Ella Fitzgerald in person. I had every opportunity to do so, as she had scheduled many concerts in venues near to where I was living at the time. But somehow I missed her. Now she's gone of course, and there are no more chances.

Is there any performer you regret you missed when you had the opportunity?

I had a chance to meet Robert Munch, but he left the tv studio before I could shake his hand. If I would have shown up ten minutes earlier, I would have met my fav childhood writer.

Yes Red Skelton. I had loved him since I was a kid. One time while he was performing in Vegas my mom mentioned to me where he was doing his show etc.. I said yeah I know but I don't have the funds to go she just said "Well' and gave me this look. It didn't dawn on me till much later that she just may have been saying will ask this time. Oh well you live and learn from your mistakes.

Roy Orbison was at the local summer fair as part of the grandstand shows. For whatever reason I decided not to go. Shortly after was the traveling Willburys, then he was gone.

Diego Maradona playing against Scotland at Hampden Park in Glasgow in 1979. Despite the fact that I'd loved watching the 1978 World Cup winning team, to which Maradona had been added for the friendly match, I had an important exam the next day, and I decided I'd be sensible and study that evening, then just watch the highlights on TV rather than go to the match. Maradona scored his first international goal in that game, an amazing goal by all accounts, which really confirmed his specialness. But there was a strike that day in the TV studios, so the TV company didn't even film it, the only footage I've seen was a grainy film from a company who were sponsoring the event. The moral is that you can always re-sit an exam, you can never re-sit seeing one of the greats do something special.

On the plus side, a couple of years ago my son and I went to see Lionel Messi play, which helped ease that particular pain.

...Summer's hoo hoo.

I'll have to go with Summer's hoo hoo as well.

Pope John Paul. OK, he's a different kind of performer.

In November of 1998, I was in Rome for a break. It was a rainy Saturday and I decide to go see the Vatican. While I was in St. Peters an elderly man came up to me (no it wasn't the Pope) and started speaking to me in Italian. I didn't have a clue what he was saying. So the man motioned over one of the guides. He explained that the elderly man was inviting me to see the Pope give mass the next day.

Well the next day I wasn't a very good catholic boy. It was pouring rain and I was a little hung over.
I ended up not going and have regretted it ever since.

I went to see Little Feat at the Urvine Auditorium on the University of Pennsylvania campus a long time ago. They had a 7:00 show, and a 9:30 show. The doors opened for the second show at 9:15, so I quickly went to the bath room before the show started, and some sweatty guy was smiling at me, and trying to talk to me in the men's room, but I paid no attention to him an quickly ran back to my seat. When the show started I saw that sweatty guy playing guitar, and singing on stage. It was the late great Lowell George smiling at me and trying to talk to me in the men's room that Saturday night many years ago, and I will kick myself in the butt for the rest of my life for not talking to that musicial legend. I bought my first Little Feat album in 1972 or 73.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OO3ZMdcL8Pc

The guy in the white bib overalls is Lowell George

Good one Al.

Pink Floyd with Waters & Gilmour.

Motown: on the same tour, John Paul II came to Edmonton. I am not nor ever was Catholic, but I do regret not going to see him. I also passed up the opportunity to hear Stephen Hawking. Both bad moves.

A few years later, I was to have dinner with Victor Borge. Unfortunately he became ill and had to cancel the visit.

John

John,

While I didn't take the opportunity to see him, my aunt a Felician sister, who's order was founded in Krakow, the Popes home town did see him.

Craig

This isn't w/in the spirit of the question but regret remains. I had tickets to see Ozzie Osbourne perform at the concert they were heading to when Randy Rhodes was killed.

Michael Jackson live.

Yeah....he was good alive, dead....not so good. Did you know if you put your head down to the ground on his grave that you'll hear music in reverse? That is because he is decomposing!

Decomposing?

The Kingston Trio.
But I did get to meet Bob "Captain Kangaroo" Keeshan

I always wished I had went to see James Brown when he came to the Ottawa Bluesfest years ago.

I am coughing in laughter.
I remember back in 93 I went to Brazil for a few months as an exchange student. The family I was supposed to live with has a death in the family and I ended up with a great family who could speak very little (almost no) English. The third night the son (he was 20 odd at the time) walked in and he said "comprar" which meant eat to me and then at dinner he showed me two pieces of paper and said " Michael Jackson".
Great show.
At the end of my 3 month stay, my portuguese was pretty good, and I had seen not only Michael Jackson, but also Tina Turner and Madonna.
My only regret.....when my son was born, my wife required a C-section. The doctor said that he would prefer if I wasn't in the room because it is a medical procedure and there might be a hassle. I am petrified of blood so I gladly said Yes only to regret it later. I have to add though that all the great memories I have built up of my son over the past few months far outweigh the birth I missed. I was in the room next door and honestly after more than 20 hours of worry and my wife in pain I was so glad it was over I couldn't care too much at the time.