Greatest Concerts Never

All year there have been no concerts around here that I've been interested in attending. Go figure that in the next two months there are more than I can hope to see. I have a ticket to see Kelly Willis in Cincinnati at the end of September. I'm considering making the drive to Cleveland six days later to see The Pipettes. The next night Arcade Fire are in town, but I have a ticket for the Blue Jackets' opening game across the street that evening. October also brings a Columbus visit by Wilco, who have been wonderful every time I've seen them. November delivers Feist, back-to-back "Long of It/Short of It" concerts by The Decemberists, and Jens Lekman in Cleveland.

I could take the risk and buy an Arcade Fire ticket under the assumption that they won't hit the stage until the hockey game is over. It's a distinct possibility, but with the doors opening at 6:30, who knows? (The game starts at 7:00 and should be over around 9:30.) Of course, it's the most expensive ticket out of all of these, so taking a chance adds an additional cost to face value.

Maybe I'll try to get one as a walk-up if it looks like I'll only be passing up the opening band. I can't in good conscience purchase one and miss some of the headlining act. I wouldn't want to add Arcade Fire to the topic of today's post: concerts for which I had a ticket but didn't see. (I've already written about the best I've gone to.)

-Oasis at the Newport Music Hall (Columbus, OH/1995)

The brash British band was touring in support of (What's the Story) Morning Glory?, an album I loved in no small part because they were supposedly the latest import to pick up the mantle of The Beatles. OK, it didn't happen. Neither did this concert. Canceled.

-Radiohead at Bull Run Park (Fairfax, VA/2001)

Radiohead was scheduled to play shows on consecutive days at a nontraditional outdoor venue. Only one problem: rain and lots of it. I had a ticket for the second day, but flooding washed out both shows. To rub salt in the wounds, I could have gone to their show at the Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio four days earlier. I had a ticket but was going to be out of town on vacation. (I seem to recall having to buy the tickets months in advance.) Since I was going to see them near Washington, D.C., I sold my ticket to the Ohio show on eBay. Whoops.

-Ryan Adams at PromoWest Pavilion (Columbus, OH/2002)

I made the decision not to go to this concert. While I had to eat the ticket--no takers on eBay when I tried to sell it at the last minute--at least the trade-off was worth it. The night of this show my alma mater was playing in Salem, Virginia for the Division III NCAA basketball championship. I wasn't guaranteed that when I made the trip. The semi-finals were on Friday night, with the finals (and the concert) on Saturday. Still, the chance to see my school in the Final Four won out. They won. I seem to recall reading an unfavorable review of the concert.