Who's the worst band you've seen live?

[the boy]

[quote name='jonnythenotes' timestamp='1447959855' post='2911893']
I had been into Purple, Zeppelin, Sabbath and the usual mega bands until the night I saw the Pistols. I suppose my judgement was coloured by what I had seen before that night. The overall impression was one of chaos, which we had never seen before, but we all new this was it..... It's difficult to imagine now what it was like for a bunch 19 year old kids,40 years ago, to witness something that did not exist in their minds before that night.....it really cannot be explained...
[/quote]
This sounds like a "BLUE AND THE BEATLES" moment. One of those 'had to be there' situations.

[chriswareham]

[quote name='Roland Rock' timestamp='1448065859' post='2912925']
Funny to think he was in Thin Lizzy
[/quote]

Watched a Thin Lizzy documentary once, and even Midge Ure was wondering how he got that gig. He had to learn approximations of the guitar lines on the plane to the US tour.

[ubit]

[quote name='chriswareham' timestamp='1448121625' post='2913185']


Watched a Thin Lizzy documentary once, and even Midge Ure was wondering how he got that gig. He had to learn approximations of the guitar lines on the plane to the US tour.
[/quote]

To be fair, he was just a stand in for a short time

[Doctor J]

Ian Brown on his first tour after Unfinished Monkey Business came out. He had about 35 minutes of material and tried to make a 90 minute set out of it. It was so bad he played a woegeous cover of Thriller twice. Genuinely embarassingly poor, embarassed for him, his band, his family, the promoter and embarassed I had paid into it.

[ubit]

That has to be the worst. A band with not enough material having to flesh out a show! I've been there myself and it's worse when you have an unresponsive audience and you end up going through the material too quickly!

[Maude]

[quote name='ubit' timestamp='1448128577' post='2913231']
That has to be the worst. A band with not enough material having to flesh out a show!
[/quote]


Agreed.
I saw Stiltskin at The Cooperage in Plymouth after their one hit. They only had enough material for a very short set and then had to repeat a couple as an encore. The gig was alright really but if you're going to tour the country please learn enough songs to play for an hour without repeating.

[spectoremg]

Probably not there fault but Hawkwind, Birmingham Odeon, Feb '73 (thanks to the Hawklord gig list for jogging my memory). Power cuts, lateness due to motorway traffic and half the band had flu I think. Lemmy came on and asked the crowd what they wanted to hear - a far cry from the orchestrated Space Ritual.
While I'm here, RIP the Birmingham Odeon as a band venue.

[crez5150]

[quote name='lojo' timestamp='1448089424' post='2912942']
De Le Soul

Thought they where great, loved their studio work , but when I went it was like a couple of people talking whilst playing an old radio
[/quote]

When was this? See them last year at Glasters and they were awesome.... Full band RnB type set up.... had the whole crowd in their hands

[Bassnut62]

Saw Simple Minds at Hammersmith Odeon once and literally fell asleep during their set....ZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzz

[spongebob]

[quote name='crez5150' timestamp='1448137382' post='2913304']


When was this? See them last year at Glasters and they were awesome.... Full band RnB type set up.... had the whole crowd in their hands
[/quote]

I saw DLS in 2003, Kentish Town Forum, Loved them since the start, but not a great gig. The whole thing was inaudible, I couldn't spot a single thing they played...ended up with a massive crowd onstage...throbbing bass was all you could make out.

Shame, as I love DLS - full band gig would have been awesome. Roll on any new material....I think..?

[BrunoBass]

[quote name='bassbiscuits' timestamp='1448011995' post='2912213']
Amy Winehouse in about 2009. Her band was amazing, but when she finally stumbled onstage about 10 mins into the set, she was absolutely dreadful.

Actually Ryan Adams earlier this year was pretty poor too. His entire set was the downest of downbeat, slow-paced stoner country, with him occasionally mumbling incomprehensibly between songs. He cracked a few jokes which no-one got, and then shuffled into the next identically-paced, misery-fest of a tune.

Found it really boring.
[/quote]

I'm a massive Ryan Adams fan and have seen him loads of times, in fact two of the greatest gigs I've ever seen have been him. However I saw him earlier this year too (at Wolves Civic) and was unimpressed. Stodgy sound, boring new material, and other than a mock sword fight with his guitarist, one of those gigs I was willing to hurry up and end so I could go home.

[Tullfan]

[quote name='Painy' timestamp='1448009933' post='2912188']
Hahaha, that would indeed have been Samson (Bruce Dickinson's band before he joined Maiden - although I believe 'Thunderstick' was in a later line up than Bruce).
Their bass player, Chris Aylmer, was actually one of my predecessors in a Norwich based band I played with for about a year and a half called The Floating Greyhounds.
Paul Samson passed away from cancer a few years back. Met him a few times and be came across as a pleasant guy but was less than complimentary about Bruce.

[/quote]

Bruce Bruce as he was then known was in the band with Thunderstick. Saw Samson in Edinburgh in a venue next to the playhouse, can't remember the name, late 80/81. shook hands with Paul Sampson mid song, I thought he was so cool, I was so happy and so young.
Gutted when Samson split with Bruce Dickinson leaving, though interesting to hear Paul's inside info.

Worst band live for me -- Guillemots. Supporting the Scissor Sisters. Exeter......but thats because a massive lightening strike took out the power, to the massive frustration of the lead singer who tried to carry on alone just using a piano. Was eventually dragged off stage gutted. Shame really. Bless.

[BrunoBass]

Two gigs from the Britpop era stand out. Firstly, Manson at the Northampton Roadmender in 1997. Ridiculously loud (literally made me feel like vomiting), corny, unironic rockist posturing and a complete indifference towards their audience.

Cast at the Sanctuary in Milton Keynes, just before Xmas 1995. The whole event was just horrible - firstly the venue was this big soulless room more used to hosting raves, and a boozed up football crowd that felt like it might erupt into violence at any minute. The support act were this belligerent bunch of scensters called Don who did about three songs then trashed their gear. Finally Cast came on and the sound was so bad it was just a sheet of noise, the dry ice was so heavy you couldn't see the band. We left after about half the set and felt relieved to have done so.

[BrunoBass]

Also, can I add The Thrills, Nottingham Rock City 2004. Terrible. It honestly felt like they'd never played together before. Utterly bewildering.

[grumpyguts]

Eric Clapton at Wembley Stadium mid 90's; the in-laws dragged me along. Middle aged white bloke in a blue suit playing "blues." Very tedious.

Also on was Elton John - enough said.

[colleya]

[quote name='PaulGibsonBass' timestamp='1448147686' post='2913365']


I'm a massive Ryan Adams fan and have seen him loads of times, in fact two of the greatest gigs I've ever seen have been him. However I saw him earlier this year too (at Wolves Civic) and was unimpressed. Stodgy sound, boring new material, and other than a mock sword fight with his guitarist, one of those gigs I was willing to hurry up and end so I could go home.
[/quote]

Same as. Saw him on the Gold tour in 2001 and eagerly booked tickets for the next time around telling all my mates it would be unmissable. We went. Ryan put in one of his mumbling, couldn't care less performances and I was so embarrassed I've never been to see him since.

The Black Keys in Manchester a couple of years ago were also awful. Spent the first couple of songs thinking 'is it me being a picky musician type or is the drummer way off?' Then everyone we were with asked me the same question. He was right out of time, varying wildly during songs. If you're going to be a one guitar and drums band then I'd think that being tight is even more essential.

[chriswareham]

Just remembered a gig that I'd pushed to the back of my memory. Type O Negative at the London Astoria roughly 2005. The mighty Peter Steele was in a bad way, having succumbed to drug abuse and his inner demons. I read later that he'd been pressured into the tour because the cancellation fees would have been financially disastrous, and that he'd collapsed after the Birmingham show the night before. They came on very late, having had the Birdy Song on a loop for roughly an hour. He had to sit on the drum riser, and barely sang or played bass.

About a year later I saw him on the one off Carnivore tour upstairs at the O2 Academy in Islington. He was out of shape but back in fine form. Then came the shock a couple of years later when he passed away at 48.

[ubit]

[quote name='colleya' timestamp='1448205106' post='2913639']




The Black Keys in Manchester a couple of years ago were also awful. Spent the first couple of songs thinking 'is it me being a picky musician type or is the drummer way off?' Then everyone we were with asked me the same question. He was right out of time, varying wildly during songs. If you're going to be a one guitar and drums band then I'd think that being tight is even more essential.
[/quote]

We had tickets to see them when Patrick hurt his shoulder and they cancelled the whole European leg of their tour. Never rescheduled. Dave Grohl broke his bloody leg and came back and performed! Black Keys music, great, attitude, pish!

[RhysP]

[quote name='grumpyguts' timestamp='1448183318' post='2913429']
Eric Clapton at Wembley Stadium mid 90's; the in-laws dragged me along. Middle aged white bloke in a blue suit playing "blues." Very tedious.
[/quote]

I was given a ticket to a Clapton gig at the Albert Hall years ago, where he played for what seemed like five years with a load of old blues farts coming on as guests. I cannot stand blues but I was assured by the people who gave me the ticket that going to this gig would change my mind.

It didn't.

[colleya]

[quote name='ubit' timestamp='1448207397' post='2913655']


We had tickets to see them when Patrick hurt his shoulder and they cancelled the whole European leg of their tour. Never rescheduled. Dave Grohl broke his bloody leg and came back and performed! Black Keys music, great, attitude, pish!
[/quote]

You didn't miss much. The music was definitely not great.

[Japhet]

Seen quite a few shockers, but Welsh Prog rockers Man (think they were Welsh anyway) stand head and shoulders above all challengers for my worst ever gig. Shocking.

[seashell]

I liked Man when I saw them at Essex Uni in 76 or 77 . At least I think I liked them. It was a long, long time ago.

[PaulWarning]

seen some shocking bands over the years, so unforgetable I've forgotten what they were called, Evan Dando springs to mind a few years ago in Derby, looked like he needed a good wash and a period in rehab, totally disenterested in doing the gig so most of the crowd were disinterested in him, disapointing, I really like his Shame about ray album and the 2 after that

[charic]

The Zutons, they were supporting REM who were absolutely brilliant

[BottomE]

Oasis - saw them in Paris about 2004 when they were supporting Neil Young who was also crap. What a terrible gig. Both bands way to loud - no finesse and just sounded the same from start to finish. My mate persuaded me to go as I'd already decided that big venue gigs were a bit of a waste of time and this just confirmed it.