Not Good Live Bands

[themacinator]

I saw tool somewhere around 2000-2001 and it was terrible! the musicianship was spot on, but they dragged out every song for like 20 minutes. Not to mention they followed Mehuggah, who were amazing!

+1 on Tool. 2 hours of drone tone, stood like statues, and didn't play 46+2. ***??! Too cool for the song that gave your your start?

 

[eddododo]

+1 on Tool. 2 hours of drone tone, stood like statues, and didn't play 46+2. ***??! Too cool for the song that gave your your start?

Tool is a band I respect alot, but dont listen to alot.

That being said, its always shocking, considering the industry, when these titan bands have a visually boring live show.

 

[eddododo]

Mars Volta sounds like **** live.

 

[ToneMonkey]

Counting Crows, Wet Willie, and a horrible set by Los Lobos are my bottom 3.

 

[MooseLumps]

Anthrax opening for Priest during Angel of Retribution in SLC. Great sound, Horrible content.

Never, EVER stop a song to blame someone for a mistake. If it's a train wreck, take a second an start over, otherwise, Shut up and play. Scott Ian's tone was the tortured cries of a bedroom practice amp with three or four dirt boxes in front, whipped by the demon torturers of the underworld. Just undefined and horrid. The vocals... well, we all have our off days, but a toad has a smoother delivery. The drums? I've heard of playing behind the beat, but so far behind that it's closer to the next beat?

Priest systematically melted the faces of everyone who stuck it out with a killer live show. Well executed, nearly note perfect and LOUD! Tipton and Downing could show some of the modern players a thing or two about a guitar solo that adds energy to the song instead of solos in songs because it needs to be three minutes. Hill was mixed underneath most everything, but that's sort of par for that course.

 

[ToneMonkey]

WORST:
recently - Flecktones

I saw them at Oregon Zoo last year. Howard Levy back in the band so I was expecting something truly memorable. It sucked hard.

Futureman's fake drums sounded phony compared to the brilliant real drumming of Bruce Hornsby's band.

Plus every song was, "OK, you wank for 10 minutes, then you wank for 10 minutes, then I'll wank for 10 minutes."

Even Victor Wooten couldn't save the night.

I went home and deleted all my Flecktones from my digital music collection. I hope to never hear them again, ever, for any reason.

 

[curbowkid]

Chevelle.

Hour set. Not a single song was even close to recognizable. They ended up getting booed. By the whole arena. Ouch

 

[obimark]

I saw BTO live back in 1998 at a festival called "RockFest '98", and they were just disgustingly bad... Fat, sweaty, out of tune, out of time, forgetting lyrics to their most popular songs, a couple of songs were even sung in the wrong key... Kind of sad for a kid who grew up in Canada and used to look up to them.

The Guess Who were also supposed to play that same festival, but Burton Cummings was apparently arrested the night before on something alcohol-related, and was drying out in the drunk tank at the local Police Station... Good times!

Survivor closed the night and absolutely stole the show. They were scary good!

I am a child of the 80s and lately I have REALLY been getting back into Survivor- WAY underrated band.

 

[amoodymule]

I have walked out on 2 shows,
ELO in the 80's...I believe Rainbow opened...very cool.
Steve Miller in the 70's...opened for Peter Frampton...awesome playing. I came back for this, thankfully I got let back in!

I wanted to walk out on Korn, I was convinced I was officially old that night, just wow, a cool stage show...

Seen Aerosmith n Terrible Ted many times in the late 70's and wanted to leave, the Joe Perry Project was sonically horrible to these ears....

Shinedown opened for VH, all vocals, after a song or 2, all the same, and then was treated to a drunk Eddie, real drunk...in OKC, the band was good, sad night for Eddie.

Seen Led Zep at Pontiac Stadium in 77' and though it was raw, they were in good form, at least to these ole ears.

 

[Mike N]

....we got there in time to see one of the first Veruca Salt performances, which was mind-blowing.

I saw them with Local H in '95 ish..... what a great show.

Worst band I've seen live was Third Eye Blind.

 

[eddododo]

I saw them at Oregon Zoo last year. Howard Levy back in the band so I was expecting something truly memorable. It sucked hard.

Futureman's fake drums sounded phony compared to the brilliant real drumming of Bruce Hornsby's band.

Plus every song was, "OK, you wank for 10 minutes, then you wank for 10 minutes, then I'll wank for 10 minutes."

Even Victor Wooten couldn't save the night.

I went home and deleted all my Flecktones from my digital music collection. I hope to never hear them again, ever, for any reason.

Yikes!
They put on a helluva show last couple times I saw them.. Though one was a 'big deal' kinda show and the other was a floor level, 3 foot distance intimate kinda deal..

Im a live music snob too, so its not one of those 'vic was killin it brah!' biases... But any group can have.some shows/tours/albums that are a little contrived.

 

[oniman7]

Evanescence was just atrocious.

I have seen Avenged Sevenfold, Tool, and Opeth and rank them all among the best shows I have been too. Sound on Avenged Sevenfold was poor thougg

 

[Illini10]

Puddle of Mudd - distorted, echo-y, wasn't that big a fan anyway.
Anyone who opened for the White Stripes the two times I saw them.
The White Stripes the second time I saw them - multiple technical difficulties, Jack got hissy and stormed off the stage. Then came back out and started playing slow stuff. My wife and I walked out.
Trans-Siberian Orchestra - cool at first and then repetitious after the first 2-3 songs. My wife loves them and has seen them 3 times. Once was more than enough for me.
Elvis Costello was cool but had some boring stretches. The Violent Femmes three days later were cheaper and more fun.

 

[Robdrone]

My friends and I went to a Liz Phair concert on new years 1994. It was at the peak of her indie cred and right in the middle of her "stage fright/nervous mistake" phase which resulted in much heckling from the audience.

The two opening bands blew her away: we got there in time to see one of the first Veruca Salt performances, which was mind-blowing. Then Hum took the stage, and if you missed Hum in the 90's then I don't even know what to tell you.

I've found that for the most part the only people I know who love Hum are other musicians. I love the "You'd Prefer an Astronaut" album. Especially "I Hate it Too" So well written and so understated.

 

[crapusername]

I saw the first uk show of qotsa. The only show I have walked out of.
Awful just awful- no redeeming features at all.
Evanescence were appalling - out of time, out of tune etc...
Iggy- messy and lazy, the stooges spent most of the show out of tune. The bass player seemed to have trouble remembering which tune he was supposed to be playing.
I do have to disagree with the comment about soad. Saw them support slayer in 98. Great show, good sound, nothing to fault as far as I was concerned
Otoh, seen opeth a few times over the years going back to the mid 90's (96?). Great show every time.

 

[Devo-lution]

Nina Hagen at a local gothic/new wave festival last year...

It seemed like she didn't play any of her originals. Just a lot of gospel covers and a really long, horrifyingly bad version of "my way". Between songs she would go on and on about having found the true faith again... The crowd was kind of stupified.

Not really what you'd expect from a German 70's/80's gothic/punk icon on a gothic/new wave festival.

 

[ToneMonkey]

Greatful Dead sucked

As someone who saw something like 15 GD shows between 1972 and 1986, I would say that if you didn't see them live before the hiatus (1975-76), you didn't really see them.

When they came back from the hiatus, they were much more business focused (and not in a good way). Plus heroin being the central nervous system depressant that it is, the tempos tended to plod, the playing (especially Phil's) became very hit and miss, and the singing often sucked so bad it was painful to listen to.

For me, 1972-74 were great years in which it was often hard to hear a bad show (especially 1972). Not true in the later years. I walked out of my last GD show in 1986 because they were so wretchedly bad it just broke my heart to listen to it. Even the late '70s, which are generally highly regarded, were pretty wretched (at least the concerts I actually saw) when compared to the early '70s.

So when you consider the arc of their career, they had something like 4-5 great years and 30+ sucky years. Therefore, most folks only saw them when they were a pathetic shadow of their once great former selves. Watching that decline (especially Jerry's) is one of the saddest things I've ever personally witnessed.

 

[ggunn]

I want to hear about signed touring bands you have seen that weren't very good.

I'll kick it off with Atreyu.



Believe it or not, the show I saw they were even worse.

I saw Bad Company stink up the place many years ago. Kansas opened for them and rocked the house.

 

[nickbass79]

Every time I have seen RHCP they sounded terrible. It seemed to be the mix every time as well because you could tell they were playing tight.

 

[N.F.A.]

The Police back on their final tour in 83 or 84? - One of the worst concerts I have ever seen at any level.
Grateful Dead - On a bad night... awful On a good night ... heavenly!
Dylan - His concerts seem to be either really great or really awful. Been to some of both.
Plenty more I could list here, but that is a pretty good start.