I've had the good fortune to see a lot of concerts. My virtual ticket stub gallery is decent, but there were still many more acts I never got around to seeing. Some, granted, I never had any realistic shot of experiencing in a live setting; there was never a Chuck Berry or Sex Pistols show anywhere near me in my adult life, Little Richard's Syracuse stop was as a preacher rather than as The Georgia Peach, and The Beatles stopped touring when I was six. Elvis Presley performed in Syracuse when I was a teenager (and had a return appearance scheduled the week he left the building for good), but my interest in King Elvis I didn't develop until later. Some others were simply missed opportunities and/or almosts, where different sets of circumstances, decisions, finances, whims, or miscellaneous other slings 'n' arrows could have placed me where I should have been, in the club or concert hall, bellowing away in attempted harmony with the rock stars all lit up in front of me. Rawk!
This fake TIRnRR playlist slaps together selections from a number of acts I never saw live, but woulda coulda shoulda sorta. I've only included acts where there seemed a plausible chance that I could have been at the show in question. For example, I remember a radio commercial for an appearance by Slade here in Syracuse circa...1973, maybe? There was no way in hell this thirteen-year-old was getting anywhere within hand-stompin' and foot-clappin' proximity of that, so we do not see Slade on this playlist. On the other hand, Good Rats played on campus when I was a student at Brockport, so I certainly could have been there...if I had been the least bit interested in Good Rats. No. No Good Rats here.
Instead, the list is comprised of concerts that almost seemed within reach at one point. The Lou Reed, Devo, Bruce Wooley & the Camera Club, and Dave Davies shows were cancelled. I was denied parental permission to see Suzi Quatro open for Alice Cooper in 1975. I sold my ticket to McGuinn, Clark & Hillman because I was a dumbass who didn't think their live show would include any songs by their former group, The Byrds. I skipped James Brown because I was an even bigger dumbass afraid of being the only white guy there (one of the Top 20 stupidest decisions I ever made). Dr. Demento was sold out before I could get tickets. A fight with my girlfriend scotched my plan to The Heartbreakers (starring my guitar hero Johnny Thunders). I didn't have transportation to get to where Steve Forbert and Eddie & the Hot Rods were, and my own car broke down when we were on our way to see Miami Sound Machine. I made it to the Cayuga County Fairgrounds for the British Invasion package that was supposed to include Gerry & the Pacemakers, but Gerry himself didn't show.
Often, I missed shows because I was out with the in crowd, as opportunities fell victim to indecision, indifference, or insufficient funds (or even influenza, since I was sick as a dog and crashed on the couch the night Mannix came to town). Inopportune timing killed my chance to see The Bodeans or The Godfathers, both of whom played separate gigs in Syracuse the same night I opted to see The Ventures instead. Oh, and let's not forget income; I couldn't get off work for the Grateful Dead, Cyndi Lauper, or Go-Go's shows.
I wish I could have seen all of the acts I missed. And I did get to see a few of these players in other incarnations (Dave Davies in The Kinks, Johnny Thunders, Debbie Harry). I remain blessed to have seen so many wonderful shows.This fake TIRnRR playlist is dedicated to the ones that got away.
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Fake TIRnRR Playlist: The Concerts I Didn't See
R.E.M.: Radio Free Europe
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ALICE COOPER: School's Out
PENETRATION: Don't Dictate
THE LAUGHING DOGS: Get 'Im Outa Town
THE GO-GO'S: We Got The Beat
McGUINN, CLARKE & HILLMAN: Don't You Write Her Off
X: True Love
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JAMES BROWN: Please, Please, Please
DEL SHANNON: Keep Searchin'
RICK NELSON: Garden Party
LOS LOBOS: Will The Wolf Survive
THE POLICE: Roxanne
ELLIOTT MURPHY: Drive All Night
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LOU REED: Vicious
HANSON: MMMBop
HOT CHOCOLATE: You Sexy Thing
BRUCE WOOLEY & THE CAMERA CLUB: Video Killed The Radio Star
DEVO: Uncontrollable Urge
EDDIE & THE HOT RODS: Do Anything You Wanna Do
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SUZI QUATRO: I May Be Too Young
STEVE FORBERT: Romeo's Tune
MANNIX: Highway Lines
THE DEAD BOYS: All This And More
THE TROGGS: I Can't Control Myself
CYNDI LAUPER: All Through The Night
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THE HEARTBREAKERS: Chinese Rocks
SOUTHSIDE JOHNNY & THE ASBURY JUKES: I Don't Want To Go Home
THE GRATEFUL DEAD: Uncle John's Band
THE BODEANS: Only Love
THE GODFATHERS: Birth, School, Love, Death
ARETHA FRANKLIN: Respect
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SMOKEY ROBINSON: Cruisin'
DR. DEMENTO: Shaving Cream
MAGAZINE: Shot By Both Sides
MIAMI SOUND MACHINE: Conga
GERRY & THE PACEMAKERS: Ferry Cross The Mersey
STEVIE WONDER: Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours
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THE WHO: I Can't Explain
HEART: Crazy On You
BLONDIE: The Tide Is High
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN: The Ties That Bind
JUDAS PRIEST: Heading Out To The Highway
THE PENETRATORS: Teenage Lifestyle
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THE LONG RYDERS: Lights Of Downtown
LORETTA LYNN: Coal Miner's Daughter
INXS: The One Thing
THE ZOMBIES: This Will Be Our Year
TODD RUNDGREN: Couldn't I Just Tell You
ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN: The Cutter
FOGHAT: Fool For The City
DAVE DAVIES: Death Of A Clown
DIZZY GILLESPIE: A Night In Tunisia
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