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Most disappointing band/musician seen live

310 replies

theDudesmummy · 22/06/2022 14:16

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).

OP posts:
nancy75 · 22/06/2022 22:00

Took DD to see arianna grande - would have Ehad a better time if I’d spent the night sticking pubs in my eyes. Lots of shrieking, warbling & strange noise. She sings like she has a mouth full of marbles & talks like a drunk child

LegArmpits · 22/06/2022 22:03

I was at that gig too, took us an hour to dig the car out of the muddy car park and my brand new turquoise Puma trainers went straight in the bin. Fuck you Axl Rose. Long standing grudge 😂

Morph22010 · 22/06/2022 22:05

AdoraBell · 22/06/2022 14:53

Maddona. Completely out of tune, terrible voice.

I agree I saw Madonna on her blond ambition tour at Wembley in the 90s and her voice was awful, also the show was just scripted, no spontinaity or banter with the crowd at all

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

orangespiral · 22/06/2022 22:07

dolphinsarentcommon · 22/06/2022 15:57

The Police. Sting was so awful we left before the end.

Same.

And Bob Dylan.

Whataboutno · 22/06/2022 22:12

Love the Mr Motivator story! We met him in a restaurant when we were kids and he said hello to us on TV the next morning! 😂 Sorry this isn't a Mr Motivator thread I know!

Morph22010 · 22/06/2022 22:13

augustusglupe · 22/06/2022 16:58

Thompson Twins, Rock City Nottingham 83ish.
God it was the longest night, the ladies loos were packed with us all trying to escape the racket. It was back when they were a seven piece.

Guns & Roses, Milton Keynes bowl, 92.
Must say that I actually love them, but I think they'd just had enough. It was like Axl just didn't want to be there. Massive disappointment which wasn't helped by the fact that it chucked it down the whole day.
DD saw them a few years ago though and was blown away and is seeing them again later this year.

Are you sure you saw guns n roses at Milton Keynes bowl in 1992? Was it on use your illusion tour? We went to Wembley to that year and previous year and I was just wondering why we didn’t go to Milton Keynes as it’s much nearer

Albanyriver · 22/06/2022 22:15

Robbie Williams at Wembley. Wish I could remember exactly what he’d said but he was saying homophobic things. Olly Murs was the support act, he was brilliant and made up for the fact we left early as we weren’t enjoying the main star of the show!

ParanoidGynodroid · 22/06/2022 22:19

I've never been to a truly awful gig, but must say - though it pains me - that I was a bit disappointed with David Bowie at the Phoenix Festival 1996.

However Neil Young was absolutely brilliant, as were The Prodigy and the Sex Pistols.

MermaidEyes · 22/06/2022 22:19

Morph22010 GnR at Milton Keynes was 93

Morph22010 · 22/06/2022 22:23

MermaidEyes · 22/06/2022 22:19

Morph22010 GnR at Milton Keynes was 93

Aah that will be why then, we went 91 and 92, when they played wembley

Morph22010 · 22/06/2022 22:26

B52s at 80s rewind about 8 years ago were awful ,they were headlining one night and we left before end, also then Jericho at same gig (if anyone can remember them), the singer acted like he was some kind of super star.

Chester hawkes was on earlier in the day and he was really good, very impressed with him, and fantastic rapour with the crowd

balletmuffin · 22/06/2022 22:27

Rod Stewart in Glasgow. Shit gig. Made it all about football. Had a break halfway through to change the set and the entire place just died a death.

The B52’s cannot sing. I cannot sing but I can sing better than the B52s.

MermaidEyes · 22/06/2022 22:29

Scout2016 · 22/06/2022 20:18

I wonder if it will turn out that there's some sort of Bob Dylan been hoax going on, where he actually hasn't played a gig for decades and that's why it doesn't sound or look like him, you can't see him and the songs are unrecognisable.
One festival I saw him at (Hop Farm I think) the camera was just fixed in position a distance from the stage, so you couldn't even see him on the big screens and no zooming in or anything. No one else's was like that so he must have demanded it. And he was dressed like a matador.

He probably died 30 years ago and they just keep wheeling out a lookey-likey hoping no one will notice....

overnightangel · 22/06/2022 22:31

Glittertwins · 22/06/2022 15:11

Extreme at Monsters of Rock in 1994. Absolutely dreadful. I'd seen them in Sheffield a couple of years previously and they were so much better then

I loved Extreme and had a bootleg video of that show, I thought they were absolutely 🔥 🔥 🔥 at that gig

notprincehamlet · 22/06/2022 22:34

The mime artist who appeared with him had no music to mime to
That tickled me Grin
Love the Mr Motivator story - he did the warm up at Bristol half marathon one year and he was terrific

LibbyL92 · 22/06/2022 22:36

Marilyn Manson at download in 2009.
he spent more time off the stage, it was terrible.

Benjispruce4 · 22/06/2022 22:39

Jessie J. Took my young teens to a local park concert a few years back. She spent half the time sitting on the stage giving out advice. Just bloody sing!!!!

PermanentlyTired03 · 22/06/2022 22:45

Ellie Goulding. Clearly did not want to be there. No stage presence at all. Walked about shaking her hair everywhere.

DancingUnderTheLights · 22/06/2022 22:45

The Pixies (usher hall, edinburgh) a few years ago- played new songs I wasn't interested in for a lot of it. And the quality of the sound just seemed off. You'd expect them to have decent sound engineers or whoever sets up the system.

The Smashing Pumpkins - it was in Glasgow over ten years ago and the venue could have taken a lot more people than was there. Don't know if just didn't sell, but it just created a weird atmosphere. Even the band commented on it and said it was like being in an aeroplane hanger.

Gardengirl108 · 22/06/2022 22:52

Pixies, 2016. Boring, flat, no stage presence. They also played 30-odd songs so I thought the night would never end.

kierenthecommunity · 22/06/2022 22:53

Queen post Freddie and pre Adam. Just had a guy called Paul Rogers from Free, who were famous for the song All Right Now and not much else. It was sooooo dull and it cost a fortune too. It was like a bunch of late middle aged men phoning it in and getting royally rewarded for it.

I then declined to go again when they recruited Adam but regretted it when I saw them on a NYE event on TV. I went the next time they toured and it was like a different band.

The worst band I’ve ever seen was last Friday, the support for Duran Duran who thankfully were only on for half an hour.They were called Dry Cleaning and I imagine they’re a band Nick considers quirky. He wouldn’t be wrong but they were also shyte. I think the young woman singer considers herself much more talented than she actually is. One if the songs was something about having scabs on her head. The overwhelmingly middle aged crowd were just standing there looking bemused.

I didn’t think there was anything that could have made me look forward to DD any more. Until Dry Cleaning came on stage.

baxtersm · 22/06/2022 22:58

Bob Dylan in Dublin.. played a full set of new songs, not one song anyone in the audience could sing along to! Didn't speak to the crowd at all.. absolutely awful.

mumboss1984 · 22/06/2022 22:59

So strange isn’t it, Manics were amazing both times I have seen them but I saw The Killers at a festival and they were that bad I would have rather gone back to my tent 🤣

Cloverforever · 22/06/2022 23:06

Gary Numan a few months ago. Far heavier than any of us were expecting, didn't engage with the crowd at all, and all a bit samey. My boyfriend caught me looking at my watch just half an hour in.

Peakypolly · 22/06/2022 23:17

Elbow.I thought I was a fan then, about 4 songs in, I realised that I'm not.