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Worst band you've ever seen?

To be fair, some of them didn't have the talent to please their audience.
I was around at the begining of the UK punk scene and there was loads of bands like that, my own included and it hasn't improved much either :roflmao: But 10 out of 10 for trying I say. The worst bands I ever saw would be included in there somewhere but the most unenjoyable gigs I've been to would be either Blue Oyster Cult or Eric Clapton. What? you may cry but they were both so boring; the BOC I saw in a festival in the UK (Donnington I think) and I ended up asleep in the mud. Clapton, well what can I say, one brilliant solo after the other for 2 1/2 hours with next to no chat or banter. Very disappointing, the guy is a bit of a hero of mine too
 
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I was around at the begining of the UK punk scene and there was loads of bands like that, my own included and it hasn't improved much either :roflmao: But 10 out of 10 for trying I say. The worst bands I ever saw would be included in there somewhere but the most unenjoyable gigs I've been to would be either Blue Oyster Cult or Eric Clapton. What? you may cry but they were both so boring; the BOC I saw in a festival in the UK (Donnington I think) and I ended up asleep in the mud. Clapton, well what can I say, one brilliant solo after the other for 2 1/2 hours with next to no chat or banter. Very disappointing, the guy is a bit of a hero of mine too
It's always the worst when your heroes disappoint.
 
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David Bowie at BC Place 1983.

The worst sound of a live band I have ever heard. The place was absolutely huge, the band terrible. He was so far away it was like looking at a tiny blue suited grain of salt. Yeah he wore his famous blue suit.

Peter Gabriel and The Tubes were also on. BAD SOUND. Sad in every way.
 
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Saw the same tour in Hartford CT. Yeah- they were pretty pathetic.

But the worst band I EVER saw live was The Cars back in the early 80s. Might've been the tour for Panorama but I dont know for sure.
Their late bass player Ben Orr was the ONLY person who looked alive on stage. The sound was great- every song sounded terrific, but they did not deviate on the songs at all and no one had any stage charisma besides Orr. You could've had cardboard cutouts of the other band members on stage and just played the CD (or the cassette- I think this was before CDs were commerically available!). Ocasek, Easton and Hawkes were all but invisible. Ocasek stood like a statue behind his mic, Easton was left stuck in pretty much one spot all night long and even though keyboard players dont usually move around much, Hawkes didnt even use a "keytar" that was popular around this time.
I left the show feeling completely unentertained.

I remember that show....I got my seats upgraded by a local radio station to the front of the floor....The Cars were boring as hell...just stood there while the band floated up and down in some weird lighted pod things.....the opening band was a lot better (Wang Chung)
 
I attended a free Ramones concert at Buff State in 1985, opening act was Green Jello. I think it was their second gig ever. They started the show playing before The Reducers who were supposed to be a great cover band. I can't remember a single thing The Reducers played because we were all talking about how bad Green Jello was. Then the Ramones came on and blew out my left ear drum, but totally worth it.
 
Edit: because I realized I already posted in this thread. However, I would like to comment on the bad mixes. I've seen some great bands sound like shite thanks to their sound man. I realize arenas aren't designed for acoustics but, come on...I couldn't pick Geddy's bass out of the mud when I saw them at the First Niagara Center in Buffalo in 2015. Saw the Eagles there a month or so later and the sound was absolutely PERFECT so I know it can be done.
 
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On a similar note to the above post. I can remember Peter Tosh opening for the Stones in Cleveland back in the late 70's. They got booed off the stage.. Can't remember if their playing sucked or people just wanted the Stones to come on.

I know this is an old post, but similarly I distinctly remember Guns-n-Roses being booed of the stage in 1987 because the crowd wanted to see the headliner...Motley Crue. How foolish we were.
 
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I never quite understood what compels people to reply to old threads.

Worst show for me was Morrissey around '92, my GF was a Smith's fan and wanted to go see him, and it was right down the street. His stage act was the same for every song - he'd dramatically tear off an elaborate silky shirt during the song and whip it over his head in circles while onstage shirtless. Then he would go backstage, come out in a new billowy silk shirt, and start the process over.

That is the only concert that I ever left early, I begged her to leave and she agreed about 8 songs in. The bass and drums in the first act though were sublime together even if their version of Skyler crapped all over it, 10 Gallon Drunk or something like that. I've tried to find an old recording and never could.
People reply to old threads because other people birch if they start a new/duplicate thread. HA! :)
 
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The Texxas Jam must have been 82-or 83
Styx wasnt bad -however these hard rockers in the sun, drunk as hell waiting to ROCK out. Watinf for Terrible Ted the motor city madman!
Styx opened with a new song noone had ever heard with weird dancing robots -MR Roboto and lead singer prancing about.
Everyone just looked at each other and started throwing things and getting unruly.
:)
TOUGH CROWD!
Aside from that -my first band when the guitarist would try and sing "Like a stone" He was god awful. The actual rythm guitar that normally sang wasnt that much better. ;)

That sounds like the show that broke the band away from DeYoung. He wanted to do all the theatrical stuff, the band just wanted to rock.
 
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Sacramento(?!?) native band Cake. Jack-wagons actually got on the crowd for singing the songs during their "performance". I had read elsewhere that they threatened to leave some venues and in fact DID leave on occasion. How do you afford that rock and roll live style indeed. . .

They were building a religion. They were building it smaller.
 
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as far as international bands / artists go there's a few I've seen that were disappointing
Tina Turner - saw her in 1990? she came out sang 2 songs, then went backstage and her band / back up singers sang a song, then she came out for a song, then the band / back up singers did a song.... she only sang about 7 songs total that night - it was very disappointing

Oasis - I saw them in 1996... they were supposed to come out in July, but postponed to October because the Gallagher brothers had a fight.... the sound was terrible - like so loud you couldn't hear anything clearly and Liam Gallagher was swearing between every song. I was so looking forward to the concert and was so disappointed that they sounded really crap!

Kiss - saw them in 1997 on their reunion Psycho-circus tour. I went with the drummer from my then band and he's a great sound engineer. the support band (Exponents) were great and sounded clean and crisp.... but when Kiss came on they sounded terrible.... my drummer friend wanted to get his hands on the mixing desk and do the sound! to their credit about half way into their set the sound did get better, but it should have been good from the start