What's the worst concert you've ever been to?

[name not needed]

Last night at Hamilton St. in Bound Brook. I go there, expecting some halfway decent bands to be playing. I get there half an hour before they start. The first band, a hardcore/screamo band starts. And they suck. I don't think the guitarist had ever even played before that night. And then comes the even worse jam band. Holy shit. Not only did I hear the worst cover of Satan Gave Me A Taco ever played, but there was another 40 minutes of pure garbage. Including Anthem, their um, "best" song, which was them singing "marijuana, marijuana, marijuana, hash, marijuana" to the theme of La Bamba. You can't beat the name, but Rod Stewart and the Whiskey Sluts are just plain AWFUL. I left after 2 hours that I will never get back.

[Must_B_Free]

1. Steely Dan

$80 a ticket for a bunch of boring pretentious conservatory posers/snobs.

[SarahB]

10. Same here.

It's not like they were "bad" persay. In my case, I was just with a group of people 10-15 years older than me and Steely Dan just wasn't ever my thing. I just felt out of place. Not that I can't get into the more "classic" stuff. One of the best concerts I saw was Jimmy Page and Robert Plant a few years back.

[Callboy]

2. no such thing as a bad concert......

[tigereye]

6. a BAD cover of Satan Gave Me a Taco?

A cover? Whose cover is that? ;)

thanks for a good laugh.


Worst concert? They all had some merit. Probably a cover band here, since I'm an indie snob. And I have seen plenty of indie shows that were as "bad" as that mentioned by the OP. But then, they were probably trying to be.

[Name removed]

3. Deleted message

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[musette_sf]

41. speaking of Charlie

KGO-AM was doing something yesterday morning on "Does Satan Exist?" or some similar topic. The commentator started playing "The Devil Went Down To Georgia", and I (as I like to do) started riffing on it. Made the song pretty damn short.

"The devil went down to Georgia
He was lookin' for a brain to steal
Couldn't find one
So he left"

(No offense taken by our Georgian DUers, I hope)

[RubyDuby in GA]

45. You get one freebie, then

I CHALLENGE YOU TO A DUEL!!!!!!

It's how things are done, ya know :7

[RubyDuby in GA]

4. Sorry to hear that man

I saw Wilco this past Friday night and all I can say is "fantastic"!!!!!! It was an awesome show. 3 hours plus and a beautiful anti-Bush rant. Tweedy even brought some idiot Republican on stage to try to defend his position. He couldn't even form complete sentences.......

Good times people, good times.

On edit: paying $100 a ticket for Madonna to be 4 rows from the top of the freakin' arena. Not cool Mo/Madge/Esther/Whoever the hell you're calling yourself these days.

[swag]

5. Styx, 1976

Northern Montana College Armory Gym, Havre, MT, of all places.

They were sort of using a stop in Havre as a dress rehearsal for their national tour.


They fucking blew and they still fucking do.

[shawcomm]

7. They're still together?

and alive?

[The Great Escape]

16. The Drummer John Panozzo Passed Away In 1996...

http://www.styxnet.com/domo/john.html

[swag]

36. Tommy Shaw, is that you?

Always figured you for a puke.

[Sporadicus]

8. Deep Purple, Summer of '73

Outdoor concert at some motor speedway somewhere in south Florida...don't ask why I'm unable to give a precise location. They opened with 'Highway Star' and blew out an entire bank of amps about two minutes into the song. It went downhill from there, with repeated equipment failures, sound checks & assorted delays.

[Beer Snob-50]

9. susanna (sp) vega

it was a very down concert. i go to a show to forget my troubles for a couple of hours. this put them to music. she did one up song and apoligized afterward to her fans for doing it.

i was there as favor to a friend! he has not be able to forget it to this day (20 years ago)

[The Great Escape]

11. Triumph...1982

they had a hit song that spring, I can't even remember what it was. I remember the Album they toured off of was called "Allied Forces." The opening act was a band called Diesel...they had a hit called Sausalito (sp) Summer Nights. I remember more about them than I do about Triumph.

[no name no slogan]

38. You got to see Diesel?

The second best Dutch band of all time (Golden Earring being #1, of course)! I love that song "Sausalito Summer Nights". So cheezy, yet catchy at the same time. The drummer in my band put it on a mix cd a few years ago and it's turned into a top 20 earworm for me.

I know what you mean re: Triumph. They always struck me as a poor man's Rush, or what Zep may have been if they were Canadian. Largely unmemorable, unless you were into early 80s AOR.

[bloodyjack]

12. Cat Power

Easy on the eyes, but she should really stick to recording

[izzybeans]

17. dissappointing to hear.

:(

[GOPisEvil]

58. She's VERY hit or miss.

Of course the night I saw her, she was a miss, but the venue wasn't good for her.

Actually she's more miss than hit, from what I hear.

[madison2000]

13. Ted Nugent 1980 ish

I didn't go to the concert, I ushered at it. He is the most talentless, vile, crude, revolting pig I have ever seen people buy a ticket to watch.

Edit: Did I mention that he really hates women?

[warrens]

29. I saw him around then too

I went to see Brownsville Station, who were actually pretty good. It was a charity event at a high school. Nugent is a total non-talent; he plays the same stupid guitar solo in every song, in addition to assholitude.

The worst "decent" concert, where I actually expected the band to be good, was The Cars. You would be better served by listening to the album while looking at the cover. I wasn't sure that they weren't just wax figures. I actually fell asleep about halfway through.

[Syrinx]

14. Bob Dylan

I don't think he even made an effort.

[Beer Snob-50]

32. some weeks dylan is great

other times, he jsut mails it in. saw him once with tom petty and the heartbreakers as his backing band. fantastic night!

[Itchinjim]

34. I Saw Bob and Tom together @Alpine Valley in '85 or'86. Great show but,

the very next day I saw the Dead give the worst show that I ever witnessed. They just seemed to going through the motions. Defiantly not one of their best.

RIP HST

[Placebo]

15. Alanis Morissette/Barenaked Ladies

Oy, don't ask. *groans in pain*

[HeyManThatsCool]

18. Collective Soul- 1993

Free tickets from a friend who worked at a radio station.
It was a large club like venue. The best thing I can say about it is I got trashed. They were AWFUL

[madrchsod]

19. rolling stones first concert in chicago.

they sucked. patty la belle and the blue bells and "little" stevie wonder stole the show.

[kwassa]

55. The Stones were one of the best live acts I've seen

[izzybeans]

20. The Strokes are the most boring band on the planet.

Tom Petty just called The Heartbreakers want their chord progressions back.

I feel asleep.

[izzybeans]

25. Saw a pretty lame Black Crowes impression

of a Rolling Stones impression of name the next impression.

At the Court Tavern in NJ last week. Band name I can't remember.

[Justyce]

21. The opening act for

ZZ Top, which is who we really went to see, was Hank Williams Jr., and he was AWFUL, drunk off his ass, every other word was about bitches, etc. Not to mention apparently tone deaf.

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

22. Chuck Berry, opening for Little Richard, 1974

Berry has a reputation for 2 things:

1). Using a "pick-up" band in each local town where her performs, who are expected to know ALL of his songs so that when he launches into one without notice he is prepared, and

2). NOT REHEARSING (hence the fight with Keith Richards in the documentary flick "Hail Hail Rock & Roll")

I'd seen Berry at the Boston Music Hall in 1970, opening for Frank Zappa (during the "Flo & Eddie" era). HE SMOKED. He did "Johnny B. Goode," duck-walked all over the stage, played the guitar between his legs, all of the Chuck moves. SMOKED.

By 1974, Berry didn't give a rat's ass if you were a paying customer or not. He was phoning it in.

Opened with "School Days (Ring! Ring! Goes The Bell)", which I always thought of as one of his lesser songs. Then went into a 20 minute "My Ding A Ling," basically sloppy stand-up comedy. Closed with a CRAP version of "Roll Over Beethoven." Left the stage. Less than a half hour and not one memorable moment. Forgot half the words to his own songs. Looked like hell. Played like shit. Had a big, big chip on his shoulder.

Little Richard came on and blazed through 40 minutes of his greatest hits. He was wearing that jumpsuit covered in little 1-inch-square mirrors.

He was a star.

On that same night, and on that same stage, Berry was a prick.

[Beware the Beast Man]

23. Megadeth- 1987

My first concert as well. Dave Mustaine was a drunken, incoherent mess.

[name not needed]

24. There's a shock.

Dave, drunk! Next thing you know, Ted Nugent will start spouting right wing bullshit!

[Atlas Mugged]

27. Isn't Dave all cleaned up and sober now?

Not that I give a damn, but I think I saw him on some VH1 show apologizing for the chemical excesses of his past.

[KurtNYC]

26. Would you believe Elvis Costello

about 1989 in Orange County (Lion Country Safari or whatever that stage is called). To be fair he was about 4 or 5 on a scale of 10 so not a total wipeout but our expectations were high and he and the band lacked energy and the sound was muddy. Elvis songs need that kind of cool anger and he just seemed to Prozac (mellow) to put that across. Wasn't loud enough either but that is a venue thing down there.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Starship, they are legendarily bad although I have never had the privilege.

'We Built This City' ranks as the worst record ever

Starship's 1985 anthem, the runaway No. 1 stinker, "seems to inspire the most virulent feelings of outrage," editor Craig Marks says. "It purports to be anti-commercial but reeks of '80s corporate-rock commercialism. It's a real reflection of what practically killed rock music in the '80s."


http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2004-04-18-worst-songs_x.htm

[Devil Dog Dem]

28. The Cars, 1984 or '85.

Man they were stiff. They were trying to cool and aloof, but they cam across like idiots. Everyone I talked to who saw it with me thought they sucked, and we all HAD liked them prior to that.

[warrens]

30. That was my second worst, after Nuge

I was kidding my girlfriend that we were really seeing wax figures. Then I fell asleep.

[tjwash]

48. No shit, and they only played six freakin' songs.

nt

[givemebackmycountry]

31. Ricky Lee Jones in Denver circa 1982

I was on my first date with this Asian chick who I had the serious hots for.

I figured that going to see Ricky Lee Jones would demonstrate some taste.

My date would be impressed with my choice, and I would be off and running.

I knew I was in trouble when Ms. Jones stumbled on stage 45 minutes late with a bottle of Jack Daniels in her hand.

She played THREE songs, and she lost her way halfway through each of them.

When people started to get restless, she walked off the stage for about 15 minutes.

When she reappeared, she tried to sing another song and literally fell off the stool she was sitting on.

We bailed and I was SO disappointed.
I took my date to dinner as consolation, but it never was to be.

Chuck E's in love...

Bullshit!

Chuck E was drunk on her ass, and I wasted $40.00 on that show.

[MemphisTiger]

33. Damn Yankees

not the musical...the late 80's or early 90's group with one hit, and the ever idiotic Ted Nugent

[liontamer]

35. seeing the strokes live

It was painful, I actually had to leave. No musical ability or stage presence whatsoever.

[xmas74]

37. I think that I can win the worst concert ever contest...

I had to take my younger brother to New Kids on the Block and Tiffany back in 1989 at the Missouri State Fair.
I was angry and disgusted-and that was before the show.
Let's just say that it all went downhill from there.

[name not needed]

42. I think you win.

[xmas74]

54. What's my prize?

[Cooley Hurd]

39. Foreigner...

My girlfriend at the time made me go...:puke:

And I didn't even get "bad concert sex" afterwards, either...:P

[BigMcLargehuge]

40. Pink Floyd - Momentary Lapse of Reason tour

at Foxborough Stadium. I needed the Keck Observatory just to see the band (the three guys calling themselves Pink Floyd and about 10 session men, backup singers, and assorted others) from my seats. The stadium was echo-city, the place stank of pot (which makes me gag). After an hour when they started on material from The Wall, I'd had enough and walked out.

[bbernardini]

49. You forget that Waters had set the precedent for using session men live...

Particularly on the tour for "The Wall", which used just as many extra players as the "Momentary Lapse" tour. They had been augmenting themselves live to a lesser extent for years before that.

[BigMcLargehuge]

51. Doesn't mean the concert didn't suck

[Spider Jerusalem]

43. Kool Keith at the Masquerade in Atlanta, 1999.

Motherfucker walked off stage in the middle of the show, and wasn't too good before he walked off. Got pretty rude with the audience.

[NYYFan]

44. The "Fleetwood Mac" REO Speedwagon tour around 1998

REO Was Great. The problem was Fleetwood Mac- or at least that's who's name was on the ticket.

The problem was it wasn't who everyone knows as FM- this group was Mick, John and three other ppl- including a guy from Traffic. After their pitiful set, Mick proclaims, "THE MAC IS BACK" I was wishing a thunderstorm had interrupted the set. Of course, the very next year, the original FM reunited, toured and charged $75.

p.s. I've also seen Cetera-less Chicago, DeYoung-less Styx and Perry-less Journey, but none of these sucked quite as bad as Nick-less, McVie-less and Buckingham-less FM.

[Scout1071]

46. IKE TURNER. He had the audacity to bring on a woman

wearing a wig and dressed to look like Tina Turner. And she was singing Tina's part! I thought, "you son of a bitch. you beat this poor woman for years and now you are on tour trying to make a few bucks by sticking some poor woman in a wig and making her imitate your ex-wife?" Unbelievable. I mean, if you want to have the woman singing her parts - as herself - that's one thing, but imitating the one, the only, Tina Turner is entirely another.

I had to turn away.

[Danmel]

47. I don't know if this counts

but I took my then 11 year old daughter to see Aaron Carter and about 12 other incredibly untalented performers at Jones beach because she really really REALLY thought he was sooooooo cute!

I think that alone should cover me as a mother for at least 5 years.

As far as something I went to the worst was Emerson Lake and Palmer that an old boyfriend made me go to with him. Overblown pompous pretentious and long.

[livetohike]

50. Little Feat - Spring 1973 Pittsburgh

Worst concert ever. Second runner-up is John MacLauglin and the Mahavishnu Orchestra. No amount of pot smoking during the concert helped.

[liberal43110]

52. Todd Rundgren

He was an opening act last year, and it was pathetic. People actually laughed at him (not his hardcore groupies, however; they were mesmerized).

2nd worst: Britney Spears. Saw her first tour, from Hit Me, Baby, One More Time (free tickets at the last minute). Sad, sad.

[drumwolf]

53. For me, the worst by far was Polvo.

For those of you who don't know them, you're not missing much, but they were a '90s indie rock band which played artsy experimental rock. It was actually pretty cool on record, but I saw them twice -- four years apart, on opposite coasts -- and both times they were painfully boring and pretentious. And not only did I hate them, but so did everyone I went with at both show.

Runners-up would be Blonde Redhead and Unrest, also both '90s indie/underground bands. Blonde Redhead are a boring and pretentious band that all my indie friends love. Unrest play catchy melodic jangly pop, but when I saw them, Stereolab was the opening act and blew those guys out of the water.

The CHEESIEST show I've ever seen was Depeche Mode at the Shoreline outside San Francisco in 2001. Dave Gahan was dancing and twirling all over the place like some male stripper and their new stuff sounded like it could have fit it on a Richard Marx or Whitney Houston record.

[kwassa]

56. Led Zeppelin on their first tour ..... 1970?

they were shown up by the opening act, Grand Funk Railroad, sadly enough.

[HughBeaumont]

57. Hole. That. Band. SUCKS.

Saw her open for NIN . . . what a giant pile of incoherent off-tune screaming SHIT this was. Why everyone kisses Country Slut's ass SO much I DO not get. This bitch is less talented than Candy Slice, the only difference being that Gilda Radner's character sucked on PURPOSE. High as a kite, fucked up pretty much every song, then she shows her soup-kitchen tits to the audience. GOD no one wants to see that. The crowd savaged her stupid ass rightfully. Ecccch.

Runners up:

Marilyn Manson (nice guy, but DAMN his music is terrible)
Mushroomhead (every damned song they do sounds ripped off of FNM)
Arrested Development (boring)

[GOPisEvil]

59. The Cars. Boring. Boring. Boring!

No interplay with the crowd or anything. Just, "Hi, we're The Cars." All the songs sounded like they did on the recordings. I could have stayed home and listened to my cassettes and saved the admission price.

[WilmywoodNCparalegal]

60. Oasis in 2003 at the Beacon in NYC

they didn't even finish their songs. It was a major disappointment. I like Oasis, but their behavior that night left a lot to be desired. I mean, these are people who pay money for tickets and these guys are acting like they are being forced to do the concert. When they left prematurely people were booing them and rightly so!

(Sorry Oasis apologists!)

:)