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Surprisingly awful gigs


Paul S
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In the current trend of posts - how about gigs you went to full of expectation that left you feeling really deflated at the end?

Always going to be subjective, of course, but I think for me it was Joe Bonamassa some years back at the Royal Albert Hall. At that point I had most of his back catalogue and a live DVD at Rockpalast and was excited at the prospect of seeing someone who was widely being lauded as the 'new' talent in blues guitar perform live.

It was dire. How they managed to get such a poor sound at the RAH is beyond me, but they did - only sorting it out around half way through. And it was all about Joe showing off his licks all night. All speed, no taste, no space, almost a different guitar for each track for Mr Bonamassa to masturbate with. Eric Clapton shuffled on to a 1 minute standing ovation, dusted off one of his bog standard, middle of the road solos and got another 2 minute ovation at the end. Paul Jones shuffled on and played what might well have been a blindingly good harmonica solo but Joe masturbated over it and you couldn't really tell. Did I say it was dire?

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[quote name='Paul S' timestamp='1448185841' post='2913451']
In the current trend of posts - how about gigs you went to full of expectation that left you feeling really deflated at the end?

Always going to be subjective, of course, but I think for me it was Joe Bonamassa some years back at the Royal Albert Hall. At that point I had most of his back catalogue and a live DVD at Rockpalast and was excited at the prospect of seeing someone who was widely being lauded as the 'new' talent in blues guitar perform live.

It was dire. How they managed to get such a poor sound at the RAH is beyond me, but they did - only sorting it out around half way through. And it was all about Joe showing off his licks all night. All speed, no taste, no space, almost a different guitar for each track for Mr Bonamassa to masturbate with. Eric Clapton shuffled on to a 1 minute standing ovation, dusted off one of his bog standard, middle of the road solos and got another 2 minute ovation at the end. Paul Jones shuffled on and played what might well have been a blindingly good harmonica solo but Joe masturbated over it and you couldn't really tell. Did I say it was dire?
[/quote]

You have just written my review for me...thanks!
Sooo bloody loud, and two drummers??? WTF!!

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Chaka Khan - Edinburgh Playhouse around 1981/2.
The support band were a bunch of smooth jazz widdlers who played for around half an hour. 15 min break then Chaka came onto the stage, with the support band as her backing band. 40 minutes of her wailing, then off stage. Returned to play "I Feel For You", then the house lights cane up. Absolutely dire gig.

Only gig I've ever walked out of was Rush in Glasgow SECC on the Clockwork Angels tour. Appallingly bad sound. If I'd just have waited for the DVD I could have saved myself the £85 ticket cost!

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I went to see Tricky performing Maxinquaye in Bristol a couple of years back.
I should have known it wasn't going to be great as Tricky has zero interest in that album and doesn't like playing in Bristol.

When the stage doors opened the smell of weed was over powering, and I was about 40' away. All his hangers-on crammed themselves at the side of the stage and proceeded to piss about. Every now and again Tricky would wander over and join in, even if it meant missing whole verses out.

The backing band were pretty awesome and when Tricky was into it, it was fantastic. He'd rearrange the song on the fly, signalling to the band to either slow things down or speed things up.

But Tricky got so bored with the whole thing he decided to get some of the crowd on stage to dance about for a whole song and then he got his nephew to improvise some awful rap for another song while he disappeared for a smoke.

Oh, and a couple of times Martina Topley-Bird [font=sans-serif][color=#252525]got so fed up she'd walk off stage and would have to be persuaded to come back [/color][/font]

Edited by bartelby
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REM Milton Keynes Bowl, circa 1988, Supported by Blur and Belly? REM were renown for being a brilliant live band as were Blur at the time, as Blur went on the sun set behind the stage so although they sounded fine you couldn't actually see them at all, then REM came on and gave a totally lack luster performance, no energy, no sparkle.....I believe they subsequently apologised for the gig and just said they were having a rare off night

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The Who circa 1981 on the Face Dances tour at Brum NEC.

Massive Who fan at the time (still am) and watched a disinterested Pete Townsend barely go through the motions, the 'wrong' drummer in Kenney Jones struggle to emulate Keith Moon and John Entwistle overplay his way through the gig whilst being way too loud.

The only one to come out of it with any credit was Daltrey - he was superb, but not enough to drag the others along with him.

A massive disappointment.

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[quote name='bartelby' timestamp='1448187318' post='2913460']
I went to see Tricky performing Maxinquaye in Bristol a couple of years back.
I should have known it wasn't going to be great as Tricky has zero interest in that album and doesn't like playing in Bristol.

When the stage doors opened the smell of weed was over powering, and I was about 40' away. All his hangers-on crammed themselves at the side of the stage and proceeded to piss about. Every now and again Tricky would wander over and join in, even if it meant missing whole verses out.

The backing band were pretty awesome and when Tricky was into it, it was fantastic. He'd rearrange the song on the fly, signalling to the band to either slow things down or speed things up.

But Tricky got so bored with the whole thing he decided to get some of the crowd on stage to dance about for a whole song and then he got his nephew to improvise some awful rap for another song while he disappeared for a smoke.

Oh, and a couple of times Martina Topley-Bird [font=sans-serif][color=#252525]got so fed up she'd walk off stage and would have to be persuaded to come back [/color][/font]
[/quote]
I think it's fair to say that Tricky can be distinctly, erm, a bit hit and miss when it comes to gigs/live performance!

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[quote name='Paul S' timestamp='1448185841' post='2913451']
In the current trend of posts - how about gigs you went to full of expectation that left you feeling really deflated at the end?

Always going to be subjective, of course, but I think for me it was Joe Bonamassa some years back at the Royal Albert Hall. At that point I had most of his back catalogue and a live DVD at Rockpalast and was excited at the prospect of seeing someone who was widely being lauded as the 'new' talent in blues guitar perform live.

It was dire. How they managed to get such a poor sound at the RAH is beyond me, but they did - only sorting it out around half way through. And it was all about Joe showing off his licks all night. All speed, no taste, no space, almost a different guitar for each track for Mr Bonamassa to masturbate with. Eric Clapton shuffled on to a 1 minute standing ovation, dusted off one of his bog standard, middle of the road solos and got another 2 minute ovation at the end. Paul Jones shuffled on and played what might well have been a blindingly good harmonica solo but Joe masturbated over it and you couldn't really tell. Did I say it was dire?
[/quote]

+1,000000

If you're talking about the 2009 gig, I was there unfortunately - guest of a friend who had tickets.

I'd never heard of the guy before and have never wanted to since..

I've never experienced such a pile of soulless fret-w**k in all my life. It was so devoid of genuine blues and soul, it made someone as 'robotic' as Gary Numan (albeit a completely different genre of music) sound soulful in comparison.

IMHO, Bonamassa has no charisma, no voice, no songs and his guitar playing leaves me completely cold.

I'm not particularly a Clapton fan either, but his appearance was the only good bit of the show.

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[quote name='White Cloud' timestamp='1448216032' post='2913755']
Rush - several gigs, every one a loser.

Terrific band...pitiful mix.
[/quote]

Yep saw them on a number of occasions and the mix was terrible. However in 2011 attended their show in Dublin. sat 14 rows back, dead center and the sound was terrific,as was the performance

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Guns n Roses aka Axl & Friends
Nottingham Arena...2007 or so.

1.5 hours late on stage and most definitely not worth the wait. Solos from 'the band' just bored me to tears. Why? Nobody cares. We left before the end but well after midnight


Marilyn Manson
Wolves Civic
21st Nov 2015
I think its either a) I just don't get him, or (B) he is a self obsessed, pretentious cockwomble with terribly lazy vocal delivery. The only person I know who could sing "Repent"...without using an R, P or T. Pretending to cut himself with a broken bottle, being all 'rock n roll' by knocking over an obviously unloaded guitar cab several times. Great lights though.

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[quote name='barneyg42' timestamp='1448186151' post='2913455']
and two drummers??? WTF!!
[/quote]

Guess it depends on the drummers - currently loving the work of Tedeschi Trucks Band and the way the two drummers work so brilliantly together (and they'r not too loud)!

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[quote name='leroydiamond' timestamp='1448451199' post='2915484']
Yep saw them {Rush} on a number of occasions and the mix was terrible. However in 2011 attended their show in Dublin. sat 14 rows back, dead center and the sound was terrific,as was the performance
[/quote]
Sound quality appears to be a complete lottery at Rush gigs. I saw them at Wembley Arena in 1989 and it was dreadful, I didn't hear a single bass guitar note all night. Then I saw them at the NEC in 2004 on the R30 tour and the sound was terrific.

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Went to see Counting Crows at the MEN. I'd seen them a few years back at the Manchester Apollo and really enjoyed it. My brother was visiting so we decided to go. They came on stage and announced they were doing a 'special' acoustic set. Counting Crows acoustic in an Arena! soulless, lost and totally boring.

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Prince - 1990 Nude tour at the Birmingham NEC. Awful sound - bass end mush, and awful rap by whoever it was in the NPG. On top of that there was a whole load of new material which I didn't like. Bear in mind that I'm of the opinion that the run of albums from Prince to Lovesexy is pure gold.

Saw him twice in 1988 at Wembley and the NEC and the show and sound were amazing in each, so I can't blame the venue. Saw him in Hammersmith in 2002 and at the O2 in 2007 and both again were superb.

So the 1990 gig stands out as a real clunker and as per the topic, was suprisingly awful!

Edited by mike f
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I think I've been remarkably lucky with my gigs over the years and I was reluctant to post this as it was far from 'awful' but I must admit that when I saw Gillan in 1982 they just didn't seem the same as when I'd seen them only a year earlier with same personnel. However they were an extremely hard working band (5 studio albums between '79 and '82 and regularly clocking up around 100 shows per year, they would tour twice in the same year - how many full pro recording bands do that now?) so there were always going to be occasional off nights. It didn't surprise me when the band broke up soon after, the onstage rapport didn't seem the same by 82.

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[quote name='amnesia' timestamp='1448455338' post='2915532']
Guns n Roses aka Axl & Friends
Nottingham Arena...2007 or so.

1.5 hours late on stage and most definitely not worth the wait. Solos from 'the band' just bored me to tears. Why? Nobody cares. We left before the end but well after midnight

[/quote]

I was at that gig too - only time I have ever walked out of a concert before the end.

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Level 42 at Wembley Arena circa 1995. Total disappoiintment

Cambridge Corn Exchange sound mix ruined Doctor John circa 2005. Walked out.
Steve Earle at Cambridge CE around 98 was utter durge. Walked out.

Nazareth (circa 1984) Hammersmith Odean. Couldn't hear for weeks afterwards. Mate knew Darryl Sweet the drummer so tickets were free (at least £200 too dear.

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Yngwie Malmteen a few years ago at the O2 Academy in Brum.

Sound was terrible – we stood behind the desk expecting to hear the best sound but it was awful.

Mr Engineer spent the entire evening tweaking and modging and switch flicking trying to improve the sound – to no avail.

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I ranted about this at the time, but the Foo Fighters at Lancs Cricket Ground this year was dreadful: easily the worst gig sound I've ever endured. Cold and grey, too, and an audience of leathered numpties...left after about 45 minutes...

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