For promoters and fans alike, the concert was poised to set a new high-water mark for the festival, moving from the fringes by hosting a rare performance by one of the Continent's most influential and legendary '70s bands. As early as 1971, Faust recordings and concerts had foreshadowed much of the experimentalism and intensity that later surfaced both in the mainstream and subgenres of progressive rock, ambient and industrial.

The night of the performance, an unusually large crowd gathered outside the club. In the middle of the crowd, perched at the front door, was heavy machinery: a well-used cement mixer and a massive hay shredder. At first glance, they seemed to be part of a nearby construction project. But when the crew moving the equipment spoke German, it was clear that Faust was in the house — almost.

Any vivid expectations of new musical peaks that would be scaled with guitar, bass, keyboards, drums, trumpet and farm machines were rapidly shattered, as signs were posted on the doors of the Roxy announcing that the Faust show had been canceled.

Seeing founding Faust member Jean-Hervé Péron step up to attach the trailer hitch, I asked what the problem was. Péron explained that the venue's security people had refused to let the band use the hay shredder. When I suggested that maybe they could use some different instrumentation for this gig, Peron said, "We haven't compromised in 30 years, and we're not going to start now."

When a Czech couple complained to a Faust crew member, they were advised to get a refund at the box office. But they were in for more than the price of a ticket; the couple had traveled over 100 kilometers (62 miles) and booked a hotel room in Prague just to see Faust.

The disappointed crowd lingered for over an hour while Finland's Pan Sonic played an electrifying set inside. The promoters helped a few non-Prague residents with refunds while announcing that locals could get theirs during the next business week at Roxy's ticket office.

Since then, both the promoters and the band have issued press releases reflecting a breakdown in communication that occurred over a last-minute request for 400 liters of hay. Faust is well-known for (and experienced in) using heavy machinery at its concerts, and had spent weeks rehearsing and road-testing the hay shredder, using it to spray hay on the audience. One key specification was apparently lost in translation: Faust requested wet hay, not the dry hay that Roxy management feared would cause a fire hazard. According to Faust members, they had to endure "the narrow-mindedness of the owner of the club" when attempting to explain and demonstrate their equipment.

With Roxy's history of zoning and legal battles, it's hard to blame the venue for not wanting to take any unnecessary safety risks. Yet Faust members were frustrated at being unable to perform a show with the same machines they had used earlier in the month in places like Paris, Metz and Kraków. Faust also complained that during their Czech stay, they had numerous problems with police. According to band members, they were fined on several occasions for documentation technicalities that had previously passed inspection in Germany, France and Poland, costing them over 10,000 Kč ($460).