Most disappointing band/musician seen live

[theDudesmummy]

I am starting this on the back of another thread about best live performances. How about bands/performers you loved and thought were going to be great live, only to be disappointed for one reason or another?

I will start:

Neil Young, Royal Albert Hall 2003. I love his music, absolute soundtrack of my later years at university, but this concert was unbelievable in its shitness. Half of it was some unlistenable concept album. Never felt the same about him after that.

Van Morrison, some concert at a stately home type of place, maybe fifteen years ago? (Have blocked out the details). The booze completely ran out before we got to the bar for the first time (and no, we weren't late, he hadnt even come on stage yet). I guess that wasn't Morrison's fault directly but you would think he would employ/contract people to make sure this doesn't happen. DH and I soberly listened to two songs then shared a look and left to find a pub.

Nina Simone, probably also Royal Albert Hall, some time in the 1990s. Sorry, I know she is dead now, and was a legend, but when you sit right over to one side of the stage, practically in the wings, for the whole show, completely hidden by the piano so only half the audience can see you, then you are going to pass off even your most ardent fans. I never even caught sight of her.

(Bob Dylan pissed me off at the Brixton Acedemy circa 1990 by never taking his hat off, so I never saw his face, but I forgave him because he is Bob Dylan, and at least I saw the rest of him).

Fall Out Boy. Out of tune, awful. Seen them a few times at various festivals and never did it for me. Ironically they came on after Panic! At The Disco, a band managed and discovered by Pete Wentz. Panic blew FOB out of the water.

Marilyn Manson. Download festival. Never seen so many people walk away. Terrible.

ZZ Top. I've watched paint drying with more excitement.

Offspring. Also very dull, put it down to a festival environment rather than the band though as I've heard they are great on arena tours.

Scissor sisters at a festival about 13 years ago, so flat, no energy. Was expecting fireworks. Barely got a sparkler.

placebo about 8 years ago. Was so dull. The crowd barely moved just filmed it. Didn’t do any of their decent songs

We saw Offspring in Britton, and it was a very good show that night.

Worst (in terms of difference live to studio recordings) were Scissor Sisters and Bruce Springsteen.

Destiny's Child at the M.E.N. No energy or enthusiasm, were walking through the dance routines. It was a world tour so I expect they were exhausted and coming to the end of their career together. You could really tell.

Nirvana were crap but not as bad as The Stone Roses who were dire.

Smashing Pumpkins at Primavera, Barcelona somewhere around 2008. They were terrible: off key, off their faces and generally just off. Really disappointing. Luckily the White Stripes were also playing and were fantastic.

Saw Amy Winehouse do an afternoon slot at Glastonbury many years ago and she was definitely the worse for wear - then magically she pulled it out the bag for an evening gig on the Other Stage. It was hard to believe it was the same person.

Bob Dylan Kilkenny 2019.
A waste of petrol going there and back.

You should count yourself lucky that Nina Simone actually appeared at all! Booking to see her was a lottery; and yet because she was Nina Simone you'd always turn up, despite the ever-present risk that she wouldn't.

My worst one was Tears For Fears, about 10 or so years ago. It was clearly during one of the periods where Curt and Roland were not getting on. They came onstage from opposing wings and the between-song banter was excruciating. Roland Orzabal kept doing sub-Little Britain 'look into my eyes, into the eyes, not around the eyes' shtick all night. They were off-key and just generally there for the paycheck. It was awful.

Muse - saw them just after they released their first album. No charisma - just rattled through the songs with technical brilliance but no stagecraft.

Belle and Sebastian - came on so late that a good chuck of people had to leave midway through to get the last train. Out of tune.

The Strokes - festival appearance. They were shitfaced and incompetent. We missed Massive Attack on the other stage for that rubbish and I still bear a grudge now.

The Lightning Seeds, lack lustre & disappointing. Definitely better recorded than live!

Katy b I love her music but she didn't interact with audience, no stage presence

Counting Crows, some time in the late 90s. The band was OK but the singer was absolutely off his face, stumbing, slurring, completely out of tune, and when the crowd started chanting for 'Mr Jones' (their only big hit at the time), he said 'Yeah, you're not having that' and walked off stage. The rest of the band looked mortified.

Second Marilyn Manson, we went to see him mid 2000's at Wolverhampton Wulfrin Hall I think it was and he was terrible. Completely out of it.

Bob Dylan. I recognized no songs and could not understand a word he said. Van Morrisson on the other hand was the supporting act and worth the money

Britney Spears (I know I shouldn't have axis Ted much but I was 16)
Kings of Leon- awful

@Cocolapew yes. Stone Roses. Really disappointing.

Also The Black Crowes at Glastonbury in the 90's. Some drugs had been taken on that stage and they had a lovely time mainly focused on a triangle for about 20 minutes.

@spiderlight I'm sad to hear that. I've just listened to August and Everything After. I used to love them.

A-ha. I had seen them when they first came out and they were okay, not brilliant but certainly watchable.

saw them again in Cambridge when both ‘support’ acts, Tom Bailey and OMD, blew them off stage. We left after about five so gs and weren’t the only ones. Though it’s a brave band that takes to the stage after OMD have wound the crowd up (or worn them out).

Ditto to Tears for Fears, saw them a couple of years ago and left half way through.

Lauryn Hill. My favourite of all time but crushingly disappointing

Aha 3/4yrs ago - Morton was v wooden/barely moved, zero personality or charisma which surprised me as lead singer. Thankfully OMD, who were supporting Aha, where fantastic - loads of energy, actually moved around the stage, engaged with crowd and just enthusiastic and enjoying it all.

Last Robbie Williams concert I went to - been to a couple of his but last one just felt a bit lackluster. Erasure, again in support, where brill

Bjork in Glasgow mid 90s did a 45 minute set and was definitely on something being a bit dreamy it was bollocks

Maddona. Completely out of tune, terrible voice.

@Worldgonecrazy - great minds and taste in music 😁😎 Glad it wasn't just us re Aha

Madonna at Earls Court years ago. No rapport with the audience and very little atmosphere. She seemed angry about something.

Last time I saw Robbie at the O2 he was definitely phoning it in. Previous times ( Knebworth and then when he reunited with Take That at Wembley was brilliant)

Can't believe someone's mentioned Belle and Sebastian - they were fantastic when I saw them.

Tom Jones. Helicoptered in. No interaction with audience. Did a couple of his most well known songs then switched to “blues” for an hour and helicoptered out.

It was a party crowd in the open air so it fell flat as a pancake. Just boring really.

Bob Dylan at hyde park he didnt aknowlege the audience played shit honky tonk on a piano and even die hard Dylan fans were saying what rubbish it was
Other half persuaded me to go to see tangerine dream i thought i had walked into a zombie apocolypse the audience all stood there in a trance then only clapped when the band stopped playing it was weird