Which , you're right , and , I 've told friends who would have gone to The Ivanhoe show  , those tix would be worth something , today......This was alsostill backin the time when concert tickets (Not all of 'em ) were often one or two colored, had shiny black perforated letters , and sometimes even glitter and artwork on 'em , too.

But , who could have known there'd be a collector's market for tickets to shows that did'nt happen , like the remaining dates on Elvis or Led Zeppelin's last tours ?
 
MikeL said:

John, I have a couple of local friends who were going to see the Sex Pistols here in Pittsburgh during their first American tour.  Unfortunately, the Pittsburgh gig was scheduled after the San Francisco gig, and everyone here knows what happened that night.  They got refunds for their tickets, but now I realize that those tickets would probably be worth something on ebay.

Now that I mentioned this...I should have made a trip to see the Sex Pistols during their 2003 reunion tour.  Oh well, at least I got to see Iggy and the Stooges and the New York Dolls, two bands that inspired the Sex Pistols.

John Battles said:

I missed The Sex Pistols in Dallas in 1978 , because my parents had heard all the negative hype about them , and said , HELL , NO ! I was only 13 , tho' , and only wanted to go out of curiosity. It's not like their record was being played anywhere at the time , unless you owned it.   But , I regret , far more , missing The Ramones on the "Rocket To Russia " tour in Ft. Worth in '77 , with The Runaways (Minus Cherie Curie.) as support. My Brother went , out of curiosity , and did'nt tell me about it for years..... I did see The Pistols in '96 and '03 , though. Both were good Rock'n'Roll shows , all I could ask for , even if they did'nt do "Silver Machine " , "Through My Eyes" , "Don't Gimme No Lip , Child' or Roky's favorite , "Hot Cars".
 Max Reverb said:

I missed seeing the Sex Pistols reunion in like 97 because my ride (show was several states away) had a dumb kid that day!

 I missed the Jimi Hendrix Band Of Gypsy's concert at The Fillmore East on New Years Eve 1969-70 because My Mom wouldn't let me go into the East Village for a a midnight concert. I was only 12. My older sister wanted to take me.

Glad to do it , Dave. I read , later , that Roky made up funny song titles of his own to put off interviewerswho wanted to know if he'd been writing...."WEEEEELL , I've got a new one called "President Ford is a Square Queer" , mm- hmmm.". Some of those titles were rumored to be real songs Roky had written , but never recorded.

 That whole interview is on the "Live at TheRItz '87" CD , and probably on You Tube. It's as funny as "The Troggs Tapes". " I think The Sex Pistols are pretty groovy , mm- hmm. They remind me a lot of Fiorello La Guardia , sure.".
whatwave dave said:

John Battles said:

I missed The Sex Pistols in Dallas in 1978 , because my parents had heard all the negative hype about them , and said , HELL , NO ! I was only 13 , tho' , and only wanted to go out of curiosity. It's not like their record was being played anywhere at the time , unless you owned it.   But , I regret , far more , missing The Ramones on the "Rocket To Russia " tour in Ft. Worth in '77 , with The Runaways (Minus Cherie Curie.) as support. My Brother went , out of curiosity , and did'nt tell me about it for years..... I did see The Pistols in '96 and '03 , though. Both were good Rock'n'Roll shows , all I could ask for , even if they did'nt do "Silver Machine " , "Through My Eyes" , "Don't Gimme No Lip , Child' or Roky's favorite , "Hot Cars".

Hot Cars.....that made me laugh out loud!!!!!!! I still remember hearing Roky say that on the Epitpaph For A Legend double LP years ago and actually trying to figure out what song Roky was talking about!! Thanx for making me laugh John!!!

Mmm, that's all very interesting, John.  And I like those examples of Elvis and Led Zeppelin tickets being worth something years later.

Actually, I really don't see Michael all that often.  He's on the road a lot, and nowadays he's something of a recluse when he's home.  I used to hang out with him more often years ago, but even that was kind of sporadic.

John Battles said:

MikeL  . It's not name - droppin'. If he's your friend , he's your friend. YOU KNOW , I HAVE STRONG SUSPICIONS THAT THOSE GIGS THAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED (THEY TELL US.) AFTER THE PISTOLS' JAN. '78 SHOW IN SAN FRANCISCO WERE EVER REALLY BOOKED AND CONFIRMED.  The band was originally denied entrance into the US , THEN , WHEN THAT GOT ALL SORTED OUT , THEY WERE PROBABLY ONLY GRANTED THE STANDARD TWO WEEK TOUR VISA THAT MOST UK BANDS WHO DON'T SUCK GET FROM THE CONSULATE.  IT TOOK , OF COURSE , JUST UNDER TWO WEEKS FOR THE BAND TO BREAK UP.   Tickets were also sold for a Chicago gig at The Ivanhoe Theatre , but , were refunded , like the Pittsburgh gig , but , I have the feeling McLaren told the promoters they could have The Pistols on those other dates , even when , he , himself could'nt have been certain they'd be intact  , or , in Sid's case , alive , to fulfill them.  He told Saturday Night Live they could have The Pistols , that was as high profile as it got in 1978. But , then , when the band did get here ,well , we all know where they played and what happened.....His method was to do provocative , but comparatively low profile , gigs, instead of New York , Chicago , LA .......  markets where they already had more than a couple of hundred fans.

Maybe those bookings were on the level , but , even so , tickets were a modest $3.50 AT MOST OF THE GIGS THAT DID AND DID'NT HAPPEN , and all , or most , excepting The Wintergarden , were at venues that probably held 500 people , tops. The TICKET AGENCIES DID'NT EXACTLY RAPE HOWARD HUGHES' VAULTS TO REIMBURSE THE FEW PEOPLE WHO BOUGHT ADVANCE TICKETS....Which , you're right , and , I 've told friends who would have gone to The Ivanhoe show  , those tix would be worth something , today......This was alsostill backin the time when concert tickets (Not all of 'em ) were often one or two colored, had shiny black perforated letters , and sometimes even glitter and artwork on 'em , too.

But , who could have known there'd be a collector's market for tickets to shows that did'nt happen , like the remaining dates on Elvis or Led Zeppelin's last tours ?
 
MikeL said:

John, I have a couple of local friends who were going to see the Sex Pistols here in Pittsburgh during their first American tour.  Unfortunately, the Pittsburgh gig was scheduled after the San Francisco gig, and everyone here knows what happened that night.  They got refunds for their tickets, but now I realize that those tickets would probably be worth something on ebay.

Now that I mentioned this...I should have made a trip to see the Sex Pistols during their 2003 reunion tour.  Oh well, at least I got to see Iggy and the Stooges and the New York Dolls, two bands that inspired the Sex Pistols.

John Battles said:

I missed The Sex Pistols in Dallas in 1978 , because my parents had heard all the negative hype about them , and said , HELL , NO ! I was only 13 , tho' , and only wanted to go out of curiosity. It's not like their record was being played anywhere at the time , unless you owned it.   But , I regret , far more , missing The Ramones on the "Rocket To Russia " tour in Ft. Worth in '77 , with The Runaways (Minus Cherie Curie.) as support. My Brother went , out of curiosity , and did'nt tell me about it for years..... I did see The Pistols in '96 and '03 , though. Both were good Rock'n'Roll shows , all I could ask for , even if they did'nt do "Silver Machine " , "Through My Eyes" , "Don't Gimme No Lip , Child' or Roky's favorite , "Hot Cars".
 Max Reverb said:

I missed seeing the Sex Pistols reunion in like 97 because my ride (show was several states away) had a dumb kid that day!

MikeL  . It's not name - droppin'. If he's your friend , he's your friend. YOU KNOW , I HAVE STRONG SUSPICIONS THAT THOSE GIGS THAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED (THEY TELL US.) AFTER THE PISTOLS' JAN. '78 SHOW IN SAN FRANCISCO WERE EVER REALLY BOOKED AND CONFIRMED.  The band was originally denied entrance into the US , THEN , WHEN THAT GOT ALL SORTED OUT , THEY WERE PROBABLY ONLY GRANTED THE STANDARD TWO WEEK TOUR VISA THAT MOST UK BANDS WHO DON'T SUCK GET FROM THE CONSULATE.  IT TOOK , OF COURSE , JUST UNDER TWO WEEKS FOR THE BAND TO BREAK UP.   Tickets were also sold for a Chicago gig at The Ivanhoe Theatre , but , were refunded , like the Pittsburgh gig , but , I have the feeling McLaren told the promoters they could have The Pistols on those other dates , even when , he , himself could'nt have been certain they'd be intact  , or , in Sid's case , alive , to fulfill them.  He told Saturday Night Live they could have The Pistols , that was as high profile as it got in 1978. But , then , when the band did get here ,well , we all know where they played and what happened.....His method was to do provocative , but comparatively low profile , gigs, instead of New York , Chicago , LA .......  markets where they already had more than a couple of hundred fans.

Maybe those bookings were on the level , but , even so , tickets were a modest $3.50 AT MOST OF THE GIGS THAT DID AND DID'NT HAPPEN , and all , or most , excepting The Wintergarden , were at venues that probably held 500 people , tops. The TICKET AGENCIES DID'NT EXACTLY RAPE HOWARD HUGHES' VAULTS TO REIMBURSE THE FEW PEOPLE WHO BOUGHT ADVANCE TICKETS....Which , you're right , and , I 've told friends who would have gone to The Ivanhoe show  , those tix would be worth something , today......This was alsostill backin the time when concert tickets (Not all of 'em ) were often one or two colored, had shiny black perforated letters , and sometimes even glitter and artwork on 'em , too. They're just more fun to collect , if you collect 'em at all. I saw a James Brown concert in '91 , where a lawsuit was later filed (Because the promoters promised Little Richard , Aretha Franklin , Johnny Taylor , Al Green and more.), AND PEOPLE WHO STILL HAD THEIR TIX COULD RETURN THEM FOR A PARTIAL REFUND. I could'nt do that , I was sassified that I at least saw James Brown , and the two tone , glittered and perforated anachronism of a ticket had "Thin Lizzy with UFO - 1977." WRITTEN ALL OVER IT !

But , who could have known there'd be a collector's market for tickets to shows that did'nt happen , like the remaining dates on Elvis or Led Zeppelin's last tours ?
 
MikeL said:

John, I have a couple of local friends who were going to see the Sex Pistols here in Pittsburgh during their first American tour.  Unfortunately, the Pittsburgh gig was scheduled after the San Francisco gig, and everyone here knows what happened that night.  They got refunds for their tickets, but now I realize that those tickets would probably be worth something on ebay.

Now that I mentioned this...I should have made a trip to see the Sex Pistols during their 2003 reunion tour.  Oh well, at least I got to see Iggy and the Stooges and the New York Dolls, two bands that inspired the Sex Pistols.

John Battles said:

I missed The Sex Pistols in Dallas in 1978 , because my parents had heard all the negative hype about them , and said , HELL , NO ! I was only 13 , tho' , and only wanted to go out of curiosity. It's not like their record was being played anywhere at the time , unless you owned it.   But , I regret , far more , missing The Ramones on the "Rocket To Russia " tour in Ft. Worth in '77 , with The Runaways (Minus Cherie Curie.) as support. My Brother went , out of curiosity , and did'nt tell me about it for years..... I did see The Pistols in '96 and '03 , though. Both were good Rock'n'Roll shows , all I could ask for , even if they did'nt do "Silver Machine " , "Through My Eyes" , "Don't Gimme No Lip , Child' or Roky's favorite , "Hot Cars".
 Max Reverb said:

I missed seeing the Sex Pistols reunion in like 97 because my ride (show was several states away) had a dumb kid that day!

John Battles said:

I missed The Sex Pistols in Dallas in 1978 , because my parents had heard all the negative hype about them , and said , HELL , NO ! I was only 13 , tho' , and only wanted to go out of curiosity. It's not like their record was being played anywhere at the time , unless you owned it.   But , I regret , far more , missing The Ramones on the "Rocket To Russia " tour in Ft. Worth in '77 , with The Runaways (Minus Cherie Curie.) as support. My Brother went , out of curiosity , and did'nt tell me about it for years..... I did see The Pistols in '96 and '03 , though. Both were good Rock'n'Roll shows , all I could ask for , even if they did'nt do "Silver Machine " , "Through My Eyes" , "Don't Gimme No Lip , Child' or Roky's favorite , "Hot Cars".

Hot Cars.....that made me laugh out loud!!!!!!! I still remember hearing Roky say that on the Epitpaph For A Legend double LP years ago and actually trying to figure out what song Roky was talking about!! Thanx for making me laugh John!!!

BTW, one of those friends is Michael Kastelic of the Cynics:)  Yes, I'm being a shameless name dropper.

MikeL said:

John, I have a couple of local friends who were going to see the Sex Pistols here in Pittsburgh during their first American tour.  Unfortunately, the Pittsburgh gig was scheduled after the San Francisco gig, and everyone here knows what happened that night.  They got refunds for their tickets, but now I realize that those tickets would probably be worth something on ebay.

Now that I mentioned this...I should have made a trip to see the Sex Pistols during their 2003 reunion tour.  Oh well, at least I got to see Iggy and the Stooges and the New York Dolls, two bands that inspired the Sex Pistols.

John Battles said:

I missed The Sex Pistols in Dallas in 1978 , because my parents had heard all the negative hype about them , and said , HELL , NO ! I was only 13 , tho' , and only wanted to go out of curiosity. It's not like their record was being played anywhere at the time , unless you owned it.   But , I regret , far more , missing The Ramones on the "Rocket To Russia " tour in Ft. Worth in '77 , with The Runaways (Minus Cherie Curie.) as support. My Brother went , out of curiosity , and did'nt tell me about it for years..... I did see The Pistols in '96 and '03 , though. Both were good Rock'n'Roll shows , all I could ask for , even if they did'nt do "Silver Machine " , "Through My Eyes" , "Don't Gimme No Lip , Child' or Roky's favorite , "Hot Cars".
 Max Reverb said:

I missed seeing the Sex Pistols reunion in like 97 because my ride (show was several states away) had a dumb kid that day!

John, I have a couple of local friends who were going to see the Sex Pistols here in Pittsburgh during their first American tour.  Unfortunately, the Pittsburgh gig was scheduled after the San Francisco gig, and everyone here knows what happened that night.  They got refunds for their tickets, but now I realize that those tickets would probably be worth something on ebay.

Now that I mentioned this...I should have made a trip to see the Sex Pistols during their 2003 reunion tour.  Oh well, at least I got to see Iggy and the Stooges and the New York Dolls, two bands that inspired the Sex Pistols.

John Battles said:

I missed The Sex Pistols in Dallas in 1978 , because my parents had heard all the negative hype about them , and said , HELL , NO ! I was only 13 , tho' , and only wanted to go out of curiosity. It's not like their record was being played anywhere at the time , unless you owned it.   But , I regret , far more , missing The Ramones on the "Rocket To Russia " tour in Ft. Worth in '77 , with The Runaways (Minus Cherie Curie.) as support. My Brother went , out of curiosity , and did'nt tell me about it for years..... I did see The Pistols in '96 and '03 , though. Both were good Rock'n'Roll shows , all I could ask for , even if they did'nt do "Silver Machine " , "Through My Eyes" , "Don't Gimme No Lip , Child' or Roky's favorite , "Hot Cars".
 Max Reverb said:

I missed seeing the Sex Pistols reunion in like 97 because my ride (show was several states away) had a dumb kid that day!

Sorry to hear that. Link and Bo both have EVERYTHING to do with it. IT being Garage Rock .

I was lucky enough to have seen both several times. Tho' Bo strove to get more "Modern" , Hendrixish guitar, no Bo Diddley beats , occasional flirtations with Funk and Reggae , he always put on a very good show. On a bad night , Link killed 99% of 'em on a good night.
 
ChazDaddy said:

Great topic, but it causes me pain. I have missed many for many reasons over the years, but two that regret most were Link Wray and Bo Didley. Both came to Rochester a few yearsback at small venues, i missed both and they both died shortly thereafter...Ugh! Well I still spin their tunes all the time anyway, i see these Kats as two of the Fathers of garage/rock at least huge influences anyway.

Chaz

I missed The Sex Pistols in Dallas in 1978 , because my parents had heard all the negative hype about them , and said , HELL , NO ! I was only 13 , tho' , and only wanted to go out of curiosity. It's not like their record was being played anywhere at the time , unless you owned it.   But , I regret , far more , missing The Ramones on the "Rocket To Russia " tour in Ft. Worth in '77 , with The Runaways (Minus Cherie Curie.) as support. My Brother went , out of curiosity , and did'nt tell me about it for years..... I did see The Pistols in '96 and '03 , though. Both were good Rock'n'Roll shows , all I could ask for , even if they did'nt do "Silver Machine " , "Through My Eyes" , "Don't Gimme No Lip , Child' or Roky's favorite , "Hot Cars".
 Max Reverb said:

I missed seeing the Sex Pistols reunion in like 97 because my ride (show was several states away) had a dumb kid that day!

haha I laughed when I saw this because although over the years many I can't remember, right before I logged in I was just thinking about how mad I am that I won't be going to Night Beats tomorrow. Seems like I miss out on a lot, never get to go to festivals either. Anyway have fun at whatever cool Halloween shows people are going to.