I've only known that once in a folk club situation. I won't mention names, but lets just say it was a Scottish singer whom we booked many years ago. This could be a salutary warning.

He'd been on the booze from before the moment he arrived in our fair town by train and had hit the booze again at our club. During the second number of his first half as guest performer he projectile vomited over an unfortunate fan in the front row.

He was unable to continue, but luckily, another of his great fans, and a professional singer in his own right, who had been trying to sober him up, was also a fair performer of his songs. He stepped in and did the gig for him while my long-suffering wife took said artiste home and put him to bed.

In the circumstances the disappointed audience accepted the situation quite magnanimously.

He stayed at our house that night, and managed to soil the bed.

A few weeks later we heard that he had died. Liver failure I believe.

All very, very sad. What a waste.

In his day he was a great, funny performer and a great song-writer. I still sing a couple of his songs to this day.

Tone