"Calif Bill" wrote in message
k.net...

"Chuck Gould" wrote in message
ups.com...

JimH wrote:



Interesting stuff Chuck....thanks. I was there and remember them
leaving
the stage in a huff. I apparently was wrong about half a show, but I
guess
we expected more than 45 minutes and certainly an encore performance
that
never happened.

But that was 27 years ago. ;-)

No encore is a more acceptable way to express dissatisfaction with the
acoustics, the crowd, the promoter, your bandmates, lack of proper
refreshment and awestruck female companionship in the dressing area,
etc than walking off in the middle of a performance. Also a lot
smarter- there's a 100% chance that the booking contract defined the
minimum acceptable performance time. No play, no pay. If there was a
problem, it may well have been with the promoter being a bit stingy, or
a weak gate that meant the band would be playing for "just" the minimum
guarantee- and if that were the case the "minimum" performance would be
all you would likely get.

Besides, they proably had to rush off without an encore to make
connections. They only had 3 days to get to Saginaw. :-)

I mean, Cleveland, after all. What did EC expect? Weren't both of his
Ohio fans there?
((just kidding!!))

He couldn't have fouled the nest too badly, as he has appeared at the
same venue several times since.

Do you remember who opened for Eric Clapton on that tour?



I went to a Harry Bellefonte concert at the Cincinnati Gardens in 1968.
where he stated that they almost cancelled the show because of low ticket
sales, but he owed it to those who did purchase a show. Fantastic show
and maybe 200 people total in the house. The air conditioning came on and
threw him off, it was so loud in a large place with few people.


Some artists handle this with grace. I saw Rat Dog, Bob Weir's band band in
July, at an outdoor venue with a big band shell and lawn seating for the po'
folk. The entire back half of the band shell was empty. When thunderstorms
arrived, Weir told the lawn seat crowd to "carefully, without trampelling
one another, come fill up these empty seats and get out of the weather". A
newspaper story two days later included comments from the operator of the
venue, who said the band volunteered some sort of surprisingly equitable
financial adjustment that benefited everyone.