Some of the best songs ever penned by famous bands have never gotten a proper live performance. That’s the case for the following three songs, and I really feel like the bands in question did their fans a disservice by not whipping them out on occasion during their concerts. And for most of them, I can’t wrap my head around why they never performed them live.
“All The Wrong Reasons” by Tom Petty from ‘Into The Great Wide Open’ (1991)
With a hefty discography and a habit of mixing in deep cuts with hits during live performances, it’s a shocker to me that Tom Petty never found the time to perform “All The Wrong Reasons”. The album Into The Great Wide Open had quite a few formal singles that got love on stage. But “All The Wrong Reasons”, for some reason, was never released as a single despite having single quality. And Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers never performed it live and never will, following Petty’s passing in 2017. What an absolute shame.
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“I Don’t Want To Know” by Fleetwood Mac from ‘Rumours’ (1977)
According to setlist.fm, Fleetwood Mac has never performed “I Don’t Want To Know”. And I’m still mad about it. This is such a fantastic song. However, I at least kind of understand why this song didn’t get any live time from the band. Some amazing music was cut from Rumours, including “Silver Springs”, which was replaced on the record by “I Don’t Want To Know”. Initially, songwriter Stevie Nicks was angry. But in the end, she said that she liked the song and was glad it was included. But with so many hits on that album and only so many setlist spots available, “I Don’t Want To Know” fell through the cracks when it came to their live performances. At least “Silver Springs” got the retrospective love it deserved after the fact.
“My Man” by Eagles from ‘On The Border’ (1974)
In a way, I get why Eagles never performed this entry on our list of songs live. It’s a bit touchy, considering the subject matter. But realistically, I think that’s all the more reason to perform this song.
“My Man” was written by Bernie Leadon as a tribute to former Flying Burrito Brothers bandmate Gram Parsons, who passed away from an overdose the year prior in 1973. The song also began as a tribute to Duane Allman, Leadon’s friend and contemporary, who died in a motorcycle accident in 1971. It’s a beautiful and emotional song, and it would have been incredible to hear it live. That, sadly, never happened, and it likely never will. Setlist.fm lists this song as being performed once in Evansville, Indiana, in July 1974, but there’s no evidence of this performance anywhere. It’s safe to say that “My Man” might remain in the vault forever.
Photo by Gems/Redferns