Bands you've seen but wish you hadn't.

[Baldwin Funster]

The Firm. I love Led Zep but Jimmy really stunk when I saw the Firm. Paul Rodgers and everybody else was GREAT but it couldn't rescue the gig.

[richforman]

Funny Markay, J. Geils is near the top of my list too, and like you say, I harbor hope that there's still time on that one. I also have missed getting a chance to see Bad Company with Paul Rogers (saw them without him back in the 90's but that doesn't count at all), I think that would be a great classic rock show. And I was very bummed to not catch the Raspberries on their brief reunion gigs a few years back. And I'd still like to see VH with DLR, missed that one a few years back as well. Often times one's own gig schedule as well as financial situation or other logistics prevents us from taking advantage of some of these chances when they do come up. Most of my other big favorites I think I've probably managed to catch multiple times over the years.

 

[Losendoskeys]

Hawkwind and Amon Duul.

Total bilge.

[hurricane hugo]

The Firm. I love Led Zep but Jimmy really stunk when I saw the Firm. Paul Rodgers and everybody else was GREAT but it couldn't rescue the gig.

 

I saw one show on each of their two tours, and they were great each time. I did hear King Biscuit shows with them that were dire, though. I think the difference between my shows and the ones that KB recorded is that they recorded shows right at the beginning of the tours, whereas I saw them near the very end of the tours. By the time they made it here to Detroit, they were just killin' it.

 

On topic:

 

Frank Zappa (totally lifeless show in the summer of '84)

 

Billy Idol (summer 1987, perhaps the worst show I've ever seen; I walked out laughing when he began to ruin a Generation X classic)

 

The Ramones the 4th time I saw them, 1990. They broke my heart that night. Total paint-by-numbers gig (and what was up with the brand-new jeans, guys?) where they got blown off the stage by both Debbie Harry and the Tom Tom Club. Fortunately, I let some friends talk me into going to see the Ramones one last time in 1995, and they totally redeemed themselves.

 

I wish I hadn't seen the Stones back in '81. The last 45 minutes of their show was great, but it didn't begin to make up for the absolutely horrible first 90. Santana incinerated them that night, and Iggy smacked them around as well.

 

I'm sure there's a few more, but that's enough for now.

[Ken Beaumont]

I went to a Bruce Springsteen concert expecting the E-Street Band.

I was given the tickets as a gift. It was AWFUL! Just Bruce on an acoustic guitar, harmonica and a trigger that made an horrible thump when he stomped his foot. I guess he was trying to be a blues artist, he couldn't pull it off.

[MotiDave]

I saw Billy Idol once, just a horrible show. It ranks up there as worst. Start that he only had about 5 songs worth hearing. Stevens was so fricken wasted he couldn't play guitar. Billy was off key, off time, and forgot lyrics he was so drunk. just a pathetic snarling sweaty mess, he even fell down a couple times. The gal keyboardist covered as much as she could but there was no saving that traveshamockery.

 

OT: Zep '77 was the best show I ever saw.

[Tonysounds]

Neil Young solo back in .90something. DISMAL

KISS (took my young sons for Christmas in 99: all original, makeup, PsychoCircus tour). No band together that long should ever sound that bad.

Aerosmith, Comiskey Park in Chicago, 78. Wow.they were supremely awful. (They were great live post-rehab every time I saw them.)

JethroTull, Rialto Theatre, Joliet, IL 2010 maybe. Ians voice is gone, never to return. And I hated his players on that jaunt too.

 

Ive walked out of:

Yngwie Malmsteem (catch any 20 minutes of his act, and youve seen the whole thing)

Dio (you got my money, you dont get my time too)

The Flower Kings (they can play, but ..)

 

[Song80s]

cheap trick at House of Blues in LA.

 

Talented band but I blame them for my tinnitus - they were stupid loud for that small room

[Bucktunes]

About 8 or 9 years ago The Marshall Tucker band played at the local county fair. A serious thunderstorm was approaching, and it was questionable whether or not they would even go on. After about an hour the threat passed, and they came out to play to a packed grandstand. Unfortunately, by then the singer was so bloody drunk he could barely stand, let alone sing! He was scrambling verses on "Heard It In A Love Song" and was mumbling words on other songs that he apparently couldn't remember. After a few songs like this they played about 25 minutes of slow blues as a duet between him and the guitar player, with the rest of the band mostly sitting out. By then two thirds of the crowd had left in frustration, including me. Absolutely pathetic - There are at least a half dozen local bands who could have covered their material better. Obviously some bands do nostalgia better than others...

[clpete]

Rush/Uriah HeapThe sound was so bad I walked out of Rush. The event hall is a terrible play for sound, but they did nothing to help. Apparently they would rather sound like crap then to turn down for the room. Uriah Heap opened and the sound was alright, but the vocals unfortunately sucked.

 

Rod Stewart w/Jeff Beck. Rod was boring. Jeff Beck came out at one point and appeared to be totally wasted. He couldnt get any sound out of his rig and stormed off stage. Nobody tried to get his rig to work as they didnt want him to playIMO

 

 

[Losendoskeys]

Yes - with Trevor Horn as vocalist.

Absolutely atrocious

[Dana.]

Dio (you got my money, you dont get my time too)

Congratulations, you're the first person to ever hate on Dio.

[mate stubb]

Bachman Turner Overdrive, several times. I had to be there, I was on the same bill.

 

The Osmond Brothers. Heaven help me, I had to baby sit some backline.

[wd8dky]

Foreigner.

[Dana.]

Dave Matthews Band

Medeski Martin & Wood

Robert Glasper Experiment

 

Insufferable boredom or: What happens when skilled players can't write good songs.

[Sven Golly]

Funny Markay, J. Geils is near the top of my list too, and like you say, I harbor hope that there's still time on that one. I also have missed getting a chance to see Bad Company with Paul Rogers (saw them without him back in the 90's but that doesn't count at all), I think that would be a great classic rock show. And I was very bummed to not catch the Raspberries on their brief reunion gigs a few years back. And I'd still like to see VH with DLR, missed that one a few years back as well. Often times one's own gig schedule as well as financial situation or other logistics prevents us from taking advantage of some of these chances when they do come up. Most of my other big favorites I think I've probably managed to catch multiple times over the years.

 

You're in the wrong thread.... read the subject line.

 

Foreigner.

 

Which iteration in which year?

 

 

[David Emm]

I saw Rick Wakeman performing "Journey to the Center of the Earth," which was a great show, except for one thing: The lead singer was trying to hit notes that were so far above his range that he squeaked and gargled all night. It was so bad that it became funny. The rest of the show was some thumbs-up Rick.

 

I also once saw Triumvirat TRY to perform as an opener for ELO, but the hall was located right under the area's biggest radio tower cluster of the time. They didn't even try to play because those stations kept cropping up in the outputs of their two MiniMoogs. It was glaringly awful. SOMEbody really needed some Mu RF shielding!

 

 

 

[Tonysounds]

Dio (you got my money, you dont get my time too)

Congratulations, you're the first person to ever hate on Dio.

\

 

Yeah I know! I like Dio the vocalist (especially with Rainbow), but Dio the band..... I knew it was going to be a short show when I saw the giant goathead with illuminated eyes.

 

[Dana.]

Yeah I know! I like Dio the vocalist (especially with Rainbow), but Dio the band..... I knew it was going to be a short show when I saw the giant goathead with illuminated eyes.

Oh, see, I get a kick out of his D&D shtick. Very Spinal Tap.

[CEB]

First time I saw Rainbow I thought " Oh man that stage hand is going to get an ass chewing for setting the vocal mic stand only belly button high. Then Dio came out and the height on the stand was perfect.

 

He was not a very large man but he had a huge voice.

[drawback]

Yeah I know! I like Dio the vocalist (especially with Rainbow), but Dio the band..... I knew it was going to be a short show when I saw the giant goathead with illuminated eyes.

Oh, see, I get a kick out of his D&D shtick. Very Spinal Tap.

 

That's funny - I was skimming your post and saw the ref to Spinal Tap - and I've always thought that of Yes (live).

 

I wish I hadn't seen that clip from the "Yes Tonight" thread.

 

 

[cedar]

The Moody Blues - around 1983. They sounded much worse than their studio albums.

[Joe P]

Dylan - couldn't understand a single word.

[MAJUSCULE]

Medeski Martin & Wood

Robert Glasper Experiment

 

Insufferable boredom or: What happens when skilled players can't write good songs.

 

MSMW was fantastic this summer. The Experiment feat. Bilal was great a couple years ago in Toronto.

 

Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros was beyond horrible. A true insult to legitimate performance. Half of them weren't playing a real instrument, the other half couldn't play their instrument. Almost no one at the festival knew more than their hit single, so they played it for about the last 15-20 minutes of their set. The studio version is already too long, so... Yeah.

 

Iron & Wine was unbelievably boring. Same folk festival. All by himself, never louder than mezzo, seemingly stuck in at 70-80 bpm for the whole time.

 

Harlequin was just sad.

[Bill W]

Dream Theater - great musicians but the music bores me. I went to see them because Spock's Beard was the opener.

 

"Original" Asia (since reuniting) - saw them 3 times and I don't think they are a very good live band. Their first album is still one of my all-time favorites.

 

[Threadslayer]

Rick Danko right after The Band broke up. Just him (wasted) and a cassette deck on a bar stool playing Band tunes. Karaoke from hell.

[JohnH]

Journey tribute band last week in the 951 area. Awful keyboards drums and singing not all the way there and bad sound system. (I've been in two Journey tributes.) Drove 70 miles to see that. My friend in the band had excuses and I don't have the heart to tell him it flat out was awful. I walked out and most of the club emptied during their set. His previous band did a lot of keyboard heavy Kansas, Boston and Foreigner was mind-blowingly good, and it's sad they are done. I'd drive 130 miles to see that band again.

[JohnDoe]

Neil Young solo back in .90something. DISMAL

KISS (took my young sons for Christmas in 99: all original, makeup, PsychoCircus tour). No band together that long should ever sound that bad.

Aerosmith, Comiskey Park in Chicago, 78. Wow.they were supremely awful. (They were great live post-rehab every time I saw them.)

JethroTull, Rialto Theatre, Joliet, IL 2010 maybe. Ians voice is gone, never to return. And I hated his players on that jaunt too.

 

Ive walked out of:

Yngwie Malmsteem (catch any 20 minutes of his act, and youve seen the whole thing)

Dio (you got my money, you dont get my time too)

The Flower Kings (they can play, but ..)

Can you please give us some more info re. the Flower Kings act(s)?

[sagetunes]

Journey

[16251]

I saw Rick Wakeman performing "Journey to the Center of the Earth," which was a great show, except for one thing: The lead singer was trying to hit notes that were so far above his range that he squeaked and gargled all night. It was so bad that it became funny. The rest of the show was some thumbs-up Rick.

 

I also once saw Triumvirat TRY to perform as an opener for ELO, but the hall was located right under the area's biggest radio tower cluster of the time. They didn't even try to play because those stations kept cropping up in the outputs of their two MiniMoogs. It was glaringly awful. SOMEbody really needed some Mu RF shielding!

 

 

I saw Journey to the center of the earth with the blowup dinosaurs I agree that the vocalist was missing some notes, but it didn't bother all that much since he missed some of them on the album