Back in the sixties I felt that the whole thing was going to go on forever. Every day there were great bands on somewhere. I usually went to one or two Roy Harper gigs a week and then a couple of others. I went to all the free concerts and most of the big festivals. I got to see most people. I had a brilliant time and loved it. I’m still gigging and to be found right at the front at most good gigs.
However – there are all those people who for one reason or another got away!
Back in the sixties I didn’t see them because they’d be on again next week.
When I was working I missed some because I was too knackered or they were too far away.
These are the ones that really rankle:
- Bob Marley – I had a ticket to see him in Santa Barbara but something came up and we went to Joshua Park instead!
- Howlin’ Wolf – played London a number of times and I never got to see him. There was always someone else on. He had the most outrageous act too – clawing up curtains, crawling around – and that voice!
- The Beatles – I was just too young when they were touring. It never occurred to me that I could go. But I could’ve!
- Lightnin’ Hopkins – He played London and he was the first Blues guy I got into but I didn’t go.
- Sex Pistols – It meant travelling quite a way.
- Ramones – They never played near enough
- Clash – the best Rock band around at the time and I missed them!
- AC/DC – They were brilliant live!!
- Bob Dylan circa 1965 – I loved that electric period but didn’t get to see him until later.
- Yardbirds – I saw them recently but it was a travesty. I met Keith Relf when he was in Renaissance but I would have loved to have see the early Yardbirds
- Eels – Again I had tickets and was too knackered to go!!
- Pink Floyd in the stadium era – having seen them in small clubs for as little as 25p I was damned if I was going to see them in a huge stadium and pay huge sums for the privilege – I was wrong!
- John Lennon – played London a few times and I never got it together.
- Ritchie Havens – cancelled the gig I was going to. He’s OD’ed.
I kick myself now!!! I’d have loved to have seen all those!!
The big one for me was Hendrix at the Isle of Wight. i had finished my O levels, and I and another schoolfriend got jobs on a local farm, working on the corn harvest, during the summer.
The plan was to get the money together for the ticket and trip down there. in the event, the final part of the harvest was delayed by rain and the farmer offered us extra money to stay on for an extra week. Like idiots we took the offer. I consoled myself by buying Electric Ladyland and lots of other good records :(. Looking through the WIKI article on the Festival, it seems there were lots of other faves there that I have still yet to see live, not least The Who, The Doors, Loudon Wainwright, Ten Years After and Miles Davis and Joan Baez. Other big names that I managed to see subsequently included Joni Mitchell, Jethro Tull and Leonard Cohen.
If time travel ever comes about in my lifetime, you’ll find me on the hill overlooking Afton Farm 🙂
Yes. I don’t know why I didn’t go to that one! I went to nearly all of them and that had a particularly good line-up. Aaah well! I didn’t go to the Dylan one on the IoW on principle. I didn’t want to see Dylan when he was below par. Instead I went to Les Cousins and saw Roy Harper recording I Hate the Whiteman for the Flat Baroque album. In the end he used the intro but not the song but I was there in the audience!! A great night. I didn’t mind missing Dylan there – he was not so hot. That Doors, Who and Hendrix was a classic. Weren’t Free on that line-up? It’s always the ones that got away isn’t it?
Yes Free were there too. But that’s OK, they headlined my first Roy gig at Stevenage College in June 1970. That still ranks as the best gig I’ve ever been too, particularly as Roy finished his first set with ‘Hell’s Angels’ to a a big crowd of sweaty drunken bikers and got away with it 🙂
When you’ve got the time travel sorted the two of us should go on a little jaunt- Isle of Wight first!!