Gigs (of all kinds) that you missed out on, and why.

Nirvana, he was fecking brown bread

That happened to my old boss who had tickets for Michael Jackson at the O2 when he died.

Same here mouse - did you have the Brixton tickets? still got mine

Was for Brum, can't remember the venue.

I also had tickets for Nirvana at Brixton academy!

Not sure it really counts but I went to Glastonbury twelve times between the late eighties and late 2000’s. Although I love live music, I was more into the festival and the smaller tents/stages so I missed practically every big name that played on the main stages!

Genesis, over a fecking woman! (long story)

Never got round to watching New Order live, on account of getting older and thinking: "well, I've already seen them as Joy Division, so I'll just have a nice night in with the formbook, thanks."

Saw their Glastonbury performance on the box a couple of years ago, and I don't think I missed much. Sumner and Morris looked and sounded like Colin Crompton and Jack Duckworth, and I couldn't recognize anybody else.

Whenever I think about Joy Division and New Order, this is always in my mind.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=th8A8m7_b1g

New Order - Ceremony - Live 1981.

I had a ticket to see The B52's in Hammersmith.  I chose to watch
an FA Cup Replay instead.

Motorhead - Hammersmith Odeon (January 2016)

Lemmy died at Christmas and they (quite correctly) disbanded

xtc at newcastle city hall about 1982ish , andy partridge got stage fright about week before( in paris i think )   and it was years before performed live again.

The Clash, from 1980 onwards I was going to gigs all the time but I never got around to see them live.

MM, I'd forgotten about XTC. Went to see them in Sheffield, probably also '82, turned up at the venue to find the doors locked and a sign saying 'due to unforeseen circumstances etc......'
Fortunately I'd seen them in York a year or two earlier and they were excellent.

The Ramones at the Brighton Centre in autumn 1979 is an odd one. I feel annoyed at having never seen the Ramones. But according to my mate Pete I was definitely there, down at the front, pogoing like mad. Yet I have no recollection of the gig taking place or my presence at it. 

When I mentioned this problem before on here, someone replied that if you remembered the seventies, then you weren't there. So I'll stick with that.

My mate goes on about us going to see Tears for Fears in the 80's.  I can't remember it at all.

80's must have been similar to the 70's.

(Maybe need  a new thread, Gigs You Can't Remember Going To)

@ screaming from beneaththewaves ! For me it was the 80's, going here there and everywhere and you could smoke a joint at concerts, dog tracks, horse tracks and nobody batted an eyelid because pretty much everyone was skinning up or taking charlie, or both in that decade!

Jack apparently I saw Earth, Wind And Fire at Wembley Arena but to this day I just cannot remember being there although my mate Andy said he had to put me in a taxi afterwards to get home as I was little bit "over tired"

Slippy - he was a good mate.  I never had anyone help me out like that.

just remembered another two, inspiral carpets at riverside in newcastle , cancelled, cant remember why, late 80s.
pale fountains  at tiffanys newcastle about 1983, supported by black, all turned up after 11.30 so had to get last train back to sunderland ( on me own and just a poor student ).

I went to see Finlay Quaye at the Shepherds Bush Empire – not sure what year – maybe around ’97? Anyway, Alabama 3 were supporting and did their set after which we waited for FQ to come on.

After waiting ages, a bloke came on stage and jovially said that “due to illness” FQ wouldn’t be playing – I distinctly remember a few people laughing, thinking it was a joke until realisation dawned that he was being serious. He left the stage pretty quickly as drink started heading his way!

On the way out, I was speaking to a security guard who said that FQ was completely wasted in the dressing rooms!

What made things worse was that an air-hostess friend of ours had flown into London that weekend and decided last-minute to join us so we had to get a tout ticket outside and paid well over the odds for a gig that she didn’t end up seeing!

Nirvana at the Manchester Academy.

Already had tickets for Latics League Cup Tie at Old Trafford.
We were losing after 2 mins .....ffs

U2 - severe case of vertigo
Simply red  - money was too tight to mention
KC sunshine band -  bought ticket , but had to give it up
Matt Bianco - couldn't get out of my lazy bed
Kaiser chiefs -  cancelled due to a a riot !
Specials  -  ticket surrendered  ... got threatened by gangsters
Style council -  the walls came tumbling down
Carole King -  got there too late
Kasabian - a fire
Bon Jovi - got half way there
Vangelis - concert was OK , but i couldn't find my way home

Coach

Missed the Stones due to my 19th nervous breakdown.

there's always something mouse

Missed out on this a couple of years ago . Fortunately there's another tour next year

https://tynetheatreandoperahouse.uk/events/the-musical-box-a-genesis-extrava...

I saw them at Hammersmith in 2017 Reynard and they were brilliant.
Got tickets for Cambridge in 2020

Cheers for the heads up , Mr Moon . I'll take that as a recommendation from one with such impeccable taste . I'm a fool for nostalgia

Scene 1: Didn't happen to me but I know a guy who got great tickets for a band that shall remain unnamed, but rather than putting them in a safe place he carries them around in wallet to show off to people.
Scene 2: Goes to pub and loses wallet.
Moral of story: Don't carry valuable things you don't need to around all the ****ing time especially to show off. "Pride cometh before missing a gig".

Woodstock in 1969.
I was working as an apprentice carpenter on a building site on Staten Island.
My sister was working in Manhatten.
She wanted me to go with her and a friend, but it was 300 miles away in upstate New York.
You were sure to get the sack if you were not on site on time Monday.
I remember all the workers on site reading newspapers the following week - torrential rain, mud, traffic jams for miles at Woodstock.

When I was 17, I missed seeing Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine because of a chess accident.

I was playing alcoholic chess (every piece you capture, you drink an amount proportional to its value) and drank a bottle of wine. Because I was a total lightweight in those days, that was enough for me to fall into a window and cut my head quite badly. I was at my mate's house, but because his parents' car was being repaired my dad had to pick me up and take me to hospital. I was too drunk to walk, so they had to put me in a wheelchair, and I kept being sick over the side.

As a punishment, my mum said I wasn't allowed to go to the gig.

Coach

ramones 1988 - car had a blow out on the m1, lad driving didn't have a spare - tw@t

also arrived late for net aid, same scenario, only this time had a spare but it was flat, rac save that one

"When I was 17, I missed seeing Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine because of a chess accident."

Patra, apart from Depeche Mode I have seen Carter USM more than any other band, they used to rock the Brixton Academy to bits. Jimbob lives not far from me in Crystal Palace. I always thought they never got the recognition they deserved personally.

another one, mull historical society supported by zutons at newcastle uni about 2003 ish, watching zutons, felt all sweaty and pain as though was about to blow up, had to leave ( was a gallstone attack ) .

Yep, it was at the Brixton Academy in 1993ish. I guess you might well have gone that night.