Concert missed opportunities - rewind that moment please!

[RobotDoctor]

I am sure many have passed on a concert at one time or another and wished they could rewind time and change our minds.  My ultimate concert rewind was in June 1983.  It was a cold, rainy day in Colorado.  A high school buddy of mine asked me if I wanted to go see a concert at Red Rocks because his girlfriend didn't want to sit in the cold rain.  The group wasn't very familiar with me and I may had heard a song of theirs.  That group was not on my musical play list (at the time).  I passed because, for the lack of a better phrase, I was a complete idiot.  Yes, I passed on U2 at Red Rocks.  My wife has told me that, "You were an idiot, I was there with Lori."  There were around 4,400 people in attendance but the concert was the one the U2 video was made and Sunday Bloody Sunday was the music video MTV continuously played that launched U2 into world wide acclaim.  U2 has become one of my favorite bands and I have seen many concerts but U2 isn't one of the groups.  They are near the top of my bucket list.

 

If only I could rewind that moment.  UGH!!!!!

[Argonne69]

My biggest regret was not seeing Pink Floyd's "The Wall" tour. I wasn't a huge fan at the time, but over the years they became one of my favorites, and I regret missing them in their prime.

 

'Same with the Eagles. 

 

[Petethreeput]

1988, Metallica in Burlington, VT. $11.  I was the driver and the group I was with didn’t want to go.  Tickets were available, small venue.  Ugh.

 

’83 U2 playing a bar, maybe before (I can’t remember) and they wouldn’t let me in bc I was under ‘21.

 

’89. didn’t go to Hampton for the Dead and they played Box of Rain for the first time in 19 years.  🤦‍♂️

 

I grew up in Pittsburgh and didn’t see Springsteen (early), Pink Floyd, the Who.  Kicking myself, but the #1 is skipping Metallica when I happened to be in Burlington that night.

[Bob Cat]

Rush.

Been eating at me for years.  Dumb Word not allowed.

[Petethreeput]

5 minutes ago, Bob Cat said:

Rush.

Been eating at me for years.  Dumb Word not allowed.

Forgot about them, why I didn’t go see them when they were an absolute favorite is an absolute mystery to me.

[kwcsports]

Queen concert in Montreal 1980. My friend and his parents asked me to go, had a free ticket for me. They would drive us from Nova Scotia, 12 hour drive, pay for hotel , everything. I was 14, my parents wouldn't let me go. I'm still pissed off, 42 years later. Never got to see them. 

[kwcsports]

2 minutes ago, Petethreeput said:

Forgot about them, why I didn’t go see them when they were an absolute favorite is an absolute mystery to me.

Not rubbing it in but I've seen Rush 9 times. One of my favorite bands all time. 

[Fuscinator]

Art, not music, but I passed on a Joseph Cornell exhibit at the MOMA in NY in the early 80s. To this day, I still pretend it doesn't bother me.

[RobotDoctor]

1 hour ago, Argonne69 said:

My biggest regret was not seeing Pink Floyd's "The Wall" tour. I wasn't a huge fan at the time, but over the years they became one of my favorites, and I regret missing them in their prime.

 

'Same with the Eagles. 

 

Agree with the Pink Floyd regret.  I have seen Brit Floyd.  Great tribute band and closest to seeing Pink Floyd.  I did see the Eagles in 2014, Glenn Fret’s last tour.  I’m so happy to have seen them.  

[AZ_JHWK]

This kind of flips the script a bit. The one I wasn't excited about but went anyway. The Who 1980. The pyrotechnics/flash pots were off the charts. Probably not even legal now for indoor venues. With low expectations come great surprises. Probably a Top 3 concert memory. Was a lifelong fan after that show.

 

They were a few years before my time, but we figured they might not be touring much longer, so let's go. How wrong were we? 😆   They just played in PHX in October '22.

[MK7Golf21]

1 hour ago, RobotDoctor said:

Agree with the Pink Floyd regret.  I have seen Brit Floyd.  Great tribute band and closest to seeing Pink Floyd.  I did see the Eagles in 2014, Glenn Fret’s last tour.  I’m so happy to have seen them.  

 

Forget some tribute band, David Gilmore has done tours, that would be the closest thing and Roger Waters has done tours as well. Both are equally good but I would probably want to see the Gilmore show, he was the talent and Waters was the brains, too bad they couldn't cooperate. 

[SteelieD]

Still have an unused ticket to see The Ramones at the Hollywood Palladium in 1986. A buddy and I (still my golfing partner) took some girlfriends and headed to Hollywood from Orange County. Got a little lost. One girl got sick (might’ve been some alcohol involved) so we said “Eff it” and turned around and drove home.
 

There are definitely others but this one haunts me. 
 

[RobotDoctor]

20 minutes ago, MK7Golf21 said:

 

Forget some tribute band, David Gilmore has done tours, that would be the closest thing and Roger Waters has done tours as well. Both are equally good but I would probably want to see the Gilmore show, he was the talent and Waters was the brains, too bad they couldn't cooperate. 

Totally agree.  David Gilmore is my favorite Pink Floyd member and the one I would love to see in concert.  Roger Waters is also terrific and would make a great concert.  Maybe I will look into seeing one, or both, in the future.

[BombinJim]

I had an opportunity to see Pearl Jam close out the Spectrum in Philadelphia in 2016 and my excuse for not going was so lame I don’t even remember what it was. From my friends who did go, that show was incredible and even became featured in their latest documentary Pearl Jam Twenty.

 

https://www.alternativenation.net/look-back-pearl-jam-closing-philadelphia-spectrum/

[Nard_S]

Had tickets for Queen at MSG did not go.

 

Had tickets for Eagles family passing could not go.

 

Prince a year before he passed. Tix were there to be bought at decent prices considering.

 

Elton on last tour tix were not that crazy in Brookyn. Wife didn't care so I did not go.

 

 

[SteelieD]

6 hours ago, RobotDoctor said:

Yes, I passed on U2 at Red Rocks.  
 

If only I could rewind that moment.  UGH!!!!!

That’s rough man. 😬

[Argonne69]

On the flipside, my buddy won a pair of tickets to see a new artist, Elvis Costello. Since he didn't drive, he said I could have one of the tickets if I drove. Wasn't expecting much, but the show was awesome. He's still a favorite to this day. I believe the band Talk Talk was the opening act.

 

For my young nephew's birthday, my sister purchased tickets to see one of his favorite artists, Adam Ant. She couldn't make it, so she asked me to take him. He wasn't bad, but the real highlight turned out to be the opening act, INXS, on their first U.S. tour. That was a blast.

 

Edited January 2, 2023 by Argonne69

[RainShadow]

As a teen, I was invited to travel down to Los Angeles to see Pink Floyd on the Animals tour and Led Zeppelin at the Forum. I was a freshman in HS. Parents weren't cool with it, ( or cool at a all )so I missed out. Those are probably the two that stand out 

I saw a lot of other great shows later in my teens and twenties, though. Mid 70's through the 80's

October 18, 1975: Allman Brothers Band, Dave Mason, Little Feat (Harder Stadium) (PP)

Heart, Skynard and Jefferson Starship UCSB

Rod Stewart at UCSB

Fleetwood Mac Rumours tour  UCSB

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Damn the Torpedos tour UCSB

The list goes on.

 

[RainShadow]

7 hours ago, kwcsports said:

Queen concert in Montreal 1980. My friend and his parents asked me to go, had a free ticket for me. They would drive us from Nova Scotia, 12 hour drive, pay for hotel , everything. I was 14, my parents wouldn't let me go. I'm still pissed off, 42 years later. Never got to see them. 

 See my post.....My parents weren't cool at all. Very uptight, hated me surfing and hanging at the beach.....

 

[Jim53]

Oddly I have never been to a Jimmy Buffet show, have followed his music for years after a chance meeting in Marathon, Fl in 1979 when he walked into the Hurricane Bar with his guitar and played for a couple of hours. 

I spent most of my spare time in the Hurricane when I had money to spend. Being a young Commercial fisherman, either you had a pocketful of cash or none at all and back in 1979 there was not much too do in Marathon, the saying was either fish, $@#% or fight. 

Edited January 3, 2023 by Jim53

[Wooley12]

Buddies asked me to go to a weekend outdoor concert but I passed to go to the movies with my GF. Woodstock. Although I'd never heard of the guy, I did go to this one. Got the good $5 seats up front.

 

 

 

 

Edited January 3, 2023 by Wooley12

[ode]

Metallica - Summerfest 94, where did my f$&+ing ticket go🤔, lost it on the way, dunno what happened but never got in🤬😡😠😤

[david.c.w]

I am not a big music guy but I really missed out on a concert in Birmingham, AL in spring of '95.  Was in college in Nashville and my buddy wanted me to drive down to see Cracker, Big Head Todd, and Toad the Wet Sprocket.  Not huge bands but pretty much the soundtrack to my early 90's college life.  

 

It was during finals and I had a statics test the next day.  I skipped the concert and got an A on the final and the class.  One of my few true A's in the College of Engineering.  Glad I skipped it, but man it would have been good.

 

 

[Bob Cat]

On 1/2/2023 at 11:25 AM, kwcsports said:

Not rubbing it in but I've seen Rush 9 times. One of my favorite bands all time. 

 

Son got me Peart's book, "Far and Away", for Christmas.  Love that kid.

[dcmidnight]

Had a chance to see the Dead in the summer of 95, around two months before Jerry Garcia died. Was just a college kid at the time who needed the money from my summer job and decided to work instead of calling in sick for two days. Dylan opened.

 

Oddly enough I heard from friends in the week after that the show wasnt that great bc Jerry was in such bad shape by then. I always assume they just made it up to make me feel better.

[Petethreeput]

On 1/2/2023 at 12:17 PM, BombinJim said:

I had an opportunity to see Pearl Jam close out the Spectrum in Philadelphia in 2016 and my excuse for not going was so lame I don’t even remember what it was. From my friends who did go, that show was incredible and even became featured in their latest documentary Pearl Jam Twenty.

 

https://www.alternativenation.net/look-back-pearl-jam-closing-philadelphia-spectrum/

They put on a great concert.  They come through town often (back in the 90's they would start all their tours here to work out the kinks before playing bigger venues, so I have had the opportunity to see them maybe 6 times, and they are really, really good.  Last time I saw them was about 4 years ago and they were still really, really good.  I don't think it was a tour, I think it was just a fundraiser for a local politician.  If you get a chance, I would make the trip.

 

If you read my blurb, I was stopped at the door of local bar to see U2, for my wife's 40th I bought tickets to see them after the No Line on the Horizon tour in 2009/2010 (can't remember) but they were phenomenal.  I was sure they would be old and tired, but nope U2 killed it.  That is how I feel about Pearl Jam as well.

[BombinJim]

2 hours ago, Petethreeput said:

They put on a great concert.  They come through town often (back in the 90's they would start all their tours here to work out the kinks before playing bigger venues, so I have had the opportunity to see them maybe 6 times, and they are really, really good.  Last time I saw them was about 4 years ago and they were still really, really good.  I don't think it was a tour, I think it was just a fundraiser for a local politician.  If you get a chance, I would make the trip.

 

If you read my blurb, I was stopped at the door of local bar to see U2, for my wife's 40th I bought tickets to see them after the No Line on the Horizon tour in 2009/2010 (can't remember) but they were phenomenal.  I was sure they would be old and tired, but nope U2 killed it.  That is how I feel about Pearl Jam as well.

I agree PJ put on a fantastic show, I’ve seen them multiple times. I also concur with U2. I saw their 360 show in 2011 and it was incredible.

[Argonne69]

I consider this a missed opportunity, or at least it felt like it at the time. 'Took my girlfriend to see the Pretenders at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago in '84. It was a general admission concert, so we arrived early on a cold afternoon and queued up in the alley next to the ballroom in a cold rain. We were probably 20th in line, so we were excited that we'd get close to the stage. Like most people in line we brought a few beers to keep us warm, along with our fairly heavy jackets. After several hours they let us in, and we wound up a few feet from the front of the stage. There were no seats, so the crowd was packed pretty tight. Dangerously tight, actually. It was pretty warm in there with a couple thousand fans crowding the main floor. 

 

The opening band comes on, and halfway through their set my girlfriend goes down like a sack of potatoes with no response. In the middle of the crowd I grabbed her jacket and dragged her off to the side of the main floor. She came to a minute or two later after getting some air. Very frightening.

 

There was no way we were going to climb out way back to center stage, so we wound up watching the concert from the back rows of the balcony. Ugh. 

 

When we got back to my car after the concert we found the back side window smashed in, and the plastic dash trim pulled off as the theives unsuccessfully tried to pull out the radio. It was an hour drive home late at night in the rain with the open window. 

 

Not the best concert experience. Lol. 

 

On the flip side, I saw Ultravox at the same theater a year earlier, and my buddy and I were the first in line for the relatively unknown band, and wound up in the front row. One of the best concerts ever, and certainly the best seats I've ever had. 

 

[jholz]

This is utterly hilarious. Nice thread. 

 

Saw Def Leppard at Red Rocks in '89 or '90. Dude who worked the range at DCC gave me a ticket.

 

Don't even like Def Leppard, but I should have been at the McNichols show six months earlier.

 

Only show I ever saw at Red Rocks. 

 

Nice to see some OG Denver, but give me Aztlan or Mammoth any day of the week.

[NCLancer]

I regret not attending the Clifford Ball, a Phish extravaganza held at the former Plattsburgh Air Base in Plattsburgh, NY.  I am not a Phish fan nor a fan of huge crowds but by most accounts the 75,000+ attendees were fairly peaceful and respectful.  They also helped the local economy, and some say Plattsburgh was the 9th largest city in New York State that weekend! 

 

Being a Plattsburgh local, I had some friends working security who would have kindly granted me access, but I was involved in slo-pitch softball and played in a tourney that weekend instead.  IIRC, we lost our 1st game, won the 2nd, and lost our 3rd Sun AM.  Lost money and went home disappointed.

 

In the summer of 1996, I didn't really rue the decision but looking back now I wish I would have gone to the show just for the experience...