Worst band you've ever seen?

[Callum_Carcass]

First gig I ever played, my band was on second. The opening band, Within Death's Reach if memory serves well, were a bunch of kids who weren't all that well rehearsed from what I could tell. The bassist was out of tune and really loud so it was pretty noticeable. The guitarist/singer was finding it hard to handle both duties (concentrated more on guitar than vocals) and was also getting really pissy with the really quiet and inanimate audience, telling them "Get ****in' movin'!" Hilarious really, when we went onstage after them, they all just sat in the corner looking glum as hell. To top it off, the guitarist, who couldn't have been more than 17, had brought three guitars with him, all really high end import models from ESP and Dean, and took far too much time switching between them. I think they only got about 4 songs done in the half hour they were given.

[Kmonk]

The worst famous band I ever saw was KISS about 3 years ago. I was a big fan of theirs and had seen them many times but on that tour, they were terrible. The opening bands, "Switchblade Suicide" and "The Envy" were also pretty bad.

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones were aweful the only time I saw them. They were playing TD Garden in Boston between periods of a Bruins game. They were so bad that my brother and I walked out into the concourse until the next period started.

Non-Famous bands: this is the worst I've ever heard even though I didn't see them live.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jj7pDNDuoJ0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYk3lEb_fe4

[thedudebrah]

I've seen too many to count. Even worse is when it's a friends band.

[BassSurfer]

Every band has their off nights...

[thedudebrah]

Originally Posted by Kmonk

Non-Famous bands: this is the worst I've ever heard even though I didn't see them live.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jj7pDNDuoJ0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYk3lEb_fe4

I couldn't make it through more than 30 seconds of each. In the second link, look at the drummers face. Totally lost.

[cjp3044]

Originally Posted by DelRider

There was this one band at a battle of the bands. All in, horns and all. Horn players were decked out in these garrish outfits. The drummer was obviously out of it. After waiting, the guitar player came out in pink tutu and funkey mask, hit this power cord, and the drummer collapsed across his kit. They fumbled around a bit. I remember it started to get better, but I'm a little fuzzy after that,,,

Cheech and Chong?

[buzzbass]

Originally Posted by lokikallas

I saw limp bizkit open for primus.

I saw limp open for Faith No more in a club on the Jersey Shore. that was way cool

[cjp3044]

1981 at the LA Colliseum - the bill was the Rolling Stones, George Thorogood (sp), The J. Geils Band and Prince. Remember, this was 1981 - NO ONE knew who Prince was - he was booed off in less than 10 minutes and with all the stuff flying all around the Colliseum (you looked up and all you saw was stuff flying through the air, paper plates, soda and beer cups, popcorn bags, you name it. Bill Graham had to come out and threaten to stop the show if it didn't stop. I don't think Prince was really all that bad, but not right for that show. George Thorogood absolutely sucked though.

I think the worst touring band I saw though was Suicide Silence - the show was supposed to be headlined by Mudvayne and Black Label Society, but BLS didn't show, which made for a pretty crappy show all around, but SS was very painful to listen to and watch.

Local bands? Where do I start! I've asked for my cover fee back on several occasions if the band is really crappy. We have one band in this area (will remain nameless) that rarely gets asked back to any venue, but they keep trying. The drummer is the Russian Dragon (he's either rushing or dragging) - I went to a rehearsal a while back for a start up band and he was the drummer, after playing with him that one day I swore never again. The guitar player (who is actually sort of a friend of mine) can play decently - sort of - but his tone -- just imagine the sound of a Strat set to the bridge pickup and the tone control all the way up into an annoying sounding fuzzbox into an amp with the eq set to treble at 10 and bass and mids at 2 (and a Crate solid state half stack no less) - one word - screechy. Which also describes the singer, but I'll get to that in a minute. A bass player that can't play anything other than root notes - nice guy, but too green to be playing in a gigging band. But the singer -- he's the WORST! His stage antics and dress make Mick Jagger and Scott Weiland look masculine. He CAN'T sing -- he screeches everything (and always complains that his throat hurts), AND he refuses to actually learn the correct lyrics. The funniest example is when they (try) to play Runnin' With The Devil - the "singer" sings "All I've got is a head of steel" and then proceeds to band the mic on his head. Yeah, walked out on them too.

[capnsandwich]

I'm just glad I haven't read any stories about my bands yet.

[dtripoli]

Not Worst but most Boring Ever..

Wow, a golden opportunity, John McLaughlin coming to town. I instantly get tickets and
spring for really good seat. All the way to the concert I'm raving about how John played with Miles Davis,
was the guitarist on Bitches Brew, headed up the Mahavishnu Orchestra, jammed with Hendrix,
put out an album with Carlos Santana and overall is a killer guitarist.

Get to the concert and on stage is only an oriental carpet and pillows.
The musicians come out and it's a bunch of East Indian guys and gals carrying tamblas, hand drums, sitars etc. John comes out with an acoustic guitar, they all sit on the floor and they spend the next 2 hours playing Indian music in the same key that droned on and on and on and Zzzzzzzzzzz...we left after one excruciating hour.

I did not know he was touring in support of his new direction and album 'Shakti'

[selassie1]

Deftones in 95 when they opened for Bad Brains. The sound was unbearable because of the guitar tone! The guitarist was playing through a single 4x12 cab and the 2.5k "ice pick in your ear" frequency was overpowering everything. Had to walk out a few times to give my ears a break.

When they switched to the Bad Brains setup, the roadies pulled the sheets off the back line and BAM! There were two full Marshall stacks staring us in the face. I was sure the guitar would drown out the bassist's SVT with single 8x10 cab but I was completely wrong. Their sound mix and tones were so good, it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. It was breathtaking - full, rich, clear and powerful. I've never heard another rock band sound that good.

[rtav]

Originally Posted by 4001

Besides the dance at the Air Force base scene, that Jazz Odyssey scene is priceless!
That movie is an all-time favorite.

This is Derek Smalls... he wrote this.

[Scott in Dallas]

If a band can't tune their instruments or find a drummer who doesn't slow down and speed up then I can't even stay in the same room. I'm too much of a music snob to go see bands very much.

Worst band for which I spent money: Metallica on the And Justice For All tour. They were really bad. The bass sounded horrid, Lars is a crappy drummer, the vocals were canned and when Hammett played a solo a half step too low, he looked at James and shrugged, so it's pretty clear that they didn't even care. After all the work required to get them to come to our little town it was an extreme disappointment.

Ironically, I saw the best show that night too: Queensryche was opening on their Operation: Mindcrime tour. They were incredible.

[two fingers]

Honestly, the worst band I've ever seen was Dave Matthews Band on a night when they were exhausted. They were just zombies. Lifeless and dull. But when they were really on their game they were great.

[Kevin aka Kebo]

Oh my... lol....
* About 1983 I was headlining a place called the Dive in NYC, it was right next to FIT in NYC. A bunch of guys in neru jackets and beads and BS come out and we think theyre noodling or tuning up. Nope it was there set.. I remember the name - The YETI Band. Best part was my drummer was laughing SO HARD he dropped a lit ciggy in his lap, couldnt find it and lit his slacks on fire.

* Was this circumstance - Yep my same band headlining at Gildersleeves in NYC about 1982 or so... The other band was unloading and someone took off with there gear van and there stuff. They came on andthey used gear borrowed from the other bands on the bill. We thought they were rattled because they were so bad. Nope - this is pre-electronic tuner days - They took 25 minutes to tune a guitar and thats what we watched.. Oy...

[georgiagoodie]

Grace Potter & the Nocternals @ Variety Playhouse.
Horrible songs. Her band opened up without her, and were actually pretty good.
She IS pretty though......

[chuck norriss]

Of Montreal was terrible live. One big wall of disco mud & every song sounded like the same disco mud.

[4001]

Originally Posted by two fingers

Honestly, the worst band I've ever seen was Dave Matthews Band on a night when they were exhausted. They were just zombies. Lifeless and dull. But when they were really on their game they were great.

Was that around the time they dumped out their toilet on their tour bus while on a bridge over the Chicago River and it landed on about 100 tourists in a boat passing by underneath it?

[4001]

Originally Posted by rtav

This is Derek Smalls... he wrote this.

Classic!

[mccartneyman]

Thankfully, I cannot recall the name of the band, but the horrid sound of their "music" will always remain in my ears. They were one of three opening bands for Coheed & Cambria in Ft. Lauderdale three years ago. Lots of screaming -- unintelligible screaming over lightning-fast, sloppy metal riffs. Guitarist hit his echo pedal and let it run between every song, which all sounded the same. I have never heard a worse band in almost 50 years of playing in bars. C&C were great.