Maybe Next Time...

It's interesting to see what happens when fate and performance dates interact. Some shows get canceled or postponed, and the reasons are sometimes amusing. Here are a few:

Reason: Deportation
Band/Artist: Rodrigo y Gabriela
Story: What can I say, Rodrigo had visa issues and got deported the night before they were going to play at the Roxy in Boston. It sucks, and yet is so awesome. By the way, this happened yesterday. I was going to go to the show with Adam. I wound up kicking his ass in pool.

Reason: Bitchiness
Band/Artist: Mariah Carey
Story: First show in Hong Kong for the diva, and she throws a hissy because they don't have her favorite brand of bottled water or the right kind of furniture in the green room. Way to lose one of your few remaining audiences. (granted, this isn't really fate, but at least several thousand people were spared an evening of glass-shattering "vocals")

Reason: Plumbing Truck
Band/Artist: The Max Klau Band
Story: In the afternoon on the day we were to play at the Milky Way, a plumbing truck smacked into the storefront above the club and injured six people. It also knocked out the power for the entire block. Thankfully the people were not seriously hurt, and I'm kinda glad that we didn't play that night because our keyboard player had also recently come down with pneumonia.

Reason: No insurance
Band/Artist: Blue Oyster Cult
Story: The local promoter for the group's 2003 show in Salem didn't have the right insurance policy for a one-day event. He canceled the show and forgot to tell the band. They showed up (with more cowbell than ever) and were understandably pissed. Insult was apparently added to injury when it was reported that fewer than 90 (yes, ninety) tickets had been sold.

Reason: Geography
Band/Artist: Eric Clapton
Story: In summer 2006, Clapton was scheduled to perform on Moscow's famous Red Square. However, Russian authorities canceled the show just four days before the performance because the permits were issued for the Vasilevsky Spusk. This is, in fact, a large area of the Red Square that is often used for events such as speeches and concerts. Problem was that the authorities didn't know what or where the Vasilevsky Spusk was; they thought it was a different area of Moscow.

Reason: Act of God
Band/Artist: Britney Spears
Story: A lightning bolt struck the control system for her pyrotechnic effects during the first song of an outdoor arena concert in Texas in 2003. After the strike, all the lighting and power was still working for the arena, but Britney was apparently too distraught to go on without her precious fireworks. She is quoted as saying, "Please don't boo."