Jump to content
Why become a member? ×

Best/Worst gig you have been to


Peloquin

Recommended Posts

8 minutes ago, Nail Soup said:

It was The Royal Festival Hall (and support band was The Fall, one of my other faves!) But around the same time maybe.

Ah right. Missed that one. Bugger.

“Circumstances” was a highlight. John French did a fine job on vocals.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Best:

Seeing Steve Vai live with Billy Sheehan and Tony MacAlpine must surely top it. Steve Vai again on the Passion and Warfare 25th Anniversary tour was also amazing. Notable mentions also go to Rush on the Snakes and Arrows tour and Rammstein on the Reise Reise tour. 

Worst by a long shot was Big Country at the O2 Academy in Newcastle with Mike Peters of The Alarm on vocals. The main issue was the sound, it was just an utter mess of mud and uncontrolled bass frequencies. Mike Peters was never a great vocalist anyway but he really struggled in this setting, it was obvious he was struggling to find the notes as he was constantly coming in high or low and then having to adjust to pitch mid-lyric. When he tried to add a bit more power or passion to his vocals he just ended up blaring out something out of tune. 

It wouldn't have been so bad if the rest of the band had been better. Mark Brzezicki was on fire on the kit and played well but Tony Butler looked utterly bored and seemed like he couldn't wait to get out of there. As it happened, he packed in soon afterwards. My wife had got us tickets as she knew I loved the band so I felt worse for her having to stand through that shite. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hard to decide, but I think Rival Sons at the Academy in Bristol has to be up there as one of my best. Honourable mention for Foo Fighters at the Olympic stadium. 
Worst- Poison, on the bill of the monsters of rock tour 1990 in Paris. Just dreadful 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 27/06/2021 at 22:55, Nail Soup said:

Best gig: hhhmmm one of these three I reckon:

  • The Magic Band (Post Beefheart) 2002 London
  • Dahka Brahka Couple of years ago London 
  • Goat Couple of years ago London

Now I have to qualify this. These are the best ones according to my memory.

But, recently someone on BC posted a pic of the Au Pairs bassist at Alexandra Palace 1980. I remember going to that all-dayer, but not seeing the Au Pairs. So I just googled the line up.

I can't believe there was so many great post-punk bands, and I only remember John Cooper Clarke! I was 15 and went on my own. Here's the line up:

image.png.a422c8d3aaeeed5319f87ad3b7f1fe8c.png

 

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 27/06/2021 at 21:17, Peloquin said:

I went to see Carter USM and they were so boring I fell asleep.

The support were very good though... Senseless Things.

 

On 27/06/2021 at 21:26, Ricky Rioli said:

Finsbury Park (literally) 1993, the boring lowlight of a pretty boring day

Thought to look up the line up. 244+Great+X.jpg

What was interesting about the Cure that day was that they had recently lost a band member and so performed as only a 4 piece - was good to hear the old stuff like A Forest with a bit more of the traditional sparse texture rather than the late 80s wash. What also stuck in my mind was Robert Smith played Fire In Cairo just him and a 12 string acoustic,  I was delighted when I found it on YouTube:

Quite impressed how well the festival crowd knew the words to an ancient album track :) 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Best gig was Rush on the R30 tour at the SECC, Glasgow, in 2004 ... the band were really up for the gig and it was fantastic.

Worst gig was Chris de Burgh at the Edinburgh Playhouse ... must have been around 1986/7 ... was dragged along by a girlfriend ... absolutely freakin' tedious doesn't begin to describe the misery of the experience 😱

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

18 minutes ago, Treeb said:

Worst gig was Chris de Burgh at the Edinburgh Playhouse ... must have been around 1986/7 ... was dragged along by a girlfriend ... absolutely freakin' tedious doesn't begin to describe the misery of the experience 😱

OK, we can close the ‘worst gig’ part of the thread now.

  • Haha 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hard one but best would be either Floyd at Earls Court with the Wall first time around or Genesis Duke tour where Phil bought me lunch.

Worst would be either Whitesnake cause sound was dreadful or Gabriel cause I was bored. I left within first 30mins of both gigs. Wasn't much of a fan of Gabriel back then and both Glasgow Apollo early 80's.

Dave

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Absolute best ever: Pearl Jam at Hard Rock calling. Must have been mid to late 2000s. The whole day was great but being near the front for Pearl Jams first UK gig in 15 years was an incredible experience. I'd seen a few of the support acts and saw the Hives win over a very sceptical audience to have them eating out of their hands. They were replacing Gaslight Anthem who two of my friends were obsessed with. Then Ben Harper and Relentless 7 who are absolutely amazing. But suddenly another 10,000 people were in for Pearl Jam taking the stage. We got swept off our feet by the surge of the crowd. I've just never experienced anything like it. Absolute best live band I've ever seen. I didn't know all the songs by any stretch, just Ten and VS at the time (used to play a few off Ten in my first band and PJ inspired me to get a fretless). 

Worst? Red Hot Chilli's at Knebworth in 2012. Absolutely painful. Left before the end. It was the sheer hope and expectation that did it to me. I was expecting this tk be off the scale best thing ever. It really wasn't. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had forgotten about the Rush Farewell to Kings Tour late 70's. For me that's when Rush were at their peak and an amazing display of musicianship by all. The full bands expert playing astounded me more than any other band. I was a Floyd and Genesis at the time but Rush totally surprised me how brilliant they were.

Floyd and Genesis i was expecting to be good anyways

Dave

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, Treeb said:

Best gig was Rush on the R30 tour at the SECC, Glasgow, in 2004 ... the band were really up for the gig and it was fantastic.

Worst gig was Chris de Burgh at the Edinburgh Playhouse ... must have been around 1986/7 ... was dragged along by a girlfriend ... absolutely freakin' tedious doesn't begin to describe the misery of the experience 😱

I was at the Rush gig. Superb indeed. I feel for you going to see Chris De Burgh

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 27/06/2021 at 21:26, Ricky Rioli said:

Finsbury Park (literally) 1993, the boring lowlight of a pretty boring day

I was going to say I was working behind the bar at that, but from the lineup it can’t have been. 1992 maybe. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, MacDaddy said:

 

Best: Twisted Sister, at the Rock and Blues Custom Bike Rally 2004.

Worst: Guns n Roses, Donnington 1988. Not because they were bad, but because that was when the 2 fans died.

Twisted Sister would have been a great show.

Cant blame G&R for the fans dying tho. 

Dave

Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 hours ago, Treeb said:

Best gig was Rush on the R30 tour at the SECC, Glasgow, in 2004 ... the band were really up for the gig and it was fantastic.

Worst gig was Chris de Burgh at the Edinburgh Playhouse ... must have been around 1986/7 ... was dragged along by a girlfriend ... absolutely freakin' tedious doesn't begin to describe the misery of the experience 😱

When I was about 15 (late ‘70s) a friend played me a track on a tape he’d “borrowed” from his brother. I thought it was great; a ghost story song, which always floats my boat (see She Moves Through The Fair, Ghost Riders in the Sky etc). Unfortunately it didn’t say what it was, so I spent the next year or so unsuccessfully trying to track it down. We were both Prog fans so I assumed it was some previously unheard track by a Prog band. Imagine my surprise when about 2 decades later I walked into Woolworths and there was the album - Spanish Train and Other Stories, by yep, you guessed it, Chris De Burgh. 

I’ve seen Rush twice, including the first time when I was really into them in ‘81; both gigs were amongst the most disappointing I’ve been to. This was the first time I saw them. All I could hear all night was Geddy’s bass, although as he was playing his Rick at the time that was the best thing about the gig. 😉
 

 

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Worst: Cornershop before they got famous.

Best? Very, very tough question, but Hawkwind playing Chronicles of the Black Sword at Hammersmith Odeon (the gig that was released as Live Chronicles).

Huw Lloyd Langton's performance of Moonglum is as much part of Hawkwind lore and legend as Space Ritual.

 

Edited by Stub Mandrel
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Best

  • Crass, Triad Bishop’s Stortford, August 2nd 1978
  • Kraftwerk, Hammersmith Odeon, 3rd July 1981
  • Dead Kennedys, Brixton Ace, December 2nd 1982
  • Birthday Party, Electric Ballroom, 26th April 1983

Worst

  • Lots of gigs for lots of reasons but I’m a big believer in ‘If you haven’t got anything good to say don’t say anything’.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Worst by far:

Queens of the Stone Age.

Seen them twice - both times were bloody awful. Sloppy, out of tune, not giving a crap.

 

Best 3 gigs ever in no particular order:

Prince. O2 residency

Hugh Laurie and the Copper Bottom Band - New Theatre, Oxford (I'm not kidding, it was right up there with Prince.)

Pantera - first UK Ozzfest, whenever that was.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 01/07/2021 at 07:09, dmccombe7 said:

I had forgotten about the Rush Farewell to Kings Tour late 70's. For me that's when Rush were at their peak and an amazing display of musicianship by all. The full bands expert playing astounded me more than any other band. I was a Floyd and Genesis at the time but Rush totally surprised me how brilliant they were.

Floyd and Genesis i was expecting to be good anyways

Dave

One of the first big gigs I went to.

Still love a bit of earlier heavier Rush.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...