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).

Wow so it wasn't just Manchester then!! The rest of the artists were great, although I did suspect a bit of miming 🤣 I was willing to forgive them because they were my teenage heroes 😀

I work in that business and it's Bob Dylan and van Morrison for me every time- totally hit and miss performers. That's not saying they haven't written some great songs

Kylie Minogue at Wembley Arena as part of her resumes Showgirls tour, so after she’d been treated for breast cancer. I feel bad being critical of her performance when she had obviously been through so much physically and emotionally, but she simply wasn’t up to performing. I’m not really a Kylie music fan (last minute spare ticket from a friend), but I assumed that it was be a good show.

Wembley is a pretty soul-less venue anyway, but her voice was very weak and mostly out of tune. She was off stage more than she was on stage, changing into ever more complicated and elaborate costumes. We spent most of the concert watching backing dancers gyrate to fill time she wasn’t there. Kylie stood still and didn’t (couldn’t?) dance, either because her energy level was still too low or the outfits were too cumbersome to move in, which rather defeated the point of it being a Showgirls tour.

Interestingly, Dannii Minogue came on to duet with her sister on “Kids” (no Robbie Williams) and her voice and energy were great! Such a contrast and a shame. Kylie should have stayed in bed recovering.

Destiny’s child

absolutely crap

Frank Turner, he was playing as a support band. I’d never heard of him before but lots of people really rated him so I was excited and he was great talking to the crowd.

Then he decided to actively encourage a mosh post right near the front of stage where disabled people were standing.
Lost all my respect instantly, mosh pits are so dangerous and should never be encouraged unless in a designated area.

I ended up injured along with other people and it ruined the whole day and we lost a really good spot for the main band as we had to move away from all the idiots, I was so angry and upset, it was s once in a lifetime experience, especially as my DH has cancer and the band we went to see hadn’t played here for for so many years and we’ve been fans since teenagers.

Bob Dylan. I’ve seen him live three times now and each time he was the same- mumbling his way through songs and no interaction with the audience. It didn’t seem like he wanted to be there at all. Half the time the only way I could tell which song he was singing was because of his band. Every time I bought tickets it was in the hope it would be a better performance but after the third time I decided to give it up as a bad job and never pay to see him again.

Another vote for Stevie Wonder. 3 years ago in Hyde Park. I know he's old and unwell but there were flashes of amazing bookended with boring plus some random bloody DJ playing random bloody music while Stevie rested. Lionel Richie supported and despite me being soundly dismissive of this, he was completely brilliant.

Elton John at the Vodafone employee gig back in the early 2000s, just there for the money. No interaction, just banged out the hits and left. He followed on from Madness who raised the roof! Awesome band!

AC/DC at Wembley weren’t engaged with the audience at all and the acoustics were terrible- couldn’t hear anything until I went to the bar in the foyer and it was crystal clear!!

Ah yes, a PP has reminded me - Kate Bush's much hyped London shows. Like being at a very boring student theatre performance rather than a gig, so removed and unengaging and musically they might as well have just had a soundtrack running over the PA.

Was that in S Wales? Newport possibly? I think I may have been at the same concert.

All of mine were at the same place, some all day thing at Hyde Park in the mid-90s. Bob Dylan was beyond awful, there was another act that was so bad I've even forgotten who they were. I think my brain blanked out the trauma. The headline band were The Who. Dire. We left early

Rufus Wainwright at Colton Hall in Bristol. The audience were told that they were not allowed to applaud between songs, only at the end. Very pretentious and really put me off him as an artist, shame, because we saw him previously at the Eden Project, and that was an excellent show!

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.

Not as big as some of the previous names but Badly Drawn Boy, around 1999/2000 at Rock City in Nottingham.

Far too many people in there and he was the most obnoxious prick I've ever seen. Asked some woman in the extremely tightly packed crowd her name (Naomi) and if she was with her BF, which she was, and then proceeded to sing her name and then "lose the loser" . . . it was cringeworthy.

Love the Mr Motivator story! I had a similar experience watching Badly Drawn Boy at a festival with various other acts. Poor performance, seemed angry and began taking the piss out of the audience when they understandably were less than impressed with him. Unfortunately there was no Mr Motivator to follow.

Kings of Leon. Lead singer was miserable and self indulgent. Actually asked the crowd to help cheer him up !

@IReallyLikeCrows I went to that- totally agree with you about Dylan- truly bad--don't agree at all with you about the Who- maybe that's just not your bag! I've never seen them do a bad show- but then I love the Who. The others were er, if I dare admit it on that show Gary Glitter(less said the better) , Alanis Morrisette (beyond awful shouty rubbish) and Eric Clapton - rather boring .

Thankfully I've never been to a bad gig.

The only one I had a slight issue with was an outdoor Bryan Adams one. It was so windy they couldn't have the amps/speakers up as high as normal so sound was patchy in places.

We found the perfect spot to hear and see him then a tall guy muscled in right in front of us and proceeded to record the whole thing on his phone completely blocking our view.

Hopefully the different comments from us and the people around us of "cunt", "for fuck's sake", "wanker" etc. came out nicely on his recording.

Oh yeah. I was so disappointed by this.

Saw Kylie at party in the park c2000 and she was so out of tune. All saints at the same gig forgot the words to Never Ever.

I found the Rolling Stones underwhelming but it was only a few years ago and they have definitely past their peak.

@Georgeskitchen David Cassidy was obviously just a crap performer, but we must have all been willing to forgive him during our teenage lust years😂I also remember being disappointed at the absence of Donny at that concert.

@Crikeyalmighty Ah yes, Alannis Morissette was not good and I don't even remember Eric Clapton. I guess it wasn't that The Who were bad but that I really didn't like what they were playing which was all from Quadrophenia if I remember correctly. I enjoyed Jules Holland and his big band and for my eternal shame, I also enjoyed Gary Glitter because it was just ridiculously over the top.

I thought someone might mention kings of Leon as they are known for being moody performers. But I saw them last Monday in Birmingham and it was fantastic! They don't go in for much chat but amazing performance.

Accidentally watched Evan Dando in the dance tent at Glastonbury 1995 because he overran droning on and on while I - and the rest of the crowd - was waiting for Portishead. People were really pissed off towards the end. I was gutted because I planned to see Portishead then Pulp but the accidental Evan Dando watching meant I didn't get to see Pulp.

When Portishead came on they apologised and said they hadn't been allowed to come on.

Portishead were probably the best gig I've ever seen. I saw Pulp a few years later so all was well.

PP who said Placebo - wash your mouth out with soap! ;)

Mine was Alanis Morisette at the Hammersmith Apollo, think it was 2018. Was so looking forward to it, think she's fantastic, but it just left me cold for whatever reason.

I saw Green Day at Wembley 20 or so years ago now, and I remember being so disappointed that Billy Joe spent the whole time getting the crowd to sing instead of singing himself.

And the Manics never disappoint me themselves live, but I often find the crowd seems extremely flat and that is rather annoying. Placebo, Pink and Muse are always a guaranteed cracker of a show for me.

Jason Donovan.

After loving him for years (80s child, listened to him and kylie on the cassette player growing up!)...saw him a few years ago and it was just cringe-worthy. Tacky, looked half cut, made very unfunny jokes and clearly forgot he's aged 30 odd years. Embarrassing.