Bands that you never saw but wish you did

I’ve been lucky to see many of my favorites, including several bands we’ll never see again–Nirvana (saw them before they got big), the Ramones, Morphine, Rush, Dick Dale, Soundgarden. I saw the Who with Entwistle, Anthrax during the John Bush days, and the Adolescents while Steve Soto was still with us–I was so close to the stage that I had to duck his headstock a few times. 

Listening to the Cure today and, you know, I never saw them–maybe one of life’s big regrets. I guess you can add X to that list.

Who did you miss out on seeing and wish you did? 

And sharing because this bass riff hits so hard.

Love and Rockets - In 1989 they were touring behind their fourth album, titled 'Love and Rockets'; they came to a local university but I was too broke to go.  Earlier this year they came back to a reasonably local venue, but it was GA only and I'm too old to stand around for 3 hours getting elbowed and not being able to see the band and listening to the stupid people who pay good money for tickets and then talk through the entire show.

QOTSA - I like 80% of their music, but the other 20% I really don't like.  With DW it's more like 55% / 45%, so I passed up an opportunity to see them last summer.  They'll probably tour again, though, so I don't know if I've completely missed out.

Grateful Dead 1985.

I mentioned this in another thread. I had a ticket to see Pink Floyd at Tampa Stadium in June 1973, during the Dark Side of the Moon tour. 
 

My dad would drive north every year to deliver paintings and get commissions. He was having back pain, so I was appointed the driver. The concert was the same weekend that the Grand Circuit race meet opened at Historic Raceway in Goshen, NY. 
 

I had my unused ticket for years until it disappeared, as did many of my possessions. 

NOFX. I know I missed the final tour. But i'm old and a cheapass and still believe punk shows shouldn't be $200. I get WHY this show is what it is- Fat Mike is setting the boys up for retirement. He doesn't want to tour anymore because it's bad for him physically and mentally, the rest of them still want to ride. So, one last fat check for the Fat Wreck Chords alums, and away she sails. 

Concerts are expensive now because we don't have to pay for the recordings. Musicians have to earn it somehow. 

Forgot to add Van Halen–as in DLR Van Halen–to my list of bands that we saw and will, sadly, never see again. 

Slayer is a big one. Rage Against The Machine. Soundgarden. 

Don't know if I'll get to see Meshuggah.......wanted to see Megadeth, but man Mustaine's voice has REALLY gotten rough the last 10 years.........not that it was ever great. 

But I've also been lucky that I got to see Alice in Chains with Layne Staley open for Ozzy. Motorhead open for Dio. Metallica, Deftones, Lamb of God, Gojira, Mastodon (including 2 different meet and greets), Black Sabbath, Slipknot, Rammstein, System of a Down, Cannibal Corpse (signed drumhead from Paul hanging my bar), Whitesnake, Queens of the Stone Age, Eagles of Death Metal, Dream Theater, Rush, ZZ Top, Sepultura, Biohazard, Pantera (with Vinnie and Dimebag), Marilyn Manson, Job for a Cowboy, GWAR, John Entwistle, Danzig,Primus. 

And I know I'm forgetting some. 

Wow, I've never heard of many of the bands mentioned.

Grateful Dead.  They came to Philly at least twice a year and I always said "I'll go next time".  Then Jerry died.

Rush. I had tickets for what turned out to be their last tour, but couldn't make it. Unfortunately there wasn't another chance. 

Lyrnyrd Skynyrd, Drive-by-truckers when they still had Jason Isbell (they're still great live I just love their stuff with Isbell), REM

I was at NCSU when the Ramones played Stewart Theater. I found out too late to get tickets before they sold out. I had tickets to see Siouxsie and the Banshees at Lollapaloosa one year and got junior manned to fly a trip that weekend. I wish I'd been able to see the Divinyls, the Muffs, and Hole. 
 

I was lucky to see Van Halen a few times during the DLR days, REM a few times at The Pier in Raleigh before they got famous, Pat Benatar, Blondie, Garbage, Adam Ant, Scandal, Berlin, Devo, Scorpions, Bon Jovi, Styx, Police, The Who, U2 on their first US tour.

barefootcyborg5000 said:

Rush. I had tickets for what turned out to be their last tour, but couldn't make it. Unfortunately there wasn't another chance. 

Went to the R40 tour with my dad. The first show was in Tulsa, where they had rented out the entire arena for the week before the show to get everything dialed in. It was awesome. 

Much Canadian whiskey (Crown) was imbibed. Crazy to think that was already just more than 10 years ago. 

BenB said:

 I wish I'd been able to see the Divinyls, the Muffs, and Hole. 
 

Hole would have been a show.  I was looking up some of their live stuff on youtube a week or so ago.  I'm impressed that Courtney is still kicking.  What an intense, talented, and troubled person she is!

Floating Doc (Forum Supporter) said:

Concerts are expensive now because we don't have to pay for the recordings. Musicians have to earn it somehow. 

Concerts started getting expensive long before we were downloading music thanks to a company called Concert productions international and it's owner Michael Cohl.

They're ridiculously expensive now because people will pay it.

I would like to see I Mother Earth

There was a club (Sundance) two blocks from where I lived that the Ramones would play at. I regret not going while in HS.

I missed out on New Order, Echo and the Bunnymen, and Gene Loves Jezebel at Jones Beach Theater too.

I've been lucky enough to see some great concerts:

• Pearl Jam with Smashing Pumpkins and RHCP right as Ten dropped (Epic night)
• Muse
• Metallica with Pantera
• Foo Fighters with Motorhead except that Lemmy was trapped in Texas by tornados, So Dave picked up the bass and he and Taylor played some songs with the rest of the band that had made it there. Dave's voice was already rough from the tour, but they played a huge set list to make up for Motorhead not making it. Dave poured his heart into the whole night.
• Rancid with Bad Religion/Pennywise/Mad Caddies/Interruptors

But, man...  I wish I could have seen Stevie Ray Vaughan live. 

I saw Jimmy Buffet PLENTY of times, but always in a large amphitheater. At Le Select in St. Barths (the inspiration for Cheeseburger in Paradise) Jimmy stopped by and played an impromptu set for an hour or two. I was there the weekend before. Jimmy picked up a new boat new New Orleans, and stopped by the Margaritaville and played with Mac for an hour or two in the bar. Bought drinks and food for everything there too. I was there the night before. Jimmy played for a small crowd at a little dive bar I frequent in Key West, just him and a guitar on a random Wednesday night. Yep, I was there Monday. 

I never got to see Jimmy in a small club. 

Well, it would have been fun to see the Fuggs back in the day (60's) when I was naive and stupid; ("We like boobs a lot, do you wear your jock a lot"). But at the time I had other things pre-occupying my mind (staying in school). Well I didn't stay at that school. But it all turned out well for me at another school. But I digress ... These days I can cross-off Mark Knopfler because I saw him at Foxwoods a few years ago, and I've seen Lyle Lovett a couple times too. That leaves David Gilmour, who is doing a series of shows at MSG in NYC in November (probably his last tour). If I can make that, then I'll be content.

The Ramones.

Beastie Boys

Minor Threat

Bad Brains

Metallica

Pearl Jam

Mark Knopfler. Anything with him involved. 

Mark Knopfler. Anything with him involved. 

Oh, also due to lack of funds, I missed a chance to see Zappa touring around Jazz From Hell.