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).

I saw the Libertines just before Pete Doherty got chucked out and it was such a depressing sight - he could barely stand. A lot of the crowd seemed to have come to see just that and thought it was either amusing or impressive in a 'he's a legend' way but I really felt like we were all watching a man killing himself.

Stone roses just before the pandemic. I know not the question but I was part of an audience who got bollocked by comedian Phil jupitus for not laughing enough and not being up for some awful whole audience participation. Audience not unreasonably wanted to sit and be entertained and not work for it.

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

Think you will find that is standard for her.

AC/DC at Monsters of Rock ?1991. I'd been looking forward to seeing them and they were rubbish! 20 minutes of Angus Young doing scales as a 'solo'. V. boring.

Not helped by one of the bands before being Metallica.

Cher, sometime in the 90s. She was only on the stage 50% of the time because of the number of costume changes. In between we had to watch videos of her and/or her dancers.

I'm not a big fan anyway but Muse were so boring and went on ages

Mark Knopfler - seen him twice. First was excellent and second time he really didn't want to be there. Was so lacklustre and wouldn't bother seeing him or buying his music again.

The Courteeners earlier this year at a festival. No charisma, boring, no atmosphere. By far the most boring performance I’ve seen

I saw them in the Manchester Academy I think, it was on the Pornografitti Anniversary tour. They blew the roof off. Absolutely amazing evening that and one of the best gigs I've been to.

I'll also second AC/DC for the Download farce of 2010. They refused to licence their logo for the official shirts, so all the T Shirts omitted them as Friday headliner, but worse was their insistence at bringing their own bloody stage. They set it up in such a way that any of us poor sods on the disabled platform couldn't see a bloody thing. Many of us complained long and loud over it, many requested a percentage refund of the ticket cost. None of us got anything other than a crap letter basically saying it was 'out of their control' and that it was AC/DC who'd decided on stage positions despite knowing anyone on the platform would see nothing.
I've boycotted them and any of their merchandise since that day.

Ultravox-boring!
Lenny Kravitz-boring and got into a strop and threatens to walk off stage

most others have been good, or at least I thought they were at the time

Suzanne Vega, Oxford Apollo 1990 ish. They might have well have put a cassette on, no live feeling at all.
Tesla, St Davids Hall 1992 ish. Appalling sound quality so you couldn't hear what they were playing

Simply Red at Warwick Castle. Appalling acoustics do may not have been the performance. But the venue was awful for audience as it all standing, no seating - on a slope (moat slope).

Bowie at NEC in his androgynous phase. Lacklustre performance, no connection with the audience, felt like he was there to collect his fee.

Thankfully both times the tickets were gifts. I’d have been even more aggrieved if I’d paid good money for them.

Oh yeah, Van Morrison- at some random gig on the DLR, he was rubbish!

Elton Jon Cardiff a few years ago , no audience involvement just going through the motions! So awful we left half way through, such a shame as we had always loved his music !

Bob Dylan around 2005 at Brixton, I was gutted because I was so excited to see him! He mumbled the lyrics with no tune and didn't do many of his hits (although he may have done and I didn't recognise them) and I was stuck behind a really really tall man (not Bob's fault tbf)

New Order, when they headlined the 10th Summer Festival in Manchester. They emptied the G-Mex (now MEN) faster than setting off a fire alarm!

KT Tunstall at a festival. Acoustics were awful. It was like being in a funnel so only very specific places were any good to listen. Weirdly Billy Ocean at the same festival immediately after wasn't too bad.

Eric Clapton - mostly a jam session so really boring.

Soul II Soul - lots of ‘preaching’ over a beat.

R.E.M. - not them but we were stuck up in the g-ds amongst older people who were sat around chatting through most of it.

Beyoncé - the singing was fine. It was all the female empowerment she spouted whilst writhing around on a sofa wearing her underwear.

Jesus and Mary Chain in Glasgow a few years ago were boring. As were Oasis. The third time I saw Blur they were terrible but I think they were close to splitting and Graham looked genuinely depressed during the gig and walked off as soon as he could.

In comparison The Yeah Yeah Yeahs were a joy. Enthusiastic, fun, engaged with the crowd and seemed to want to be there. PJ Harvey was perfect and at one point crouched down to see what had happened to a fan who had fallen down (she was fine). The Fratellis were fun and sounded fantastic!

Maximo Park. They were between Royal Blood and the Pixies so that was always going to be tough.

So flat and boring.

Whitney Houston

Simple Minds. I wasn't and still am not a fan anyway but they were so boring. Just played the songs, no interaction at all with the audience (Milton Keynes Bowl on a lovely sunny day). Might as well have just stuck the album on over the PA.

Van Morrison - I love his music so much that it pains me to say how much I hate seeing him live. He rarely plays any of the songs I actually want to hear and when he does he Jools Hollands the hell out of them. Grrrrr.

I keep going because I know he's a contrary old bastard and one day he'll play Astral Weeks in its entirety, the way it was recorded.

On the issue of acoustics, but again not their fault I guess, but Dire Straits at Earls Court, late 80s I think. Could not make out a thing, like being in a wind tunnel with extra echos. Great disappointment.