Op-Ed - No warning

Over the years, this thoughtless behavior has happened to me and legions of other fans far too many times.

The list that follows contains four dates, noteworthy to me because the musician’s neglected their most fundamental concert duty - to show up.

1. June 7, 2002 - The 2002 Y100 Feztival marked the third of my five wonderful Fez experiences at the Tweeter Center in Camden, N.J. The sensational lineup, which consisted of more than 20 groups, included artists such as Incubus, System of a Down, Jimmy Eat World, Dashboard Confessional, Pete Yorn and Phantom Planet.

Alien Ant Farm, then at the height of their unacceptably brief popularity, was one of the acts I was most charged to see. Unfortunately, a bus collision in Europe that killed their driver and injured several members of the band prevented them from performing at the annual festival.

The alt-metal outfit never really recovered from the disaster, and I’ve yet to see them live. At the Fez, the set times were altered, and Sugar Cult took their slot on the main stage. This is the only one of the four instances where an announcement was made, and the circumstances justified their action completely.

2. July 23, 2002 - Barely a month after the Fez, another band I wanted to see ran into some bad luck. The Strokes had been a part of Weezer’s 2002 Enlightenment Tour along with Dashboard Confessional and Sparta, but didn’t perform at the PNC Arts Center in Holmdel, N.J., due to an injury vocalist Julian Casablancas sustained to either his foot or knee.

While the remaining three acts put on an exceptional show, the bill’s status was diminished from superb to just very good. I did wind up seeing The Strokes a couple years later, and they were great.

3. May 26, 2003 - I started listening to Blur in middle school, but got heavy into them in college. I was absolutely thrilled the group was playing at the 2003 Y100 Feztival.

This was the most disappointing cancellation because of the anticipation surrounding the performance and the lack of a viable reason for their no show. Hot Hot Heat took Blur’s place on the main stage after playing a stellar set earlier in the day on the side stage.

I never wound up seeing Blur and unless the group gets back together I guess I never will.

4. June 18, 2004 - Courtney Love’s last minute withdrawal from the 2004 Y100 Feztival was just typical behavior for the troubled star. I had no interest in her set anyway, but her lesser known replacement, former Hole and Smashing Pumpkins member Melissa Auf der Maur, exceeded my expectations.

I understand musicians are people, have lives and things come up, but performing is part of their awesome job. If for some reason you can’t play, the least you can do is provide fans with an explanation and maybe an apology, so they won’t become bitter and resentful.

Resolution update:

Weight: 148 (-12)