Gigs you left early.

[Paul S]

As a side issue to another thread this came up.  What gigs have you left early?  As in 'I don't want to waste any more of my life watching this nonsense' as opposed to 'Ill miss the last train if I don't leave'.

I'll start with 5 off the top of my head.

Maceo Parker at the O2 Brooklyn Bowl (How I miss that venue!).  The guy is a legend.  But I didn't want to hear of the same phrase being repeated for 10 mins while another band member told us how much of a legend he was.  Then Maceo spent 10 mins doing the same thing for all the rest of the band at the start of the next few songs.  I didn't particularly care that the backing singer was one of James Brown's backing singers, I wanted to hear some funk.  It was so much of a gig as a who's who.  Left after an hour.

Snarky Puppy O2 Brooklynn Bowl.  Sorry, I know.  The bass player is a legend.  Self indulgent tosh IMO.  Left after 40 mins.

Stereophonics at the O2.  Awful racket.  Left after 30 mins.

Govnt. Mule.  O2 Booklyn Bowl.  Same old licks song after song.  left after 40 mins.

Christopher Cross at the Cliffs Pavilion, Westcliff.  Failed to reach any of his high notes and his voice, never strong, was a pathetic whining noise.  Inappropriate guitar solos.  Left at half time.

Who made you get up a leave?

 

[Cuzzie]

Gabrielle - Liverpool in the 90s - thank god it was a freebie

[Dad3353]

The Ox, at Brunel University. Ear-bleeding loud, with a sax trying to perform brain surgery phonically on all attending. Even from outside, on leaving, the stomach was still being pounded by the low tones. Bleedin' awful.

The Stones, Hyde Park (Yes, the 'Butterfly' one...). King Crimson had already stolen the show, and goodness knows how many loooong, loooong minutes of Sympathy for the Devil (Hoo..! Hoo..!) one can endure. We walked across the park, but were tempted to run. (Hoo..! Hoo..!)

Hawkwind, Kingston College. A splendid concert until, in the hall heavily draped with long curtains over the windows, the pyrotechnics were set off. An immediate fire risk. Luckily it didn't go up in flames, as it happened, but we were already outside. A close shave.

More, probably, whenever the Edgar Broughton Band were trundled out (again...) on the concert stage. There's only so much suffering one should have to endure in this world. 

Edited February 21, 2021 by Dad3353

[toneknob]

Not that keen on the Brooklyn Bowl are you?

Procupine Tree, twice. I loved them in the mid 90s, they got boring after Signify though. Left gigs at the Scala and the Forum early.

Black Sabbath at Hyde Park. It started raining and it was one of the first years after they'd redesigned the arena, very badly. Also they'd run out of the nicer lager in the beer tent.

[BigRedX]

Apart for some events where there was a band (generally covers) on amongst all the stuff that I had actually gone to see, and few multi-band events/festivals where I wondered off to do something more interesting while the bands that I didn't like were playing I don't think I have ever left a gig early.

I've been disappointed by performances in several occasions - most notably Propaganda at Rock City in the mid-80s, and Fleet Foxes at Trent University more recently - but I've always stayed to the bitter end in the vain hope that they would improve at least for the encore.

Edited February 21, 2021 by BigRedX

[Reggaebass]

There’s 2 for me that a friend dragged me along to , black sabbath and Motörhead, I now know why they’re called Motörhead because I had a headache after about 10 minutes 😁

[4000]

I’ve had to leave 2 or 3 early to catch a train home, but the only one I actually left early was Wilko Johnson. Went to see Norman W-R, but for some reason he couldn’t do the gig so it was some other bloke. I watched about 2 songs and left; Wilko seems like a lovely bloke but musically it just wasn’t my thing at all.

[MacDaddy]

The Exploited, when they headlined F**k Reading 1994.

They were by far the loudest band of the day, which wouldn't have been a bad thing except the sound had no definition, it was impossible to make out any individual instruments and the vocals were just lost.

[inthedoghouse]

Supertramp in Manchester.  A couple of friends said they'd buy me a ticket if I gave them a lift.  I knew it wasn't really going to be my cuppa, but after about 30 mins I was so bored and went for a wander around and arranged to meet my friends back at the car later.  I seem to remember that Joan Armatrading was supporting and I enjoyed her set.  She had a heckler that she dealt with very well, if my memory serves me correctly.

Isotope at The Winter Gardens, Penzance.  Absolutely brilliant musicians, and I thought very Mahavishnu influenced, who I had recently seen and loved.  But there was only so much jazz fusion I could take that night.

Edited February 21, 2021 by inthedoghouse

[6feet7]

Deep Purple - Brighton Centre mid 1980's. Absolutely no (positive) chemistry going on at all. Ritchie Blackmore and Ian Gillan going through the motions and loathing every minute. I lasted about 5 songs.

Joe Bonamassa - Hammersmith Odeon (or whatever it's called nowadays) about 8 years ago. The bass drum was so loud that my friend and I felt physically sick and left after 3 songs.

[oldslapper]

Level 42 at Hammy Odeon. 
Sorry, I know, sacrilege. Great musicians, but it all sounded the same to me. 

[Old Man Riva]

Furniture at Leicester Poly (early/mid 80s).

”We’re Furniture, what’s your excuse?” the singer deadpanned, as people drifted away... 

[pst62]

Iron Maiden, Middlesbrough Town Hall, 1981. Absolute crap!

Black Sabbath with Ian Gillan, and Bev Bevan at Reading Festival, 1983. What a mess!

Def Leppard at Donington, 1986. Nauseous.

 

 

[Cat Burrito]

First gig I ever walked out of was The Bootleg Beatles in Bath back in '95. Everyone says they are great and I saw them on the BBC a few years ago - I still don't like them. I'm not anti-tribute bands, they played with the Counterfeit Stones who were great. I just don't like their version of the band.

[BigRedX]

10 minutes ago, Old Man Riva said:

Furniture at Leicester Poly (early/mid 80s).

”We’re Furniture, what’s your excuse?” the singer deadpanned, as people drifted away... 

I saw Furniture at Nottingham Trent in the late 80s (promoting Food, Sex & Paranoia album) knowing nothing but "Brilliant  Mind" and was utterly blown away by both the music and the performance.

[inthedoghouse]

Lots of gigs I've wanted to leave early from, but it's generally frowned upon if a member of the band doesn't complete the set 🙂

 

 

Edited February 21, 2021 by inthedoghouse

[Old Man Riva]

9 minutes ago, BigRedX said:

I saw Furniture at Nottingham Trent in the late 80s (promoting Food, Sex & Paranoia album) knowing nothing but "Brilliant  Mind" and was utterly blown away by both the music and the performance.

Through the world of Google I’ve just checked and the Leicester gig was in ‘86.

The band were flat, the audience was flat and the gig just meandered along into nothingness. I think the band felt it and the singer started making a few barbs about how flat the audience was, which didn’t particularly help, and it almost all ground to a halt. 

Genuinely the only time I’ve ever left early because I wasn’t enjoying the band...

I’m pleased your experience was better! 

[joeystrange]

Saw HIM on their farewell tour in 2017. We’ll I actually went to see Biters who were the support but we thought we’d stay for HIM. To say it was their last ever tour you’d think that they’d put some effort in. However they just seemed like none of them could really be arsed to be there and on top of that the singer was AWFUL. Out of key, out of time, probably p!ssed. We left half way through the set.

The other one was Black Sabbath when they headlined Download on their final tour in 2016. It was hammering down and fairly chilly by the time they came on. They were so incredibly boring that I left after about 8 songs.

Edited February 21, 2021 by joeystrange

[SteveXFR]

Machine Head in Bristol Academy a couple years ago. They decided that instead of having support bands they would play a three hour set. The first hour and a half were great. After 2 hours it was going on a bit and they were playing second rate filler tracks. I lasted 2 hours 15 minutes, the audience was definitely thinning out by then. 

Id rather one hour of explosive metal than three hours of filler with the odd killer tune mixed in

[Lozz196]

Siouxsie & The Banshees, Hammersmith Odeon 1985. She’d broken her leg so was sat on a chair for the gig, fair play on that, but I was hoping that there would be some kind of performance & stage presence from the guitarist & bassist. No, they just stood there like statues, and to be honest it didn’t sound that good either so I de-camped to the pub over the road.

[inthedoghouse]

Sassafras.  They were supporting Black Oak Arkansas at the Heavy Steam Machine in Hanley.  Black Oak didn't go on despite seeing them enter the building and the gear being set up.  I suspect if might have been because they didn't think the audience was big enough.  Anyway, Sassafras went on again in their place and played another set which I didn't fancy staying for.

[Marvin]

Mrs Marvin and I went along to a gig with the singer in a previous band to see a local band at a small venue. The band play decent support slots for bands doing 3-4000 capacity venues (?), but this was a tiny place where they were doing a gig for their home fans. 

I'd never heard their stuff, they were ok. I was stood with Mrs Marvin far enough back from 4 guys trying to mosh at the front (it wasn't that well attended). One of the guys insisted on falling back into my wife and I. After the 3rd time I asked him to stop. The 4th time he got a stone cold stare, the 5th time I told him if he did it again I'd drag him outside. The 6th time my wife said we should leave early.  

[TheGreek]

I had to think long and hard about this. The only one I can recall was The Style Council in Finsbury Park on a beautiful summers day.

I sat through OCS, Ruby Turner, etc but by the time Weller & Co came on I had a raging Migraine verging on Heat stroke (no shade in Finsbury Park) so we left half way through his set.

[casapete]

Has been a few, but the main one that springs to mind was Black Sabbath at Hammersmith Odeon, probably 1977/8. My girlfriend had got us tickets, for some reason thinking I may like it. Truly dreadful noise, vocals just so bad as well as being way too loud and badly mixed. That and also  being under the balcony and seeing it moving due to the nutters upstairs. We lasted maybe 3 numbers, and ended up in a pub round the corner where we saw a great RnB band for free. 

[Doctor J]

1 hour ago, Paul S said:

Govnt. Mule.  O2 Booklyn Bowl.  Same old licks song after song.  left after 40 mins.

Yeah, left their gig in the Ambassador in Dublin a few years ago. I had a two hour drive home and was in danger of falling asleep in the venue, never mind the car.

First gig I ever left was Opeth touring Watershed, I think. They made the mistake of having Cynic support and, to be honest, there was no following them. I like Opeth but they were boring as fooook live.

At Bloodstock 2016 I left Slayer after about 5 songs. They were simply terrible. I first saw them back in 88 touring SOH and a few times since and they got progressively more boring each time. There was just nothing left of them which was of any interest to me. I wished they'd be good but, no... just no.