AIBU to ask who is the worst performer/group you've seen live?

[Weston14]

Following on from a (very late-to-the-party) discussion about this year's Glasto with some friends over dinner tonight, where we all decided Lauryn Hill was an absolute let down, who is the worst performer or group you've ever seen live? Especially thinking of people you really liked who let you down here, not just "was dragged to see Take That with DSis and they were shite"

If you're not much of a music fan I suppose this stretches to comedians, actors, poets...anyone who gets up on stage and does a turn.

Enjoyed all my music concerts but the worst "comedian" was Mike Reid (landlord of queen Vic) Was at a works do in Birmingham(eons ago it was the most uncomfortable part of the whole evening I was young and definately not a prude but it was horrible yuk. Seen some great ones since and am off to see Russell Howard next month (2nd time)

Pieceofpurplesky

'An ex took me to see Rush. They were worse than shit.'

Wash your mouth out

Neil Peart is god.

Went to see Bruno Mars in Manchester. Absolutely amazing. My hubs took me to New York a year later for my 50th. He bought tickets for Bruno Mars in Brooklyn. Oh my word he was dire!! Very disappointed ☹️

Meatloaf. One of my favourite singers. Seem him 3 times and non were great. First time he walked off stage after a couple of songs vowing never to sing again. He was really poorly and we didn’t get refunded due to the time he had been on stage. He apologised and did return and gave all fans a CD. Still wasn’t a great show but better. Then we saw him when he did his farewell tour uk and again he struggled. It’s such a shame. His backing singer carried him. And his daughter was his support act and was great.

Also Aerosmith at Hyde Park about 15 years ago. My most favourite band in the planet. Sound was awful. Would love to see them again but they never come over. They did Download as their only uk show a couple of years ago but I couldn’t make it.

@GummyGoddess

Peaches I'm not surprised at. I had her first album and yeah it wasn't good. Good at being sex obsessed if her songs are anything to go by but nothing else.

I went to a gig back in 2004 and the headline act(Feindflug-electro industrial band) was great but one of the support bands(Lamia) was awful. One passable song but somehow the combination of opera and industrial left the audience including myself completely baffled and stood there in silence apart from someone who booed. All three bands were on the same label but there were other bands from that label that would have been far better fitting.

Simon Amstel in Cambridge about 6 years ago, not a funny bone in his “ live “ body.
Brian Ferry a long time ago.
Can’t sing in tune live.

I think I must be one of the only ones to have loved RHCP! Seen them 3 times starting back in the 90s at Reading and loved them. Also saw Human League a year ago - expected them to be rubbish and was surprised how good they were - it may be my expectations were really low!! Saw Blondie a year or so ago and enjoyed that.

My biggest disappointments have been Smashing Pumpkins towards the end of the 90s - was gutted by that and The Killers - something was wrong with the sound and I couldn’t even tell what they were playing. Saw Paloma Faith a few years ago and didn’t like her at all.

Best gigs - Saw Foo Fighters years ago at Reading in one of the small tents not long after they formed. They were brilliant even then. Seen Prince a few times - bloody brilliant. Saw David Byrne last year (was a huge Talking Heads fan) - such an understated set but loved his quirkyness. Muse are my absolute favourites though.

@bencrone03 I think you're in the wrong place. You need to start your own thread.

@donutrehomer
I once saw Howard Jones, it was so bad that it made the night I heard my parents have sex more bearable in comparison.

I can’t let you bad mouth my childhood hero!!! Was he really terrible. I saw him a couple of years ago in Southport and he was good. I never saw him in his prime though.

OldGreyBoots

'Surprised to see a couple of people say Rush! Saw them on their last two tours, some of the best gigs of my life IMO.'

I love you, Boots 😍

I saw a band called the Drums whose album I was obsessed with - really great. Utterly terrible, the lead singer cannot sing at all, he was awful, ear hurting! Guns & Roses at Leeds about 8 years ago were shit!!! As were the Artic Monkeys about two years before that, they did their newly released album which had only been out a few days and Alex Turner was pissed out of his skull and kept mumbling! Hugely disappointing. Saw Cher years and years ago and she was amazing tbf but the show was so long mainly because she hanged her outfit every couple of songs 😂.

Andy Bell. I’ve seen recordings of Erasure gigs and they were amazing. By the time I got to see him at a very small venue, he was out of tune and having to read the lyrics off notecards. Pretty sure he was on something too.

@celticprincess I think my Mum was at that Meatloaf concert 🤣.

French and Saunders , ICC Birmingham, not suited to a big venue, not funny.

@Mrsgogginsthe3rd guns n roses are always awful live. Another band I totally love. Saw them Manchester 15 years ago and Axel Rose deliberately came on very late. Only problem was we and lots of people had public transport to catch so had to leave before they finished their set - wouldn’t have been an issue if they started on time.

Debbie Gibson hands down worst ever!!

Another band terrible was Lamb if God. Think they supported Alice Cooper - he was amazing and I wasn’t expecting him to be so amazing. Lamb of God, on the other hand, was just noise!

Love this thread! Remembered some more great ones: going back to late eighties or 1990. Crowded House at a small venue in Norwich. My ex's favourite band. He couldn't believe they were playing in our home city. We were waiting to go in, and they just strolled past us, and ex started talking about the cricket and they just chatted away, really lovely. They were bloody brilliant. And Squeeze! Anyone remember them? They played at the UEA and they were great. And took my teenage girls to see Busted a few years ago, and they were good too!

MrsGogg I saw the drums too, didn't like them before I went but thought they were good (this was 10+ years ago though!), was a fab afterwards 😄

Did see the cheeky girls at a Butlins once by accident. They were awful, left after a minute.

Ryan Adams, in Manchester. I don’t remember what year as we have seen him several times (pre-child molesting evidence I hasten to add). He spent lots of time muttering and fiddling about with his guitar to engineer a situation in which the crowd got bored and started talking amongst themselves, so that he could then throw a strop and be rude to everyone before stomping off early.

Feindflug were great though.
All About Eve in 2000 on the Fairy Night Lights Tour were wonderful. As I went on my own I managed to book a seat a few rows from the front and was within close distance from Julianne Regan herself whom was an idol of mine at the time. It was lovely.

I forgot. Sigue Sigue Sputnik in dunstable 198something.

Bit off topic but years ago I once saw Peter O’Toole playing the title role in ‘Macbeth’. He was beyond awful. The pink costume set an odd note for a regicide but the acting was in a class of its own. He appeared to be very drunk throughout and shouted every single line really loudly and without any modulation or inflection at all. I did not know until then that iambic pentameter could be shouted.

Not a band, but I saw Dita Von Teese last year and it was soulless and predictable. I’ve seen a lot of burlesque/cabaret and Dita, despite being the queen, was Fake and dull. Sorry Dita.