Worst Live Act (Pushing it a bit too far)

[rwillett]

Bob Dylan at the Brixton Academy, probably late 90s, supported by Elvis Costello. I idolised Dylan growing up.

 

Never meet your heroes 😩

 

Elvis Costello was excellent BTW

[christhammer666]

12 hours ago, Cosmo Valdemar said:

I adore Fear Factory but Burton's vocals always left a lot to be desired live... I don't remember any specific issues at this show though. Wasn't this the Halloween Obsolete show? Me and my mates all went in slightly amateur corpse paint and put up with dirty looks in the queue, only to be vindicated when FF came out looking like the Misfits!

 

 

But I digress.

i think it was yes. Im sure burton had a skeleton t shirt on ?. It sounded like and a few confirmed he was miming the clean parts.

its a shame as i saw them there supporting Slayer for a metal hammer show in 97 and they absolutely tore the place apart. its a real pity hows burtons vocals worsened over the years as like you i love fear factory

[Beedster]

8 hours ago, Count Bassy said:

He was just like a parody of himself. Gave the appearance of wishing he was somewhere else, and said about 3 words to the audience all night.

 

And you expected what, Steps, S-Club Seven, Bros? Dylan's been like that since the 70's 😁

 

I saw him do exactly that, but expecting him to do exactly that was rather impressed by the whole thing. Even in the camera close ups he looked like a character from Michael Bentine's Potty Time, we didn't see his eyes or mouth the whole 2-hours, he managed to maintain his reclusiveness even in front of several thousand people   

 

[Twigman]

On 07/10/2024 at 06:24, NancyJohnson said:

 Brixton Academy.  

 

Everything was just awful.    Dreadful FoH sound.  Too loud.  Too full (over capacity?).

Seems to be the case there these days in my experience.

I went to see Placebo there a few years ago with exactly the same experience.

 

I'm sure it wasn't as awful in the 80s - I saw many a band at the Academy back then.

[Twigman]

On 07/10/2024 at 08:03, Cat Burrito said:

I have seen the Mission a few times recently and they completely get the importance of playing the songs people want to here now. Vastly superior to seeing the Sisters of Mercy these days and I never thought I'd say that. I think it helps having Craig and Simon back in the band, 75% of the classic lineup. 

I can second this.

 

We played a festival in Spain in September 24 on the same stage as The Mission (and The Charlatans) and can confirm they played their 'Best of' - Wasteland, Butterfly On a Wheel, Tower Of Strength, Serpents Kiss, Severina etc etc

 

We also played a festival in Athens in Summer 23 with The Sisters of Mercy who also played their 'Best of' - albeit only Andrew Eldritch survives from any line up of the Sisters I would recognise.

 

[AlexDelores]

Guns & Roses at Reading 2010? I think 

 

Dreadful, truly dreadful.  

[chriswareham]

The Sisters of Mercy rank as one of the worst live music experiences I've ever had. Missed their early incarnations pre-Floodland as I was too young. Saw them twice in the Vision Thing era, but it was third rate metal as Eldritch thought that would make the band massive in the US. Then saw them about eight years ago, since my partner bought tickets to see them at the Roundhouse as a present. Therapy? supported, and were their usual superb selves. The Sisters were like a bad parody doing techno versions of the old songs without even a bass guitarist.

 

I also walked out of Ultravox at the Roundhouse, as it was more like a Midge Ure solo show with his terrible guitar playing drowning the rest of the band out. Found out afterwards he'd insisted on his personal sound engineer being in control of the FoH mix.

 

Peter Murphy at the smaller venue in the O2 dome thing. Billed as a mixed set of Bauhaus and solo material. He spent almost the entire set laying on his back and refused to sing most of the songs to the obvious embarrassment of his backing band. A few months after he was arrested for driving under the influence of, and in possession of, drugs. Not a surprise.

[SH73]

Axle Rose in past 15 plus years

Vince Taylor, wtf

 

[AlexDelores]

On 07/10/2024 at 09:15, bassbiscuits said:

Also Amy Winehouse at V Festival, Staffordshire, in 2009 I think. At the height of her “tabloid fodder” period unfortunately. 
 

Band started up, no sign of Amy for a good ten mins until she stumbled onto the stage. Show was an absolute shambles. 
 

Clearly was in a bad place at the time and sadly it showed. 

I was there for this too and was right towards the front as she was on just before Kings of Leon. 
 

You’re right it was a shambles but in hindsight, very sad to see… 

I remember being able to see the discolour and dirt on her clothes! 😟

[JoeEvans]

I think the absolute worst would have to be Roy Harper in about 1991. He played for about two and a half hours and my god it was the most boring thing I've ever witnessed. And the venue was all seated and sold out, and I was fifty miles from home and relying on friends for a lift back - friends who appeared to be captivated. So I felt trapped and unable to leave...

[casapete]

Black Sabbath, Hammersmith Odeon around 1977/8.

 

The worst noise I have ever heard at a gig of any size, and I’ve seen some shite.

Painfully loud, dreadful vocal, the worst mix and also a lunatic crowd.

My ex-girlfriend had procured the tickets, and I felt so bad that I had to leave after

two/maybe three ‘songs’ but just couldn’t tolerate any more of the assault.

We found a nearby pub though with an excellent band playing, so the night wasn’t entirely lost. 

[RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE]

1 hour ago, casapete said:

Black Sabbath, Hammersmith Odeon around 1977/8.

 

The worst noise I have ever heard at a gig of any size, and I’ve seen some shite.

Painfully loud, dreadful vocal, the worst mix and also a lunatic crowd.

My ex-girlfriend had procured the tickets, and I felt so bad that I had to leave after

two/maybe three ‘songs’ but just couldn’t tolerate any more of the assault.

We found a nearby pub though with an excellent band playing, so the night wasn’t entirely lost. 

Was that the tour where van halen were the support band? I remember trying to record the vhs gig of that tour on the telly ( live st Hammersmith ) That was awful. 

[MacDaddy]

4 hours ago, SH73 said:

Axle Rose in past 15 plus years

Vince Taylor, wtf

 

 

 

Vince Taylor?

[casapete]

1 hour ago, RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE said:

Was that the tour where van halen were the support band? I remember trying to record the vhs gig of that tour on the telly ( live st Hammersmith ) That was awful. 

I honestly don’t know, but think I may have remembered if it was VH as support.

 

Or maybe not of course….🤣

[tauzero]

4 hours ago, RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE said:

Was that the tour where van halen were the support band? I remember trying to record the vhs gig of that tour on the telly ( live st Hammersmith ) That was awful. 

 

On the tour with Van Halen as support, I went to see them at the Birmingham New Street Odeon. My friend had told me that the support band were brilliant but couldn't remember their name. The support band were absolutely dreadful - a band called Tanzder Youth. Sadly, I'd missed the gig where they'd had Van Halen supporting. Sabbath were fine.

[Bluewine]

On 07/10/2024 at 18:21, Count Bassy said:

Bob Dylan at the NEC about 27 years ago. He was just like a parody of himself. Gave the appearance of wishing he was somewhere else, and said about 3 words to the audience all night.

 

It was sh1t.

I had the same experience with Dylan. He sat behind the keyboard the whole night, never looked at or spoke to the audience. The band was too big and the sound was awful 

 

Daryl 

[warmnotes]

Was a huge Pixies fan and bought tickets for two nights of a three night run they were doing at the Brixton Academy in 1990. They were supported by an awful three piece called Barkmarket who bored the trousers off the audience for what seemed a lifetime. Why on earth I turned up early the next night to endure them again I can't recall. 

 

 

[LeftyJ]

Ozzy Osbourne at the Fields of Rock festival in 2007. His band were fine, but Ozzy was already well past his due date and his mind seemed to be gone. He sang poorly, and his interaction with the audience was limited to the same "I can't f***ing hear you" in a drunk old man voice AFTER. EVERY. BLOODY. SONG. He was a total caricature of himself. 

[Jonge McLengo]

I wisely gave it a miss, but my parents went to see Dylan at the Albert Hall about 10 years ago when he was in his crooner phase. They told me that you haven’t lived until you’ve heard Animal from the Muppets croak his way through ‘Autumn Leaves’.

[FretsOnFire]

Dragonforce at Southend Cliffs Pavillion about 13 years ago.

 

Tiny crowd which only just made up about 4 rows and a band going through the motions living off through the fire and flames 

[Rayman]

Smashing Pumpkins just after D’Arcy had left, Machina tour, Manchester Apollo, absolutely dire. 
 

Honourable mentions, Alt J (Bluedot), Future Islands (Bluedot), UFO (last gig at the Manc Apollo), James (Kendal Calling), Caribou (Blue Dot), Uli Jon Roth (Manc Apollo) Level 42 (Blackburn King George’s Hall) …… oh there are so many….. 

[Bone Idol]

A friend of mine told me about a Van Morrison gig that he went to a few years ago...

Van Morrison had just released a new album the week before the gig. He came on stage at the begining and said:

"We're going to play the new album for the first set, then we'll go off for a little break and then when we come back, we'll play some songs that you've heard before."

So they played the new album for the first set... Went for a break... And when they came back... They played the new album for the second set.... And then went home!

[Rayman]

1 hour ago, Bone Idol said:

A friend of mine told me about a Van Morrison gig that he went to a few years ago...

Van Morrison had just released a new album the week before the gig. He came on stage at the begining and said:

"We're going to play the new album for the first set, then we'll go off for a little break and then when we come back, we'll play some songs that you've heard before."

So they played the new album for the first set... Went for a break... And when they came back... They played the new album for the second set.... And then went home!

Gotta love Van 

[RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE]

My brother who is a fan of van morrison , told me about a gig he went to in the '80s at the Hammy Odeon.

He mentioned he was well aware of VM's  cantankerous reputation , and he never disappointed .

By this I mean that Van Morrison played 3 songs , mumbled something and walke£ off in a huff! 😹

My brother compared Van amorrison to a racehorse .if they're up for it on the day ...

He just reminds me of Father Jack ..

Edited Thursday at 18:27 by RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE

[Stub Mandrel]

1 hour ago, Bone Idol said:

A friend of mine told me about a Van Morrison gig that he went to a few years ago...

Van Morrison had just released a new album the week before the gig. He came on stage at the begining and said:

"We're going to play the new album for the first set, then we'll go off for a little break and then when we come back, we'll play some songs that you've heard before."

So they played the new album for the first set... Went for a break... And when they came back... They played the new album for the second set.... And then went home!

 

I suspect musicians from his band who might say a VM gig was the worst ever...