Your Most Disappointing Concerts..

[SteveSly]

I am pretty sure we have had this thread before, and I have told this story before, but it is always a good one so here goes.

We went to see Joe Walsh at club at some point back in the 90’s (I don’t remember which tour). Joe came on stage with just a bass player and drummer and appeared to be pretty messed up. His playing was sloppy, his singing was sloppy and the bassist & drummer seemed to be just going through the motions while Joe attempted to sing and solo over them. After less than an hour Joe and the band left the stage. The audience was all kind of trying to figure out what was going on. Was the show over? Since it had been so short we were not sure. The crowd continued to kind of half heartedly applaud and after about 5 minutes here comes Joe back on stage. He was dressed in a bathrobe and had a lit cigarette hanging out of his mouth. He walks up to the front of the stage and flips off the audience and says something like “fuck you, I guess we’ll do one more”. He grabbed his guitar and played “The Confessor” which was ok, but not great, then walked back off the stage, the house lights came on, and that was it. The whole thing had been less than an hour and the audience was standing around like “what the fuck just happened?”.

At the time I swore I would never waste money on a Joe Walsh show again but have to say that I have since seen him twice with The Eagles and the guy was fantastic, so I would probably go see him again if he came around today, but that 90’s show ranks up as my worst.

[Halmyre]

Yikes. I was there. trying to remember the support act .it will be somewhere online.
I saw a lot of "metal legends" back then in a very short space of time. I can't say many left that much of an impression though.

They played there twice, with Samson in 1980 and Rose Tattoo in 1981.

[GuitarGeek]

Kevin Ayers in the mid / late 90s.

Not rehearsed, didn’t care, was obviously inebriated, didn’t care, delivered a desultory, shambling 33’ set. Sad.

I remember being depressed that I couldn't go Kevin Ayers when he played here in the early 90's, because it wasn't an all ages show. Then like 20 years later, someone told me about seeing him around that time, and basically gave a similar appraisal of the performance, and I realized I was probably lucky I couldn't go.

[GuitarGeek]

The word “disappointing” immediately reminds me of Pure Reason Revolution at NEARFest...I forget what year. I was looking forward to seeing them but the show fell far short of my expectations. The main issue was it seems the show was more Memorex than live, exemplified by the bit where the bass player put her instrument down, and yet the bass kept playing. It soured me so much that it made me enjoy their album rather less.

I remember being annoyed that they were using a drum machine on a couple numbers. I'm thinking, "Wait, isn't that what the drummer is for?!". And in general, I just didn't like their style, which was nothing unusual, there was typically one or two bands at the fests that I didn't like, but I remember being so annoyed with them, I think we may have left to get dinner before their set ended, and they ended up being the one band that year that I didn't have sign my program. Oops. Oh well.

[Mister Triscuits]

I remember being depressed that I couldn't go Kevin Ayers when he played here in the early 90's, because it wasn't an all ages show. Then like 20 years later, someone told me about seeing him around that time, and basically gave a similar appraisal of the performance, and I realized I was probably lucky I couldn't go.

Yeah, that was simply what he was like on that tour. I saw the same thing Steve F. did on the opposite coast.

[moecurlythanu]

I saw Kevin Ayers on a co-headlining tour with Daevid Allen in Lakewood, Ohio, sometime in the 90s. At this gig, Daevid came on first. Both played solo, and Kevin was not as affable as Daevid, but both performances were outstanding.

[Progbear]

I remember being depressed that I couldn't go Kevin Ayers when he played here in the early 90's, because it wasn't an all ages show. Then like 20 years later, someone told me about seeing him around that time, and basically gave a similar appraisal of the performance, and I realized I was probably lucky I couldn't go.

I saw him in the early 90s some time. A solo acoustic guitar show. I wasn’t disappointed, despite the fact that he was obviously tipsy and forgot the words to “Lady Rachel.”

[AncientChord]

Three come to mind immediately:

Led Zeppelin-must of been 1973 or 74? I think the venue was in Long Beach California. The performance was so bad that I still remember it. The band was highly drugged so they couldn't really play and they sounded like crap. Jimmy Page looked like a drooling zombie. Before this gig they were heroes, after I told myself it was time to move on.

Peter Gabriel-Santa Ana California 1980. It was a one-off gig. The promoters over sold tickets, and the place was packed, so the police and fire department shut down the show a bit after half way during the performance. Major bummer! The last thing that Gabriel said before he walked off the stage was that everyone would get their money refunded. Well I'm still waiting.

Porcupine Tree-Wiltern Theater Los Angeles 2010. The worst seats I ever had for any concert. Far to the left and you could barely see a view of a third of Gavin Harrison and Colin Edwin. Huge disappointment. Waste of time and money. It was like listening at home through your speakers. So glad they'll be back.

[Sturgeon's Lawyer]

H'mmm. A couple of the acts I saw at the 2002 NEARFest disappointed me mightily --

I had been really looking forward to Isildur's Bane, and the high point of their set, alas, was their greeting to the audience "Hello Trenton - United States - New Yersey!"

La torre dell'alchemista seemed like a cheap imitation Yes, down to the becaped keyboardist.

echolyn bored the pants off me.

And Gerard, well, I had never heard of them, had no expectations, and they still didn't meet them.

Still, aside from the three headline acts (Caravan, Nektar, Hackett) who were all amazeballs, I came away with deep respect for Miriodor and Spaced Out, and at least enjoyed the other sets, so the weekend was a net gain, so maybe this was a poor choice for this thread.

H'mmmmmm... What else?

Honestly the Who show I saw on that "first farewell tour" in '82 was a disappointment. I missed the outdoor show, which had featured the Clash (whom I very much wanted to see) and bought scalpeed tickets to an evening show a few days later, where the opening act was a country blues kind of act (T-bone Walker, I think), then the Who were ... off their feed, I think. Very perfunctory versions of a number of songs, and Kenny Jones's drumming was just a thudding bore.

Chicago, December 1977. It was the last night of the tour, which meant it turned out to be Terry Kath's last show. That wasn't what made it disappointing though; it was the material they played. Lots of stuff from their (then-)newer albums, that I thought were crap. The older songs were still good, but there were way too few of them.

Genesis, 1980. The Duke tour. Phil's personality, which had ben under control through his first three tours as lead singer, took off here, making all sorts of obnoxious jokes ("Bernie, the Bisexual Drum Machine") and having a high old time at the expense of the audience, or at least of those of us who had come to see Genesis music rather than what seemed to be Phil and his backing band.

"Weird" Al Yankovic a couple of years ago on his "Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour". I wasn't expecting parodies, I knew what the tour was about. But that many of his "originals" in a row made me realize how mean-spirited (and often misogynistic) his original lyrics can be. Also, it was waaaaay too loud for the venue, and I came out with a monstrous headache. Which is a pity, because his band is incredible. They can, and do, play everything, changing styles at the drop of a hat. That night I saw them play reggae, hard rock, blues, a Grateful Dead pastiche of "Dare to Be Stupid", straight-ahead pop, and several other things I can't recall. I might decide to see him again sometime at one of his country-fair type shows though.

Journey, backing up ELP, early August of 1977. It was the night they introduced Steve Perry and I instantly hated him. It was the moment at which Journey turned from a moderately-progressive band to a "colisseum rock" behemoth, and I don't know how else to say it: I felt it happening.Their first two albums, especially the first, were so good. I was looking forward to them almost as much as ELP. (Who, fortunately, saved the night for me.)

That's pretty much it. I have generally been pretty lucky with the shows I've seen, partly because I'm very selective about the shows I go to.

[moecurlythanu]

^ Wow.I went to at least 8 NEARFests, and 2002 was easily the best, imo. Miriodor and Spaced Out were among my least favorites from that edition, so different strokes.

[pb2015]

FWIW, Weird Al is reprising the Self-Indulgent Tour in 2022 (a tour running for six months, making up for lost pandemic time I suppose). I bought a ticket for one show next summer. If nothing else the crowd should be interesting.

[Digital_Man]

^ Wow.I went to at least 8 NEARFests, and 2002 was easily the best, imo. Miriodor and Spaced Out were among my least favorites from that edition, so different strokes.

I was at NF 2002(I went to seven in total plus several pre shows). I missed Miriodor and La Torre del Alchimista due to my roomate and I oversleeping. I don't think I enjoyed Space Out much but I thought they played well at least. I don't remember much about Isildur's Bane except that people said they were "prog by numbers." Also, most people thought they would be better without the singer. I thought they were ok I guess. I don't remember much about them but I guess that's not a good sign. Lol. I think most of the others were pretty good though.

[Gruno]

FWIW, Weird Al is reprising the Self-Indulgent Tour in 2022 (a tour running for six months, making up for lost pandemic time I suppose). I bought a ticket for one show next summer. If nothing else the crowd should be interesting.

I'd love to see Weird Al shred!

[Dan Marsh]

Mastodon - Snoozefest.

[Progtastic]

King Crimson, 2000, London: Way too loud and just a wall of noise. Difficult to identify any actual songs.

[bill g]

Santana, some time in 1976 I think. I loved their first 5 albums, but they come on and did a nearly complete set of boring pop music, which unbeknownst to me was their new sound, and only a couple earlier classic tracks. Eric Clapton was the other act and his music just didn't do it for me at the time. I was excited when Layla came on, but my favorite section, the instrumental outro, was not played. I figured he was a good enough guitarist to make it great, with the other musicians, but nope.

[bill g]

Journey, backing up ELP, early August of 1977. It was the night they introduced Steve Perry and I instantly hated him. It was the moment at which Journey turned from a moderately-progressive band to a "colisseum rock" behemoth, and I don't know how else to say it: I felt it happening.Their first two albums, especially the first, were so good. I was looking forward to them almost as much as ELP. (Who, fortunately, saved the night for me.)

I saw that same tour in Seattle, and you've echoed my thoughts, every word, perfectly.

[Paul]

The Cult - Wembley Arena 1989, on the Sonic Temple tour. I'd seen them in 1987 on the Electric tour on successive nights, at Brixton and Wembley Arena, and they were fantastic both nights, especially at Wembley which is a barn at the best of times. So I was really looking forward to seeing them again, but whatever they had, they'd lost. They were just flat, there was no excitement. There were four or five of us there and we all felt the same.

Soundgarden - saw them twice in the 90s, one of my absolute favourite bands of that decade, but I was left feeling vaguely disappointed both times, and I can't quite put my finger on why. Contrast that with Stone Temple Pilots and Screaming Trees who were both incredible live.

Others have already mentioned Kevin Ayers - saw him in the mid 2000s as a support act (can't remember who to) and he was bad for same reasons - sloppy, didn't seem to care.

[GuitarGeek]

I saw Kevin Ayers on a co-headlining tour with Daevid Allen in Lakewood, Ohio, sometime in the 90s. At this gig, Daevid came on first. Both played solo, and Kevin was not as affable as Daevid, but both performances were outstanding.

That's probably the very show that I was talking about that i Had to miss because it wasn't all ages.

[ThomasKDye]

1) Rush, Roll the Bones Tour, Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, NV, 6/6/92.
The band was fine -- the acoustics were utterly lousy. Compared to the crisp sound of the Rush concert I saw on the Presto tour at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, it sounded like garbage -- really mushy, full of echo, with no clarity of the instruments. I have to admit the goofiness of the rap on "Roll the Bones" was memorable, but the rest of it... wasn't. Besides, the A/C was broken or something and the whole atmosphere felt claustrophobic and humid.

2) Joe Satriani, Fox Theater, Oakland, CA, late 2014. Opener Living Colour.
This was the ultimate "it's not you, it's me" experience. I discovered that Satriani was good mood-creating music for other activities -- but not so much fun sitting in an auditorium listening to. On top of that, I didn't recognize half the material. It seemed the only song they played from The Extremist was "Cryin'," which, as an AOR-ballady type number, felt like an odd choice. Not "War" or "Motorcycle Driver"? Really? Anyway, everybody played fine and I'm sure people got a lot out of it, but the only song I really got into was "Cult of Personality," the hit from the opening band. In fact, I thought their drum solo was more creative than Marco Minneman's more traditional drum solo. Oh well.

EDIT: Judging from similar set lists around then, it looks like Satch may have played "Summer Song" from The Extremist as the encore... but I was so bored I didn't wait. Irony!

[AncientChord]

I chimed in on this subject once already, but I forgot the most major disappointment. In fact, to me it was mentally devastating. The late great film composer Ennio Morricone was scheduled to play the Hollywood Bowl with the L.A. Philharmonic Orchestra for his Los Angeles debut in 2009. Due to the maestro having serious back issues, the concert was cancelled. And it was never rescheduled. I still have the ticket for the show and the money was refunded. The show, no kidding, was named Once Upon A Time In Hollywood. Think Quentin Tarantino.

[TheLoony]

1) Rush, Roll the Bones Tour, Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, NV, 6/6/92.
The band was fine -- the acoustics were utterly lousy. Compared to the crisp sound of the Rush concert I saw on the Presto tour at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, it sounded like garbage -- really mushy, full of echo, with no clarity of the instruments. I have to admit the goofiness of the rap on "Roll the Bones" was memorable, but the rest of it... wasn't. Besides, the A/C was broken or something and the whole atmosphere felt claustrophobic and humid.

Complete opposite reaction to that show. I had third row tix and the ac surely was working. Didn't have a problem with the sound as I would have remembered it sounding lousy. Still have the shirt from that one.

[ThomasKDye]

Complete opposite reaction to that show. I had third row tix and the ac surely was working. Didn't have a problem with the sound as I would have remembered it sounding lousy. Still have the shirt from that one.

I just remember what I remember. My friends commented on the acoustics too. I don't know, maybe it depended on where you were. I was up near the nosebleeds, and heat does rise.

[Mythos]

Journey, backing up ELP, early August of 1977. It was the night they introduced Steve Perry and I instantly hated him. It was the moment at which Journey turned from a moderately-progressive band to a "colisseum rock" behemoth, and I don't know how else to say it: I felt it happening.Their first two albums, especially the first, were so good. I was looking forward to them almost as much as ELP. (Who, fortunately, saved the night for me.)

Allow me to help.. They went from a Prog-Rock Band to a Chick Band....

I saw the Prog-Rock Journey twice, once opening for Thin Lizzy (at the Santa Monica Civic) and the other opening for Todd Rundgren's Utoipa (at the Starlight Amphitheater), they were very entertaining both times...

[Camelogue]

Carlos Santana and Wayne Shorter - I expected much more.