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Worst Concert?

ovaltine said:
Easy. Frank Zappa and his orchestra at the IU Auditorium, either the spring or fall of 1982. He only played instrumentals and said four words: "Good evening" and "Good night." It was like watching frogs mate.
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I saw him in detrout where he showed up 2 hours late and only played 3 songs then left. His band played without him until he showed.
 
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T.M.P. said:
I've only walked out of 3 concerts before they were over. Judas Priest twice due to sound quality being so bad. Most rock bands have horrible sound, it's not uncommon at all. In fact, a rock band that sounds good live is rare as a unicorn.

JP was beyond horrible, pure feedback and echo. They along with the Black Crowes must have had the worst POS sound engineers ever. Crowes were almost unbearable. If you're gonna play live, get a good sound tech.

I also walked out on Lenny Kravitz, he spent 10 minutes posing and puffing out his chest, it was the douchiest thing I've ever witnessed. If I wanted to watch a douchebag pose and puff out their chest I'd go drinking with C-$. .....vbg

But the worst (by far) was Hank Williams Jr - drunk off his ass. He almost fell asleep, forgot words, couldn't speak without slurring. Then he fell off his stool and had to have roadie help him off the stage.

I hate drunk musicians. No other drug fk's up the music as badly as alcohol. Maybe meth, but I've never heard anyone play while on meth. If you're going to play music and drink, drink moderately. Alcohol makes people dumb, and ruins any concept of timing.
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The lead guitar player in my band was on meth several years ago (long story there) and his band was playing at a big biker rally down in Georgia with thousands in the crowd and he tweaked before the show. He said he saw video later of a lead he played, and he had no idea how he played it. Said it was on a whole other level and never could repeat it.

For signed artists on tour, they rarely have much to do with the sound quality of the PA (one exception to that is Neil Diamond - he's always had his own PA and engineering staff). The promoter hires a tour sound contractor who provides the rig and labor, and unless it's a prestigious act who can dictate some things to the promoter/record company, etc., then the band won't even have much say on which sound company is selected. Established successful acts often will insist on their choice of Front Of House Engineer and, most importantly to the performers, Monitor Engineer, to mix on the rented rig. But even then, the FOH Engineer mixes according to venue/promoter requirements as far as SPL (mins and maxes), etc. Often times tour sound companies aren't all that good at designing and tuning the system to match the acoustical characteristics of the space and the FOH Engineer may not be able to do much about problems there.

Live Sound really is an engineering discipline unto itself and gets more complicated all the time as products become more sophisticated. And many professionals working shows really don't have enough education in acoustics in general and/or on the operation of the rig they designed and are using. Live sound product manufacturers such as my employer try to create as many tools as possible to assist, and make products as flexible and adaptable they can. But there are so many variables that come into play, that really it's up to the people who design the specific systems and operate them to make them sound right. Some manufacturers of high-end tour sound products like my employer require customers to get factory training on the gear before we'll sell it to them, because we don't want our reputation hurt by people who don't know what they're doing.
 
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easily the most disappointing for me was James Brown.

This was in 2001, a few months after the race riots in Cincinnati, but definitely before 9/11. I believe it might have been July or August of that year. Any way, It was announced that James Brown was going to give a free concert in downtown Cincinnati so I though, hey, what the heck. I might be pretty cool to see a living legend.

  • I get there early enough that I'm not too far from the stage. So far so good.
  • As it gets closer and closer to show time, it get's shoulder-to-shoulder crowded.
  • Show time comes and goes. As does about another hour or so....no JB.
  • His band takes the stage and starts into a funky beat. He wiggles his way onto stage from one side and stops in the middle of the stage. He starts telling everyone how much he loves Cincinnati and that he got his start there and everyone in the city was supportive of him. I'm still not 100% that he got his start there, but hey what the hell. What are you going to do?
  • The band picks up, he starts to dance, and starts repeating this phrase :"killin' is out, school's in". He probably repeated that 20 or so times, mentioned something about having to make it to DC, dropped the mic and walked off stage. People cheered for him to come back for a bit, but after awhile it was apparent he wasn't coming back. I don't recall anyone being overly pissed off...it was more a WTF? vibe. Like, did he really make everyone wait an extra hour or so to come out for roughly a minute?
 
IU_Cramer said:
We've got first concerts going, but what about your worst? Mine would have to be the LL Cool J concert that happened at Pic-a-Chic farm in the Spring of '98. Bussing out there was chaotic but paled in comparison to trying to bus back. LL played maybe a 30 minute set and I can't even tell you if there were any other acts. It was just a very un-cool experience all around.
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Slash's Snake Pit was the worst performance that comes to mind, about 12-13 years ago. Very disappointing, because I like Slash.

The problem was that the sound was just too loud for their sound system so it was completely distorted plus the lead singer kept asking the audience for leads on getting laid ("Can you help a brother out?").

However, the ensuing AC/DC performance was spectacular.
 
IU_Cramer said:
We've got first concerts going, but what about your worst? Mine would have to be the LL Cool J concert that happened at Pic-a-Chic farm in the Spring of '98. Bussing out there was chaotic but paled in comparison to trying to bus back. LL played maybe a 30 minute set and I can't even tell you if there were any other acts. It was just a very un-cool experience all around.
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Primus
Very underwhelmed by their concert.
 
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T.M.P. said:
Blame Neil, he invented grunge. lol...

Of the bands I've seen, the ones who had really good sound were GD, Rush, Yes, and Queen. Most sound like shit. I also heard Floyd had exceptional quality too.
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Hard rock/metal band that I've seen that had good audio quality in concert was TOOL.
 
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Cream&Crimson said:
The lead guitar player in my band was on meth several years ago (long story there) and his band was playing at a big biker rally down in Georgia with thousands in the crowd and he tweaked before the show. He said he saw video later of a lead he played, and he had no idea how he played it. Said it was on a whole other level and never could repeat it.

For signed artists on tour, they rarely have much to do with the sound quality of the PA (one exception to that is Neil Diamond - he's always had his own PA and engineering staff). The promoter hires a tour sound contractor who provides the rig and labor, and unless it's a prestigious act who can dictate some things to the promoter/record company, etc., then the band won't even have much say on which sound company is selected. Established successful acts often will insist on their choice of Front Of House Engineer and, most importantly to the performers, Monitor Engineer, to mix on the rented rig. But even then, the FOH Engineer mixes according to venue/promoter requirements as far as SPL (mins and maxes), etc. Often times tour sound companies aren't all that good at designing and tuning the system to match the acoustical characteristics of the space and the FOH Engineer may not be able to do much about problems there.

Live Sound really is an engineering discipline unto itself and gets more complicated all the time as products become more sophisticated. And many professionals working shows really don't have enough education in acoustics in general and/or on the operation of the rig they designed and are using. Live sound product manufacturers such as my employer try to create as many tools as possible to assist, and make products as flexible and adaptable they can. But there are so many variables that come into play, that really it's up to the people who design the specific systems and operate them to make them sound right. Some manufacturers of high-end tour sound products like my employer require customers to get factory training on the gear before we'll sell it to them, because we don't want our reputation hurt by people who don't know what they're doing.
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This is why the Dead developed the Wall of Sound (not to be confused with Spector).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wall_of_Sound_(Grateful_Dead)

Andy Jackson did amazing things for Pink Floyd as well. Bands that care about their fans put time and money into it.
 
I won't say this is the worst, but certainly the most disappointing. Al Green at the Vogue in the mid 90's. I had really high expectations and the show was just meh.
 
Ohio Guy said:
easily the most disappointing for me was James Brown.

This was in 2001, a few months after the race riots in Cincinnati, but definitely before 9/11. I believe it might have been July or August of that year. Any way, It was announced that James Brown was going to give a free concert in downtown Cincinnati so I though, hey, what the heck. I might be pretty cool to see a living legend.

  • I get there early enough that I'm not too far from the stage. So far so good.
  • As it gets closer and closer to show time, it get's shoulder-to-shoulder crowded.
  • Show time comes and goes. As does about another hour or so....no JB.
  • His band takes the stage and starts into a funky beat. He wiggles his way onto stage from one side and stops in the middle of the stage. He starts telling everyone how much he loves Cincinnati and that he got his start there and everyone in the city was supportive of him. I'm still not 100% that he got his start there, but hey what the hell. What are you going to do?
  • The band picks up, he starts to dance, and starts repeating this phrase :"killin' is out, school's in". He probably repeated that 20 or so times, mentioned something about having to make it to DC, dropped the mic and walked off stage. People cheered for him to come back for a bit, but after awhile it was apparent he wasn't coming back. I don't recall anyone being overly pissed off...it was more a WTF? vibe. Like, did he really make everyone wait an extra hour or so to come out for roughly a minute?
Click to expand...

That's BS. No one understood what JB was saying when he was singing the last 10 years of his life. I don't think you were even there.
 
IU_Cramer said:
So you didn't accept your wife's offer to go to the concert with arms wide open?
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If you ever had the opportunity to see Scott Stapp, you would know where the word 'poser' comes from. All he does is strike poses, and sing like chit of course
 
I've seen well over 100 Phish shows and the Vegas run in spring of 2004 were the worst shows I've ever seen. It was a 3 night run. The band was clearly drugged out and not interested. The setlists were bad and the playing was worse. They even covered a rap song one night and had Jen Hartswick come out and sing during it. Awful. Trey was doing so much partying that he lost his voice and could barely sing by night 3. Chris Kuroda, the light guy, also didn't go to the shows due to some legal or drug issues and the Dave Matthews Band lighting guy ran the lights. They were terrible too. Just out of sync and all over the place. I said I'd never go and see them again and I didn't until they got clean and reunited in 2009.
 
Zizkov said:
This is why the Dead developed the Wall of Sound (not to be confused with Spector).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wall_of_Sound_(Grateful_Dead)

Andy Jackson did amazing things for Pink Floyd as well. Bands that care about their fans put time and money into it.
Click to expand...
Yep. I've worked for many years with the engineer who invented the solid-state amplifier that made that system possible. Prior to that amplifier, all that was available that had any power were class-A tube amps which were too unreliable and inefficient to be practical for a system that big. Once this amp hit the market, the tour sound industry was born. Many of our speaker drivers were used in that system as well.

Artists often will insist on a certain tour sound company based on their reputation and ability. And if they're a big enough seller, the promoter/record company will agree. And if they're a good selling band, tour sound companies want to bid on those band's tours as well. If they're just starting out and aren't that big of a draw, they pretty much take whatever PA company is hired for them. Run of the mill signed bands don't have as much control over their tours as many people think. The reason bands tour was always primarily to sell the record. Or that was the way it used to be, the whole music industry business model has changed so much it's hardly recognizable these days.
 
McHoop said:
Hank Williams Jr. He opened for Little Feat in 1978 in the old gymnasium at Franklin College. He played one; maybe two songs and stopped mid-song; flipping off the crowd and storming off the stage. He apparently didn't think the attention level to him was appropriate.

McHoop
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Little Feat was great I thought. Saw Hank pull that a couple of times.
 
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IU_Cramer said:
We've got first concerts going, but what about your worst? Mine would have to be the LL Cool J concert that happened at Pic-a-Chic farm in the Spring of '98. Bussing out there was chaotic but paled in comparison to trying to bus back. LL played maybe a 30 minute set and I can't even tell you if there were any other acts. It was just a very un-cool experience all around.
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It was my first Everclear....
Close second was U2... Mainly because it was 2 months after 9/11 and Bono was over the top patriotic and that kind of shit annoys me
 
Cream&Crimson said:
The lead guitar player in my band was on meth several years ago (long story there) and his band was playing at a big biker rally down in Georgia with thousands in the crowd and he tweaked before the show. He said he saw video later of a lead he played, and he had no idea how he played it. Said it was on a whole other level and never could repeat it.

For signed artists on tour, they rarely have much to do with the sound quality of the PA (one exception to that is Neil Diamond - he's always had his own PA and engineering staff). The promoter hires a tour sound contractor who provides the rig and labor, and unless it's a prestigious act who can dictate some things to the promoter/record company, etc., then the band won't even have much say on which sound company is selected. Established successful acts often will insist on their choice of Front Of House Engineer and, most importantly to the performers, Monitor Engineer, to mix on the rented rig. But even then, the FOH Engineer mixes according to venue/promoter requirements as far as SPL (mins and maxes), etc. Often times tour sound companies aren't all that good at designing and tuning the system to match the acoustical characteristics of the space and the FOH Engineer may not be able to do much about problems there.

Live Sound really is an engineering discipline unto itself and gets more complicated all the time as products become more sophisticated. And many professionals working shows really don't have enough education in acoustics in general and/or on the operation of the rig they designed and are using. Live sound product manufacturers such as my employer try to create as many tools as possible to assist, and make products as flexible and adaptable they can. But there are so many variables that come into play, that really it's up to the people who design the specific systems and operate them to make them sound right. Some manufacturers of high-end tour sound products like my employer require customers to get factory training on the gear before we'll sell it to them, because we don't want our reputation hurt by people who don't know what they're doing.
Click to expand...
Saw Bonine Raitt call the sound man out,after people started leaving. He got things together and turned into a good show.
 
saw Bonnie Raitt on the tour that was just her and a bass player say that the sound was so good at the Bronco Bowl (Dallas) that she had to tell her friends about it. Of course a shopping center now occupies that space.
It started as a bowling alley back in the days when ABC would show bowling telecast on Wide World of Sports on Saturday afternoon. It had a separate wing that had a couple of lanes with seating around one end for those watching the pro bowlers. When bowling went south, they started having concerts and the sound was really special.
 
Phoxie said:
saw Bonnie Raitt on the tour that was just her and a bass player say that the sound was so good at the Bronco Bowl (Dallas) that she had to tell her friends about it. Of course a shopping center now occupies that space.
It started as a bowling alley back in the days when ABC would show bowling telecast on Wide World of Sports on Saturday afternoon. It had a separate wing that had a couple of lanes with seating around one end for those watching the pro bowlers. When bowling went south, they started having concerts and the sound was really special.
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Saw Bonnie Raitt at the Riv in Chicago just around 1999ish; good show.

Enhanced because the opening act was Richard Thompson; that dude can play a guitar - he came back out for the encore, and played Angel From Montgomery with Raitt. Pretty sweet.
 
Has anyone mentioned that Neil Young is the Godfather of Grunge?

godfather2.jpg
 
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Poison .... Cheap Trick ....... I think it was Loverboy. I didn't get there to see the opening act. This was 2009 I believe at Deer Creek.

SO very very bad.
 
You guys are mentioning bands 20yrs past their prime, what do you expect?

For me: outkast. Also one of the better ones.
 
Bands in their prime that I've saw that sucked.

Deftones last year at White River
From Autumn to Ashes somewhere in Detroit in 2003
 
i'vegotwinners said:
most disappointing for me was Bruce Springsteen in the 80s. Born In The USA tour i think.

MSA, 2nd row on the floor. so seats were primo elite.

the problem.

only thing he did from the Born To Run album was the song Born To Run, which he did acoustic, so it doesn't even count as far as i'm concerned.

no Thunder Road, Jungleland, Backstreets, She's The One,

he also didn't so much as touch the good side of Darkness On The Edge Of Town.

no Badlands, Candy's Room, Racing In The Street.

BTR and Darkness albums were the whole reason i went.
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I was at that concert. It was on Elvis Presley's Birthday. I don't remember all the songs, but Bruce played a long list of Elvis's songs. I thought it was one of the best concerts. Must have been exactly 31 years ago!
 
i'vegotwinners said:
most disappointing for me was Bruce Springsteen in the 80s. Born In The USA tour i think.

MSA, 2nd row on the floor. so seats were primo elite.

the problem.

only thing he did from the Born To Run album was the song Born To Run, which he did acoustic, so it doesn't even count as far as i'm concerned.

no Thunder Road, Jungleland, Backstreets, She's The One,

he also didn't so much as touch the good side of Darkness On The Edge Of Town.

no Badlands, Candy's Room, Racing In The Street.

BTR and Darkness albums were the whole reason i went.
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iubud said:
I was at that concert. It was on Elvis Presley's Birthday. I don't remember all the songs, but Bruce played a long list of Elvis's songs. I thought it was one of the best concerts. Must have been exactly 31 years ago!
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You guys are talking about 2 different concerts.You're talking about the BITUSA show in '85,but winners is actually talking about the '88 Tunnel Of Love Show on May 13.Key is the acoustic BTR,which was a staple of TOL tour.

I didn't see any TOL shows,and looking at the setlist I'd say it was a pretty mixed bag.He's not quite right about nothing from BTR,as 10th and She's The One were both played.But Adam was the only song from Darkness,and I can see how someone that went to the show specifically to hear the BTR and Darkness albums played would be disappointed.

That was also the tour that incorporated the horns,which gave it a different feel as well.I think it's a bit of an overstatement to describe it as "worst show",although like I said I'd view it as a weak setlist.But a "weak" Springsteen setlist is imo a relative term,since it was a 3+ hrs show and as usual Bruce (to quote Jon Stewart) "emptied the tank".And it was the last time Rosie was played on the TOL tour...

RE-UP: Springsteen live in Indianapolis 1988 - 3CD - May 13

13/05/88 - INDIANAPOLIS, IN - USA, MARKET SQUARE ARENA

TUNNEL OF LOVE / BOOM BOOM / ADAM RAISED A CAIN / TWO FACES / ALL THAT HEAVEN WILL ALLOW / SEEDS / ROULETTE / COVER ME / BRILLIANT DISGUISE / SPARE PARTS / WAR / BORN IN THE USA / TOUGHER THAN THE REST / AIN'T GOT YOU - SHE'S THE ONE / YOU CAN LOOK ... / I'M A COWARD / I'M ON FIRE / ONE STEP UP / PART MAN PART MONKEY / ACROSS THE BORDERLINE / DANCING IN THE DARK / LIGHT OF DAY / BORN TO RUN (ACOUSTIC) / HUNGRY HEART / GLORY DAYS / ROSALITA / HAVE LOVE WILL TRAVEL / 10TH AVENUE FREEZE-OUT / SWEET SOUL MUSIC / RAISE YOUR HAND / TWIST AND SHOUT
 
Cream&Crimson said:
Worst performance (as opposed to worst concert overall) was Bob Dylan about 7 years or so ago in his minor league ballpark tour with Willie Nelson and Mellencamp on the 4th of July in South Bend. He sucked. He walked out on stage with a hat pulled down low, kept his face pretty much down and played his songs, then walked off. Never said one word to the crowd. And his arrangements for his more well known songs were unrecognizable. He stood off the side, detached from his band. That dude is a weird cat. Fortunately he was book-ended by Mellencamp first who opened and was great, then Willie who was of course fantastic. It was raining pretty hard by the time Willie came on but I pushed down to the front of the stage anyway, blazed up and salvaged the night.
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I was at that exact show and you are 100% spot on about Dylan, he was awful that night. I'd seen him several times before and he usually mumbled through his songs to a degree and was underwhelming but that one in South Bend was horrendous. Haven't seen him again since. Mellencamp and Willie were great as you said which really saved the evening.
 
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Hoops Cat said:
Saw Bonnie Raitt at the Riv in Chicago just around 1999ish; good show.

Enhanced because the opening act was Richard Thompson; that dude can play a guitar - he came back out for the encore, and played Angel From Montgomery with Raitt. Pretty sweet.
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The Riv is one sweet venue. Saw a great early (their second album) Foo Fighters show there on a July 4th and saw a great Rancid show there as well. Love that place.
 
cosmickid said:
You guys are talking about 2 different concerts.You're talking about the BITUSA show in '85,but winners is actually talking about the '88 Tunnel Of Love Show on May 13.Key is the acoustic BTR,which was a staple of TOL tour.

I didn't see any TOL shows,and looking at the setlist I'd say it was a pretty mixed bag.He's not quite right about nothing from BTR,as 10th and She's The One were both played.But Adam was the only song from Darkness,and I can see how someone that went to the show specifically to hear the BTR and Darkness albums played would be disappointed.

That was also the tour that incorporated the horns,which gave it a different feel as well.I think it's a bit of an overstatement to describe it as "worst show",although like I said I'd view it as a weak setlist.But a "weak" Springsteen setlist is imo a relative term,since it was a 3+ hrs show and as usual Bruce (to quote Jon Stewart) "emptied the tank".And it was the last time Rosie was played on the TOL tour...

RE-UP: Springsteen live in Indianapolis 1988 - 3CD - May 13

13/05/88 - INDIANAPOLIS, IN - USA, MARKET SQUARE ARENA

TUNNEL OF LOVE / BOOM BOOM / ADAM RAISED A CAIN / TWO FACES / ALL THAT HEAVEN WILL ALLOW / SEEDS / ROULETTE / COVER ME / BRILLIANT DISGUISE / SPARE PARTS / WAR / BORN IN THE USA / TOUGHER THAN THE REST / AIN'T GOT YOU - SHE'S THE ONE / YOU CAN LOOK ... / I'M A COWARD / I'M ON FIRE / ONE STEP UP / PART MAN PART MONKEY / ACROSS THE BORDERLINE / DANCING IN THE DARK / LIGHT OF DAY / BORN TO RUN (ACOUSTIC) / HUNGRY HEART / GLORY DAYS / ROSALITA / HAVE LOVE WILL TRAVEL / 10TH AVENUE FREEZE-OUT / SWEET SOUL MUSIC / RAISE YOUR HAND / TWIST AND SHOUT
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Okay, that makes sense. The concert I went to would probably be one of the best I went to. I remember a lot of the older music plus the Elvis tunes. It was the longest encore I ever saw. I wasn't a big fan of the Tunnel of Love album. It was still Springsteen, but it isn't something I would play today.

My wife and her roommates started dialing to get tickets for the '85 concert. Two shows at MSA sold out in 45 minutes. I was working at a grocery store while in college and was offered what amounted to 4 times face value for my tickets from some of the check out girls I worked with. It was hard for a poor college kid to turn down, but I am happy I did! We had a blast before, during and after that concert.
 
IU_Cramer said:
We've got first concerts going, but what about your worst? Mine would have to be the LL Cool J concert that happened at Pic-a-Chic farm in the Spring of '98. Bussing out there was chaotic but paled in comparison to trying to bus back. LL played maybe a 30 minute set and I can't even tell you if there were any other acts. It was just a very un-cool experience all around.
Click to expand...
Easy. The last time I saw Mellencamp. We had seen him twice in Lexington, and once earlier in the Jack and Diane tour.

He came out on stage, never introduced the band, or never talked about the songs like he did at every other concert. When he left the stage after a little over than an hour, everyone started cheering for the encore. Eventually they turned the stadium lights on. Immediately the crew came out and started getting the equipment off the stage.

As we were walking to our car, a helicopter took off behind the stadium. I joked that Mellencamp might beat us home on our 5 mile drive after we got out of the parking lot. I have since declined on other chances to see him play. He mailed in that performance. For all we know, he might not have been really singing.
 
Motley Crue mid 2000s at Deer Creek...they were sober...I was sober. Very bad show.
 
James Taylor at Market Square, must have been around 79 or 80. He was drunk on his ass. He kept forgetting words to his famous songs and the crowd tried to help him. Thankfully, it ended after about an hour and ten minutes.
 
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