Worst concert you've ever seen?

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I took this from a discussion on another thread and decided it badly needed its own conversation (well, not that badly, but it could be fun). 
Have you ever walked out on a concert? The one I related previously was this:

I saw John Fogerty in the mid-80s expecting I would hear some Creedence Clearwater Revival songs. Little did I know at the time that Fogerty was embroiled in a court battle with his old label and he wouldn't play any of his Creedence songs because he refused to play royalties for his own songs (I guess I missed the whole imbroglio in the papers, and of course there was no interwebs).

Although I now understand the reasons he refused to play the songs, I must admit listening to him sing f*cking "Centerfield" and other such tripe was rather dismaying and I walked out halfway through. I wouldn't have bought tickets in the first place had I known.

I also once went to a Kid Rock/Uncle Cracker show because of my then-girlfriend. What people will do for sex.

Edited by The Dark Elf - April 22 2015 at 09:39

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The Dark Elf Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member VIP Member Joined: February 01 2011 Location: Michigan Status: Offline Points: 12681	Topic: Worst concert you've ever seen? Posted: April 22 2015 at 09:36
	I took this from a discussion on another thread and decided it badly needed its own conversation (well, not that badly, but it could be fun). Have you ever walked out on a concert? The one I related previously was this: I saw John Fogerty in the mid-80s expecting I would hear some Creedence Clearwater Revival songs. Little did I know at the time that Fogerty was embroiled in a court battle with his old label and he wouldn't play any of his Creedence songs because he refused to play royalties for his own songs (I guess I missed the whole imbroglio in the papers, and of course there was no interwebs). Although I now understand the reasons he refused to play the songs, I must admit listening to him sing f*cking "Centerfield" and other such tripe was rather dismaying and I walked out halfway through. I wouldn't have bought tickets in the first place had I known. I also once went to a Kid Rock/Uncle Cracker show because of my then-girlfriend. What people will do for sex. Edited by The Dark Elf - April 22 2015 at 09:39
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Guldbamsen Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Retired Admin Joined: January 22 2009 Location: Magic Theatre Status: Offline Points: 23098	Posted: April 22 2015 at 09:49
	Well I already mentioned the Aqua incident. I once saw Bob Dylan on the huge Orange stage at the Roskilde Festival. He must've thought it was a small and smokey bar he'd be playing, because they were exactly 4 guys in a tiny circle up on this gargantuan scene doing old school skiffles and toned down blues tracks. What a disaster! He amended the mistake by playing there a couple of years after, where he went all out and brought everybody but the freakin seacaptain - suddenly you got a brass section, organs, backing singers, piano man and a Dylan who actually moved. It's the only time I've ever seen a "mushpit" outside of a metal gig, but then again I was the one instigating it together with a couple friends, who'd all been drinking warm white wine and strange drinks with fire together with your's truly. We started out as 5 and ended up a couple of hundred people all furiously pacing about in this huge circle. Fun times.
	“The Guide says there is an art to flying or rather a knack. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.” - Douglas Adams

ExittheLemming Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: October 19 2007 Location: Penal Colony Status: Offline Points: 11415	Posted: April 22 2015 at 09:57
	Tangerine Dream at Glasgow Apollo circa 1978. Forever hence I renamed them 'Margarine Dream' Three stoned, hirsute and badly dressed German hippies stationed behind synthesizer workstations is not a spectator sport. One of the venue roadies told me that Peter Baumann described Glasgow as 'reason enough to build your own Berlin Wall' Highlight of the evening was when Edgar Froese stood up to play a guitar solo. The audience were so chipped off their tits that Sooty berating Sweep for a slight on the former's squeeze Soo would have been deemed cosmiche maaan.

Aussie-Byrd-Brother Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: October 12 2011 Location: Melb, Australia Status: Offline Points: 7951	Posted: April 22 2015 at 10:05
	Boss Hog (the Jon Spencer offshoot fronted by his wife) My worst gig is easily one of my absolute concert going highlights! Frontwoman Cristina Martinez stumbled on stage, looked mighty pissed off and more than a little wasted. She was singing into a microphone that clearly wasn't working, and when a poor roadie raced on stage to try and fix it, she booted him square in the balls from behind. She then took an instant dislike to a poor girl that had clearly been dragged along by her boyfriend, she got down on all fours like she was stalking the girl, singing directly into her eyes for about three minutes straight with this mocking scorn! She then got up and hurled herself into the crowd, starting wildly swinging punches and kicks at everyone (my mate copped a nasty bloody gash from her heels down his leg!), she then got back on stage and called a girlfriend out, and they finished the set in what can only be described as bad drunk karaoke! Despite being the lead act, all up I think they played a little over 45 minutes before heading off?!

Dean Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Retired Admin and Amateur Layabout Joined: May 13 2007 Location: Europe Status: Offline Points: 37575	Posted: April 22 2015 at 10:11
	I can't really think of any, usually if the set is bad I generally manage find something to amuse me. I saw Brit Death/Metalcore band Labrat stagger on stage pissed as farts, announce themselves as LA Brat in a really terrible drawling 'Merican accent and then proceeded to play their set as some kind of Sludge Metal - Country and Western hybrid - it was truly awful but at the same time hilariously funny. I once walked out on Metallica, not because it was bad but because it was arse-numbingly boring, half-way through I thought to myself - if that twonk plays drum solo I'm going home. Sure enough Ulrich lurched into a plodding drum solo that I could still hear from the car-park.
	What?

sublime220 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: January 21 2015 Location: Willow Farm Status: Offline Points: 1563	Posted: April 22 2015 at 10:13
	Doobie Brothers, 2005. They didn't play Black Water. What gives??
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NutterAlert Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: June 07 2005 Location: In transition Status: Offline Points: 2807	Posted: April 22 2015 at 10:25
	Motorhead, Nottingham. I'm sure Lemmy was trying to sonically kill the audience. I like loud but this was unreal. Idoiots around me shouting "LOUDER" which the band seemed happy to oblige...

chopper Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: July 13 2005 Location: Essex, UK Status: Offline Points: 19942	Posted: April 22 2015 at 10:41
	I can honestly say I've never been to a really bad gig but I have had a couple of painful experiences that I could have done without - 1) Ted Nugent trying to shatter a glass ball with feedback. 2) Sammy Hagar having a guitar "battle" with his other guitarist (which he won, believe it or not )

bloodnarfer Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: April 15 2010 Location: Austin, TX Status: Offline Points: 2162	Posted: April 22 2015 at 10:56
	3). Antemasque. Couldn't hear Omar through a mush of sound, my gf got moshed, and I was sprayed with a fire extinguisher 2). The menagerie of forgettable pop country concerts I've been dragged to. 1). Do openers count? Elliphant and Torche were sickening. On both occasions I had the leave the venue and come back later.
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presdoug Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: January 24 2010 Location: Canada Status: Offline Points: 8080	Posted: April 22 2015 at 11:59
	Judas Priest doing "Screaming For Vengeance" tour in Montreal, October, 1982. Deafeningly loud, just a load of nonsense, really.

Catcher10 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member VIP Member Joined: December 23 2009 Location: Emerald City Status: Offline Points: 17496	Posted: April 22 2015 at 13:06
	Only headliner I ever walked away from was Van Halen at the US Festival '83....DLR was drunk, sounded horrible, not that he ever sounded good live, and was not finishing songs...We left after the 2nd song.


JD Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: February 07 2009 Location: Canada Status: Offline Points: 18371	Posted: April 22 2015 at 13:45
	Oddly enough, Pink Floyd at the CNE in Toronto. The sound was horrible and I left half deaf. Not what I expected for my first and only Floyd concert.
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Man Overboard Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: November 07 2004 Location: Austin, TX Status: Offline Points: 3830	Posted: April 22 2015 at 13:55
	Opeth on... some tour, probably 2010 or 2011. They were mindblowing when I caught them on the Damnation tour in an Austin club called the Back Room, but at Ram's Head Live in Baltimore, they (and their openers) sounded like muddled garbage. I honestly didn't expect them to sound worse than generic laptop speakers, but...

Valarius Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: January 08 2005 Location: Germany Status: Offline Points: 1480	Posted: April 22 2015 at 15:20
	Don't think I've ever really been to a "bad concert". Most times I'm just caught up in the fun and excitement of seeing a band I like live. Generally sh*t gigs are like, when I go to local ones with bands I don't know and they're all pretty boring. But usually I'd go to these as a punter and so I'd just grab a drink and politely clap after every song, whether I'm actually paying attention or not. That said, I did see McBusted last year, with support by the Backstreet Boys and Five. Mainly went to see the Backstreet Boys and was super pissed when the didn't perform! Five were awesome though. I did complain and was offered two tickets to the same gig in another city, which I gave to my sister as I couldn't make it. Never did see the Backstreet Boys though, and don't care about McBusted.

Valarius Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: January 08 2005 Location: Germany Status: Offline Points: 1480	Posted: April 22 2015 at 15:21
	What the hell am I on about?

Evolver Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Crossover & JR/F/Canterbury Teams Joined: October 22 2005 Location: The Idiocracy Status: Offline Points: 5482	Posted: April 22 2015 at 15:37
	Charlie Haden and Quartet West at the DeCordova Museum in Lincoln, Mass. The DeCordova venue is an outside amphitheater in a wooded location. It would have been pleasant, but it was an extremely hot and humid day. Hot and humid didn't bother me then, but every 2 or three minutes Haden would stop the band and spend a long time retuning his bass. What should have been an exceptional concert was a frustrating mess.
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bhikkhu Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: April 06 2006 Location: A² Michigan Status: Offline Points: 5109	Posted: April 22 2015 at 16:03
	My Ex was really into Mt Life with the Thrill Kill Cult. I thought they were okay until she took me to a show. They were basically an air-band syncing to a recording and it was really obvious. I walked out. I also saw the Replacements last show at grant park in Chicago. Couldn't really see the stage well from where I was and after four songs it just stopped. Paul Westerberg had walked off the stage. That was that for the concert and the band.
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defectinggrey Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: March 14 2015 Location: Spain Status: Offline Points: 104	Posted: April 22 2015 at 16:46
	Lou Reed at Wembley Arena. The best song he played sounded like Foghat on a bad night. Al Stewart at Hammersmith Odeon. He was accompanied by a female singer who was shrill to say the least. Moody Blues at Royal Albert Hall. Off key and, flat!

tszirmay Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: August 17 2006 Location: Canada Status: Offline Points: 6673	Posted: April 22 2015 at 17:02
	Chicago (1974) was terrible and played only 40 MINUTES which was a no-no back in the days. I saw them again the next year, maybe I swallowed some bad stuff but it was just as bad and short.
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cstack3 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member VIP Member Joined: July 20 2009 Location: Tucson, AZ USA Status: Offline Points: 6747	Posted: April 22 2015 at 17:27
	Everyone is naming some really good bands, so I don't feel so badly! My chum Leroy and I went to see Marillion in the early 1990s, thinking it was the version with Fish. However, Fish was long gone, and the version we saw was numbingly boring. We left about 3/4 of the way through the show. I never understood why the band we saw was so bad, as they had received such positive reviews on PA. Otherwise, I've seen tons of bad shows - The Tubes (left shortly after they began), John Entwhistle's solo band (so loud it was painful, but we stuck it out), Ted Nugent (who was outplayed by his backup guitarist), and a few others I'm forgetting. I'd say that my satisfaction rate for concerts attended is well over 90%. Jethro Tull TAAB, Yes CTTE, ELP BSS, and KC LTIA were several key shows!