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).

the charlatans, dull, just dull. Very disappointed

Brian Wilson, genius but when he needs his band to do it all for him he needs to stop.

I've seen The Charlatans multiple times, last time about 4 years ago. Absolutely love them and think they're great live, always play crowd pleasers like sproston green.

Billy Joel. I have always wanted to see him and by magic we got amazing seats to see him at Old Trafford but by god he was flat, robotic and lack lustre.

It was very clear he couldn't have given one shiny shit about whether anyone enjoyed it or not and told several vile jokes about his ex wife always with a 'boodum tish' from his drummer.

You've been doing Las Vegas shows too long Billy, my friend. No engagement with his audience and every song was like a sanitised, cruise-liner standard version of it's former self.
Utterly dreadful.

I've seen Van Morrison about 3 or 4 times now because I love his music but no engagement at all with his audience. He literally just sings his songs wearing a hat and sunglasses so you can barely see his face anyway. I've heard from colleagues who have worked with him that he is a complete cunt but I still love his music.

Deacon Blue in 1988.

I wasn't a fan in the first place, but went along with friends who were fans.

Awful.

The female singer just made whooping noises.

Also, they played a few songs and then, after an hour apparently called it a night.

Then, they returned to do an "encore" that lasted at least two hours.

I totally forgot about morrisey. Saw him in manchester and he was playing an amazing set, but about 30 minutes in he stopped the show and played 10 minutes of abbatoir footage on the huge screens with a recorded backing of 'meat is murder'. the gig didn't really recover from that. Did it change the minds of the meat eaters in the crowd? - well there was a huge queue at the hot dog stand on the way out so you tell me.

Queensrÿche in 2006. They were horrendous. However the support act, Roadstar were amazing.

Red Hot Chili Peppers, Hyde Park 2004. I was a huge fan and was so so disappointed. Put it down to the sound quality but as a previous poster mentioned Anthony Kiedis was fuming that the support act, Chicks on Speed, were booed off stage. Only concert I’ve been to where the crowd talked amongst themselves the entire gig.

Best would be Feeder at Glasgow, atmosphere was electric and everyone singing Just a Day walking out to the car park honestly gave me goosebumps. Also Biffy Clyro in Newcastle they were amazing.

I came on to also say about RHCP -was Hyde Park and I think 2004! James Brown was also supporting. It was awful, I was utterly disappointed as I’d waited years to see them. AK said absolutely nothing to the audience, the atmosphere was frosty and the sound quality appalling. Hyde Park is an awful venue so I refuse to go these days. Gutted because I expected so much more.

Saw Placebo at a festival about 3 weeks ago. Festivals are generally greatest hits sets, but not this one! BM was had the arseache because someone (at a festival) dated to film them. We left after 5 songs.

Hahaha, I think I was at this! One of Ed Sheeran's homecoming gigs outdoor in Suffolk?

Tbh I didn't even stand up to watch The Darkness. I was there with my 2 kids and my heavily pregnant friend and we sat on the grass eating chips and ignoring them. I think Passenger came on next, we vaguely sang along to the one hit there.

Ed was good though!

I saw them in November/December just gone at a small local venue, they were great and really friendly with the crowd!

I also had an enormously uncomfortable experience at the Royal Albert Hall. The classical/jazz pianist Keith Jarrett is notoriously moody etc, but generally brilliant. This was some time in the early to mid 1990s I think.

He was playing along (he basically improvises, so the music can go anywhere, you never know what to expect, and he gets completely emotionally immersed in it). It was absolutely magical. Then he abruptly stopped, stormed to the front of the stage and started roaring on about the fact that he believed someone was filming or recording him. This was in the days before smartphones, and he went on and on about how he could see a red light flashing, which he took to be a video camera. He was truly raving, seemed unhinged.

It was then pointed out to him that what he was seeing was a light on the sound engineer's board.

Very awkward. The concert continued but it felt so weird after that and the magic was gone. I did listen to his music after that but with less enthusiasm than before.

UB40, some years ago. Ali Campbell was miserable, and didn't talk to the audience at all. The sound was awful. The supporting act, Maxi Priest, was different altogether - engaging, friendly and happy.

Shows my age and musical taste way back when - but we liked solo singers and have seen a few and enjoyed most. However, Johnny Mathis was a disaster. He might as well sent a big picture of himself and had a recorded set. No atmosphere, no interaction, not much movement (even of his mouth)and no acknowledgment that there was even an audience. Might as well have been listening to a CD

We saw David Bowie’s Glass Spider tour at Wembley (1987 I think) and was so disappointed. It seemed too theatrical and pretentious for a stadium show and for someone with such an incredible back catalogue of songs he’d put together a really poor setlist.

I’d seen Scissor Sisters a number of times (and even hung out with them after a show once) and their shows had always been fun but they were so dull the last time I saw them, around 12 years ago. It was about a week before they released a new album and they played pretty much every track off it which no one seemed to know, and the few older hits that they played had been reworked.

Lightning Seeds, saw them a few years ago supporting someone (can’t quite remember who now, might have been Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbot) and they were awful.

I have had the shittest week and so impulse bought tickets to see Biffy Clyro in November. I’ve never seen them live before but know a fair few songs. I don’t think I’ve seen them mentioned on this thread so please tell me their good live😅

Have to admit it was Architects supporting that sold it for me…

@MadisonAvenue my sisters went to that Bowie show at Wembley - they left early .

They are amazing live! You will not be disappointed

I saw Placebo supporting MCR a few weeks back. I'm not a fan I confess but expected a bit more. I think my biggest annoyance was their insistence on adding some weird blurred/70's retro effect to the big screens so in reality it could have been anyone up there and I doubt I'd have known.

I'm seeing Rammstein Sunday. I have high hopes for this one!

@Fedupofthis123 I’ve seen Biffy and they were great!!

@DeusInAbsentia yes placebo were disappointing at MCR and they didn’t play any of their most well known songs

Yes another one here for Marilyn Manson at download festival. He was so shit and I had waited YEARS to see him, was totally gutted. He was flipping about the stage and falling over

Elton John, WCCC 2006, I was so looking forward to it as I love (and still do despite this 'gig') his music. It was terrible, not one redeeming moment! Self gratifying rubbish, lots of roses being thrown by adoring fans to which there were many, many, many air kisses. Truly horrific.

blur at Hyde park. Huge blur fan, but the sound was terrible. No matter who is playing at Hyde park, I won’t bother. Worst venue ever.

Eminem, Milton Keynes Bowl. Only 1 support act out of 2 turned up, they were on really early and then there was a massive gap until Eminem came on. Crowd got really bored and restless resulting in lots of fights, arguments and missile throwing including plastic bottles of red wine and piss. Just before the main show torrential rain started. When they eventually decided to come on stage, Eminem and his ‘crew’ were crap. I couldn’t wait for it to be over.

Beyoncé at the O2. She spent the entire time simulating sex with a chair, dreadful vocals, it was garbage! Also saw Micheal Buble at the 02 around the same time. He was good but quite obviously shit faced.

Ian Brown, 2006 ish
There was some kind of injunction that prevented him playing any Stone Roses songs, which he was clearly very angry a
about. he did a lot of navel gazing solo stuff (angrily) and no one was much bothered about an encore.