Yes, Alice Cooper in the 70's.
Also Hawkwind, again in the 70's just when their 2nd album 'X in Search of Space' was released (my avatar). All of their equipment and light show arrived with the roadies and was all set up, only to be informed that the band were in Oxford & the gig was in Dagenham. So the organisers of the gig played the new album through the bands PA and the light show performed as if the band were there. So there was the music through the bands amps and the light show but with no band. Really surreal and ghostly but an excellent night none the less and we all got free passes for when they did turn up. They'd probably win an arts council grant for that nowadays.

1992 I went over to Ireland to see The Levellers in Tipperary & when I got there they had cancelled.

Prince at Blenheim Palace in 1991. Can't remember why. Still got the tickets kicking around somewhere.

Yes Meatloaf, the Zenith, Paris 1994.

On a related subject I once met three English girls in Paris, one of them in a wheelchair, who'd come over to watch Oasis cos the group's concerts were all fully booked in UK.
The French lorry drivers chose that week (tell me a week they didn't choose!) to go on strike.
Result no gear and no Oasis.

I sympathised with their plight but did point out that lack of gear is no reason for cancelling a concert. It just has to be downscaled.
I also pointed out that since it was Oasis they could always say they never really missed anything. (You can imagine that went down well!)

Jason Donavon was cancelled in Banana's, Magalauf, Mallorca summer 2004. I think he had a cold, I had paid 10 euro's for a ticket so was a bit disappointed but I was one of the lucky ones as I had at least seen him previously on two other occassions. Once in Chicago Rock Cafe, Hartlepool 2001 and also in The Wesley, Hartlepool in around 2002....... The Wesley was a slightly better gig.........

REM twice at Sheffield Arena

First time was cancelled a good few weeks in advance, it was when Bill Berry had his brain tumour.

Second time we got to see the support act, Now It's Overhead who were pretty good, only for Stipe and Buck to come out to say that Mills had taken ill and the doctors advised him to go to hospital. They then played about 4 songs acousticaly, I was back home for about 11 o clock but the worst part was I had taken a day off work to go down.

I was meant to go see them in Amsterdam on that tour,we got a letter telling us the gig was off but the trip would still go ahead & we would get a refund on the insurance so basically a free holiday,then they cancelled the whole trip as people didnt want to go without the gig

Archie Bronson Outfit cancelled in Leeds last year. I got the £20 for the face values of the 4 tickets but never got back the £7 rip off booking/processing fees.

same REM/Fall gigs thats been mentioned

and Nirvana, singer was bad or summat

7 quid booking fee for 20 quids worth of tickets is bloody outrageous - that said from what I saw of Archie Bronson supporting The Black Keys at The Cockpit a couple of years ago, 7 quid to miss them sounds like money well spent ok if you liked being shouted at by an art school student, while some bloke tootled away on an oboe (black not pink before anyone asks) in the background ....

yes, dead!
thats 'bad' enough isn't it?!!

I saw them a couple of months later at Joseph's Well and liked them so much I bought that album (credit to Victor Kiam for inspiring my reply)

Ned's Atomic Dustbin at Wolfrun Hall Woverhampton, Fevbruary 1990.

It wasn't the bands fault I missed it like it was just that we got ten miles into the journey, the snow started and the car broke down. We got piggy backed in by the AA from Alfreton at 1am and the electricity wasn't restored until three days later in Worksop. Naturally there was no gas in my flat at the time............

Only time I ever got on a guest list was to see The Angelic Upstarts play in Boro. Instant outbreak of innercity riots caused immediate cancellation

It had always rankled until I had to have some dealings with Mensi recently and discovered he is a complete tosser.

Yes. I hear Mensi is a complete tosser as well.
Never had anyone cancel on me thankfully but did go to see the Upstarts last year after never seeing them before and desperately wanting to.
It was the crappy 30 year punk anniversary bill at Newcastle Academy when they went off after one song or something because of a bottle chucked at them. I was well pissed off. All this time waiting - and they're supposed to be hard.

Got a recorded message on answerphone this morning. 'The Police' have had to postpone tonights (and tomorrows) gigs at the M.E.N. (Not bothered about tomorrows . . . I wasn't going to that one!!!!)
Booooo.
This topic has obviously been tempting fate!!!

Lee Perry has TWICE cancelled gigs in Nottingham in the last few years. He did manage to make it once mind.

And the Happy Mondays couldn't tour one year for 'health reasons'.

luckily I never lost any money on booking fees/postage.