Look Back At Nine Shows Played One Man Down
Revisit an article published in 2014 detailing nine shows played without a member of the band.
By Scott Bernstein Mar 12, 2014 • 9:30 am PDT
[Update Written January 9, 2023]: Over the weekend, Warren Haynes revealed his Gov't Mule bandmates will perform at Island Exodus 13 without him, while Eggy took the stage at Tree House Brewery without Alex Bailey after the drummer was injured in a car accident. The article below published on March 12, 2014 presents nine additional shows played up to that point “one man down.”
The phrase “the show must go on” originally referred to Broadway and show biz, but the cliché also rings true with live music. Considering we’re talking about rock stars performing demanding, high-energy music it’s no surprise that a number of instances of bands playing one man short have come up over the years. It’s actually more of a surprise that it doesn’t happen more often.
The latest instance of a group performing a show one man down took place last night in NYC, when Butch Trucks missed The Allman Brothers Band show at the Beacon Theatre as he was “under the weather.” For this JamBase List let’s look at eight other cases of bands playing a show one man down.
moe. – 07/09/2010 – Minus Al Schnier
Al Schnier was unable to perform at a Summer ’10 moe. gig in Peoria, but his band mates went ahead with the show and delivered a solid performance heavy on Chuck and Rob songs. moe. offered fans refunds, but we bet there weren’t many takers.
Set One: Bullet > Awesome Gary > Billy Goat > Timmy Tucker > Zed Nought Z, Buster
Set Two: Captain America > Blue Jeans Pizza > Sensory Deprivation Bank, McBain, All Roads Lead to Home, St. Augustine, Don’t Fuck With Flo > Plane Crash
Encore: Stranger Than Fiction
The Allman Brothers Band – 3/25/2012 – Minus Gregg Allman
Gregg Allman missed the Beacon finale in 2012 due to back issues. The band’s musical director, Warren Haynes, called upon many of his musical friends to help out in one of the more guest-filled performances in the Allman Brothers Band’s history.
Set One: Blue Sky, Every Hungry Woman, Gamblers’s Roll, Les Brers, Statesboro Blues w/ Jimmy Hall and Berry Oakley Jr on bass, She Caught The Katy w/ Jimmy Hall, River’s Gonna Rise w/Ron Johnson and Alicia Chakour, Jessica
Set Two: Soulshine w/Alicia Chakour, Anton Fig and Ron Johnson w/o Marc Quinones and Jaimoe, Hotlanta, All Along The Watchtower w/ Maurice Brown on trumpet > Don’t Want You No More, Spoonful w/Col. Bruce Hampton and Oz Noy, Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad? > Alone w/John Popper, That’s What Love Will Make You Do W/John Popper, Maurice Brown, Jay Collins and Jimmy Hall, Dreams, Mountain Jam > Smokestack Lightning w/ Hook Herrera > Dazed and Confused > Mountain Jam
Encore: Soul Serenade > You Don’t Love Me w/ Herrera, Oakley Jr. and Junior Mack
Umphrey’s McGee – 7/11/2013 – Minus Ryan Stasik
Umphrey’s McGee played the opening night of Camp Bisco ’13 with a rotating cast of bass players, as their own bassist, Ryan Stasik, could not attend the gig because his daughter decided to join the world just a little bit early. Filling in for Stasik was Dave Murphy of STS9, Marc Brownstein of the Disco Biscuits and Bryan Doherty, who handles bass duties with UM side project Digital Tape Machine.
Set: Wappy Sprayberry (Dave Murphy), Breathe (Dave Murphy), The Triple Wide (Dave Murphy), In The Kitchen (Marc Brownstein), Partyin’ Peeps (Marc Brownstein), Home Again (Marc Brownstein & Jon Gutwilig of tDB), The Linear (Bryan Doherty), Booth Love (Bryan Doherty and Aron Magner of tDB)
The Who – 11/20/1973 – Minus Keith Moon
Back in 1973 at the Cow Palace near San Francisco, The Who’s Keith Moon supposedly took an animal tranquilizer leading the maniacal drummer to slump at his drum set during “Won’t Get Fooled Again” at the group’s tour opener. After trying to wake Moon and failing, Pete Townshend asked if anyone in the crowd could play drums. Nineteen-year-old Scott Halpin answered Pete’s call and saved the show by turning in a decent performance behind the kit.
Set: I Can’t Explain, Summertime Blues, My Generation, I Am The Sea, The Real Me, The Punk And The Godfather, I’m One, Helpless Dancer, 5.15, Sea And Sand, Drowned, Bell Boy, Doctor Jimmy, Love Reign O’er Me, Won’t Get Fooled Again, Magic Bus, See Me Feel Me, Smokestack Lightning, Spoonful, Naked Eye
The Beatles – 06/04/1964 – Minus Ringo Starr
When Beatles drummer Ringo Starr came down with a severe fever during the peak of Beatlemania as the band was set to embark on a tour of Scandinavia, Holland, the Far East and Australia, he was replaced by 24-year-old session drummer Jimmie Nichol for the shows. Nichol performed admirably until Starr was able to rejoin the tour in Australia on June 15. Jimmy was never able to parlay his 15 minutes of fame into lasting success.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rn0T-71O5fQ&ab_channel=TheBeatlesVideosSet: I Want To Hold Your Hand, I Saw Her Standing There, You Can’t Do That, All My Loving, She Loves You, Till There Was You, Roll Over Beethoven, Can’t Buy Me Love, This Boy, Twist and Shout
Widespread Panic – 4/14/2000 – Minus Todd Nance
On April 14, 2000 Widespread Panic drummer Todd Nance took ill before the band’s performance at the University of Delaware’s Bob Carpenter Center. Nance was unable to play, but the show went on with a mix of drum-less tunes and crew member Peter Jackson guesting behind the kit.
Set One: Old Joe, Gradle, Wish You Were Here, One Arm Steve*, This Part Of Town*, C. Brown**, Stop-Go** > Makes Sense To Me**
Set Two: Aunt Avis** > Rock**, Can’t Get High**, I Walk On Guilded Splinters** > Drums** > Jam** > Four Cornered Room**, Dear Mr. Fantasy**, Henry Parsons Died**
Encore: Nobody’s Loss*
* with Peter Jackson on percussion
** with Peter Jackson on drums
[Without Todd (due to illness); ‘Old Joe’ and ‘Gradle’ JB, Mike, and Sunny; Beginning of ‘Drums’ with Dave on percussion; ‘Jam’ after ‘Drums’ without Mike and JB]
[Setlist via Everyday Companion]
Drive-By Truckers – 02/20 & 21/2009 – Minus Paterson Hood
Drive-By Truckers frontman Patterson Hood came down with a case of pneumonia before the band’s two-night stand at the 9:30 Club in Washington, DC back in 2009. The shows went on with Mike Cooley and Shonna Tucker handling most of the vocal duties.
DBT loaded each performance with deep cuts.
The Disco Biscuits – 03/19/2010 – Minus Jon Gutwillig
March 19 of 2010 will certainly be a date The Disco Biscuits and their fans will never forget. Guitarist Jon “Barber” Gutwillig injured his wrist in the early morning hours after a gig in Albany and would be unable to perform at that night’s show in Boston – he actually wound up not playing a bunch of shows – leading the band to call in RAQ’s Chris Michetti, among others, to fill Barber’s shoes. As if there wasn’t enough drama, the Boston gig – which was turned into a free show – ended early after … how should we put this … the heat came ’round & busted them for smiling on a cloudy day.
Set One: Oname Wa, Park Avenue^, Orch Theme^, Tricycle^ > Uber Glue^, Mirrors^, Helicopters^^ > Gangster^^ > Helicopters^^
Set Two: Show Canceled due to “technical difficulties”
Without Jon Gutwillig
^ – w/ Chris Michetti on guitar, ^^ – w/ Michetti and Joey Zarick
