What was one of the WORST concerts You've Attended

I remember seeing Deep Purple in concert. " Perfect Strangers " tour.
Joan Jett may have opened up. Anyways - that day it was snowing. A blizzard.
I wasn't driving. I was a passenger. Insane ride though. Lol.
Okay - Twisted Sister. Come Out and Play tour.
I actually sat down. If they were an opener - fine - but as a headliner. No way.

Saw Trouble back in the day and Eric was so stoned and was totally apathetic.

From big name bands only, three stand out for me.

Sisters of Mercy. Lifeless and dull. Drums were playback. Major disappointment since they have some good studio stuff.

Anathema and Katatonia are the other two. Just no energy, and it's possibly because the music they play doesn't lend itself to a wild, high energy show. But they also look like they just go through the motions. That kind of no-shrills flat show is expected of minor local bands, but when you're an experienced touring band with lots of fans you are expected to put on a show for them. Not just "play".

I've also seen a bunch of shows where the singer's voice was shot (Sonata Arctica), but that doesn't really mean the show is bad. A concert is an all senses experience. Not just a strict listening session. There are CD's, headphones and a couch for that.

Well the absolute worse was when my wife dragged me to The Cure. I have been to other bands my wife loves that I can't stand, but that one had me wanting to blow my brains out about ha l f way thru. So boring, just an endless drone of the same song played for two hours.

Other one was Pantera when Phil was doped up on heroine. Seen them six times, and they were either one of the best or worse shows depending on how screwed up Phil was. Most times I saw them they were awesome though, so I give him some slack.

Oh it's a good job I'm across the Atlantic because I'm getting stuff thrown at me!

Kiss - Monsters of Rock 1988 No make up and dull as toast!

Iron Maiden - Birmingham Odeon 1986 I'd discovered thrash at this point and only went because our lodger was student union rep for our local college and he had a spare ticket and seat in the mini bus. I stayed sat down all the way through and was extremely bored.

DLR - Monsters of Rock 1988 - Even more dull than Kiss, I just don't get this guy.

(But as a footnote both Kiss and DLR took to the stage knowing that two kids had been crushed to death earlier in the day during G&R's set. I didn't know this at the time and probably explains why the rest of the day was so subdued)

I've told the story before but it was definitely:

God Lives Underwater
Korn
KMFDM

Why the hell Korn was part of that bill is completely a mystery but they totally screwed up the show.  GLU and KMFDM are industrial metal, Korn is...

GLU was fine as an opening act but I really wanted to see KMFDM as this was the Nihil tour (still my favorite album by them).  But then Korn took the stage.  The base was sooooo damn heavy that I got a splitting headache (and no, I hadn't been drinking or smoking before the show; it was just that loud and bass-heavy).  I ended up leaving halfway through KMFDM's set because I was nauseous.  

So Korn basically ruined a show I REALLY wanted to see.  Reason enough to hate them.   That, and their "music" just totally sucks.

Glenn Kaiser Band. Back around 2003 I had just joined the Christian Metal Realm and was discovering a lot of new bands. I was in the Chicago area at the time and GKB were playing at a local church. I really liked their albums (straight up blues with a bit of hard rock thrown in) and they sounded fine while they were playing. But there was more preaching involved in their "show" (like literal sermons--multiple of them!) than there was music. It should have been advertised as something other than a normal concert.

Wrecked Neck wrote:

Well the absolute worse was when my wife dragged me to The Cure. I have been to other bands my wife loves that I can't stand, but that one had me wanting to blow my brains out about ha l f way thru. So boring, just an endless drone of the same song played for two hours.

I guess it's different when you don't like the band, but I love The Cure and saw them on the Bloodflowers tour, which was around 2001 I think, and they killed it. I accidentally got there an hour into their set and was bummed, but they played for two more hours still, so I didn't feel too bad. It was a major check on my bands-I-want-to-see-list and did not disappoint.

The worst I have ever seen is Enuff Z'Nuff. The show itself was good, as Pretty Boy Floyd (an all-time fave) opened and Faster Pussycat was headlining. But sandwiched in between was Enuff Z'Nuff. I had their first album back when it came out, but was never super huge on it and definitely didn't really get into later stuff (although a couple years ago I went back to Strength, based on a recommendation here--Corplhicks maybe? and that album is really good).

Their set was massively boring. They felt like a group of indie rock dudes playing experiemental indie rock tunes that lasted way longer than either of the other bands. Bored to tears.

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The worst I have ever seen is Enuff Z'Nuff. The show itself was good, as Pretty Boy Floyd (an all-time fave) opened and Faster Pussycat was headlining. But sandwiched in between was Enuff Z'Nuff. I had their first album back when it came out, but was never super huge on it and definitely didn't really get into later stuff (although a couple years ago I went back to Strength, based on a recommendation here--Corplhicks maybe? and that album is really good).

Their set was massively boring. They felt like a group of indie rock dudes playing experiemental indie rock tunes that lasted way longer than either of the other bands. Bored to tears.

The first time I saw them they had Johnny Monaco on vocals, and it was exactly as you said. They were opening for Winger and it was awful.

I never got a chance to see them when Donnie Vie fronting them. But I've seen them probably five or six times in the last few years with Chip 'Z Nuff doing lead vocals. I have to say they are totally different on stage now. I've enjoyed their shows lately and started checking out their pretty deep back catalogue.

I'm sure I've told this story around here before but the most disappointing live band I ever saw was the Cult, when they opened for Metallica in 1989.  They clearly didn't wanna be there. Ian was drunk as a skunk, stumbling around the stage, mumbling/slurring lyrics, and eventually he just lay down on the drum riser while the band played around him.

I learned later that this show was towards the end of their run w/Metallica and by that point they were so tired of being hazed by Metallica's audience every night that they'd simply given up trying. I can sort of understand that, but I was bummed cuz they were supporting Sonic Temple, an album I totally loved, so I had been hoping to see killer sets by both bands. No such luck.

So yeah, I still love the Cult on record, but I never saw them live again.

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I'm sure I've told this story around here before but the most disappointing live band I ever saw was the Cult, when they opened for Metallica in 1989. They clearly didn't wanna be there. Ian was drunk as a skunk, stumbling around the stage, mumbling/slurring lyrics, and eventually he just lay down on the drum riser while the band played around him.

I learned later that this show was towards the end of their run w/Metallica and by that point they were so tired of being hazed by Metallica's audience every night that they'd simply given up trying. I can sort of understand that, but I was bummed cuz they were supporting Sonic Temple, an album I totally loved, so I had been hoping to see killer sets by both bands. No such luck.

Interesting. The Cult is one band I've never seen live. I can definitely see that about touring with Metallica though--at least considering their fan base in the 80s.

I can't really recall seeing a performer show up blasted and have it noticeably effect their performer. I'll count myself lucky, having seen Stephen Pearcy multiple times

glassprison wrote:

Interesting. The Cult is one band I've never seen live. I can definitely see that about touring with Metallica though--at least considering their fan base in the 80s.

By contrast, a year earlier I'd seen Cinderella opening for Judas Priest (!) --which was a bit of an odd pairing, to be sure (even tho it was JP's Ram It Down tour, which is considered to be one of their more "hair metal"-leaning albums)... needless to say the Priest crowd didn't exactly welcome Cinderella with open arms. However, Cinderella didn't let it stop them from putting on a damn good set.

That's how a band should deal with an unfriendly/hostile crowd, IMO - rather than laying down and giving up, it should be "Oh yeah? Well f*** you, this is what we do, deal with it!" and kick ass anyway!

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By contrast, a year earlier I'd seen Cinderella opening for Judas Priest (!) --which was a bit of an odd pairing, to be sure (even tho it was JP's Ram It Down tour, which is considered to be one of their more "hair metal"-leaning albums)... needless to say the Priest crowd didn't exactly welcome Cinderella with open arms. However, Cinderella didn't let it stop them from putting on a damn good set.

Wow, I didn't know they ever opened for Priest! So that was in '88? Must have been just before they started headlining for the Long Cold Winter album.

Good thing it went ok, given that infamous show where the crowd just destroyed the venue when Great White was opening for Priest, and the fact that Cinderella and GW are both in a similar blues-based hard rock vein.

Glenn Kaiser - loved that CD " Trimmed and Burning " when in a religious mood.
Hearing them preach - between songs - ooooohhhhh man. No thanks.
That's preaching to the choir.

Saw Van Halen - the Women and Children First tour.
David Lee Roth - got busted by the cops a day or two earlier for something.
So he was sitting on top of an amp - telling the sold out arena the story - with a Jack Daniels bottle.
Couldn't believe people were actually cheering him on after each slurred sentence !
Eddie was even wobbly walking about too - while Roth was ranting on.

Fat Freddy wrote:

glassprison wrote:

Interesting. The Cult is one band I've never seen live. I can definitely see that about touring with Metallica though--at least considering their fan base in the 80s.

By contrast, a year earlier I'd seen Cinderella opening for Judas Priest (!) --which was a bit of an odd pairing, to be sure (even tho it was JP's Ram It Down tour, which is considered to be one of their more "hair metal"-leaning albums)...  needless to say the Priest crowd didn't exactly welcome Cinderella with open arms. However, Cinderella didn't let it stop them from putting on a damn good set.

That's how a band should deal with an unfriendly/hostile crowd, IMO - rather than laying down and giving up, it should be "Oh yeah? Well f*** you, this is what we do, deal with it!" and kick ass anyway!

I love Priest and I love Cinderella. Would have loved to see them tour together.

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I love Priest and I love Cinderella. Would have loved to see them tour together.

I love'em both too, so I was glad that they both put on killer sets.
Years later I was struck by the irony of a Judas Priest audience booing the hell out of Cinderella and calling them "homos" and "glam fags," haha.

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Wow, I didn't know they ever opened for Priest! So that was in '88? Must have been just before they started headlining for the Long Cold Winter album.

Yup, summer of '88. I don't think they were touring together for long, cuz Long Cold Winter was doing better business than Priest's album, so by the end of the summer they'd gone off to do their own tour and Priest picked up South of Heaven era Slayer for the tail end of their U.S. run. I remember my brother (big Slayer fan) being all P.O.'d when he heard that, cuz he would've rather seen Slayer, haha.

Glower wrote:

Glenn Kaiser - loved that CD " Trimmed and Burning " when in a religious mood.
Hearing them preach - between songs - ooooohhhhh man. No thanks.
That's preaching to the choir.

Saw Van Halen - the Women and Children First tour.
David Lee Roth - got busted by the cops a day or two earlier for something.
So he was sitting on top of an amp - telling the sold out arena the story - with a Jack Daniels bottle.
Couldn't believe people were actually cheering him on after each slurred sentence !
Eddie was even wobbly walking about too - while Roth was ranting on.

My drunk band story was Bon Jovi. Jon was hammered and blathered on for ages about nothing in between songs like a drunk at the bar. But much as I'm not a fan, they were superb the minute he stopped talking and played some music.

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Yup, summer of '88. I don't think they were touring together for long, cuz Long Cold Winter was doing better business than Priest's album, so by the end of the summer they'd gone off to do their own tour and Priest picked up South of Heaven era Slayer for the tail end of their U.S. run. I remember my brother (big Slayer fan) being all P.O.'d when he heard that, cuz he would've rather seen Slayer, haha.

Wow, talk about a shift! I need to look into Priest's touring history. This is all really interesting.

I saw AIC open for Queensryche before AIC broke big and everyone booed them. Layne was pretty wasted and laid on the stage cursing at everyone most of the set.

That kinda reminds me of another band I saw that was pretty bad.

The Disturbed, before they broke out, played with Hatebreed and, I think Six Feet Under. During Hatebreed, there was a bald dude standing next to me wearing a Michael Myers type jumpsuit and kinda pogo-ing along a little during Hatebreed. After they were done and the next band was setting up, the bald dude was still just standing there. After the band started setting up and had their instruments in hand, the bald dude pulled some panty hose over his head and ran up on stage and grabbed the mic and was all ooooohh-wa-ah-ah-ahhh or whatever. Ha. So goofy. Then a few weeks later that song started popping up all over. So I guess the joke was not on him, but still.

I saw Cinderella open - for someone -
And they opened the set with Seamstress Blues.....
I have to say - they had me - I was hooked - the loudness of the song intro -
I bought Night Songs years before - and thought it was fantastic -
then I backed off - so much metal was being put out - but kept tabs -
It was a top opener - for sure -
Right up there with Crue - opening for Ozzy - excitement from the get go.

I saw King Diamond on the tour for Them. And it wasn't the fault of the band. The sound guy just never could get the sound dialed in. Tons of feedback all throughout the set. It was so band King even King said "No thanks to the sound guy for ruining the set."

DRI a couple years ago here in town. Their sound was absolute garbage, bunch of white noise, no discernable instrument dynamics, mud. And TOO loud for how crappy it was. Plus the band was barely there and some beefy dude kept trying to wreck the mosh pit (I was outside the pit). Ended up talking to my buddy at the bar after three songs for the rest of the night.

Also The Newsboys.

ZombieHavoc wrote:

Wrecked Neck wrote:

Well the absolute worse was when my wife dragged me to The Cure. I have been to other bands my wife loves that I can't stand, but that one had me wanting to blow my brains out about ha l f way thru. So boring, just an endless drone of the same song played for two hours.

I guess it's different when you don't like the band, but I love The Cure and saw them on the Bloodflowers tour, which was around 2001 I think, and they killed it. I accidentally got there an hour into their set and was bummed, but they played for two more hours still, so I didn't feel too bad. It was a major check on my bands-I-want-to-see-list and did not disappoint.

Yes and no. I've been to plenty of concerts where I didn't like the bands. Won tickets to see Pearl Jam once, so the wife made me use them. I was going to sell them lol I HATE that band, but it was actually a decent show. The Cure just bored the shit outta me, and every song sounded the same.

Another show I forgot to mention that was really disappointing was,Fleetwood Mac. It was the second time we saw them, and we had lower level, but it was near the back, and paid something like a hundred dollars each or more. No opening band. For thirty minutes (at least) they played the soothing sounds of crickets over the pa system. So after that torture was over, they finally come out. They played less than an hour and a half, and gone. To me, if your going to charge that kind of money, have no opening band, annoying the living shit out if everyone with crickets chirping, then you better give me at the bare minimum a two plus hour show. Biggest ripoff I've ever been too, and I'll never give them a dime of my money again.