Most Disappointing Live Act?

I remember going to see Wayne Shorter at the RNCM in about 1986. Him and his band were so loud that I had to leave the venue mid-way through the gig. I've rarely left a gig early and was so disappointed as he is one of my heroes.

Round about the same time, myself and a few friends went to see Terje Ripdal at the Band On The Wall. What sounded peaceful and soothing on record seemed just tedious when played live.

Vlad

Frginitely agree about VM......wouldn;t pay to go and see him again

My Most Disappointing Live Act's were...

Two gigs @ The Royal Festival Hall in Sept 2007, with David Sylvian & PJ Harvey.

An Evening with David Sylvian featured songs mainly from Snow Borne Sorrow. I love listening to this Nine Horses album at home, but this performance was utterly soulless & lifeless. The tone and tempo was hypnotically low & slow throughout, making it the first gig I almost slept through it's entirety. The £37.50 ticket was the second worst value for money gig I've ever attended.

I decided that I would never play this CD in the car, for fear of self preservation & the safety of others.

Two weeks later, PJ Harvey performed solo, her new album White Chalk. Advance notice was given that Polly was the only act of the evening. I think this was a good idea, as another performer would have had their reputation blighted to have been associated with the evening. Just like David, the performance was utterly soulless & lifeless, with a tempo that was hypnotically slow throughout, making it the second gig I almost slept through it's entirety.

I think PJ was on stage for just over an hour, making the £32.50 ticket the worst value for money gig I've ever attended. Thankfully I never bought the album, as I think it would remind me of that terrible night.

If there were videos made of both concerts, I'd recommend them to Sleep Deprivation clinic's as valuable tools to their trade.

Denis

Elliot Smith, probably in 2001 in Boston.  He was obviously out of it, and the sound was horrible. Walked off the stage several times and the concert never really happened.

Sisters of Mercy, early '90's, NEC Arena.

I had seen them several times in the mid 80's in small venues early in their career, and theyrocked.

This gig was pretty much a sell out, anticipation amongst the goth hardcore was high, but then they started playing!

for the main band, Ive never seen a 'pit' so still during the opener.

10,000 people in the Arena just didn't move! It was spooky

And it continued in the same vein. Just didn't connect with the audience.

They played only new stuff from what I remember which didn't go down too well.

The lead singer Andrew Eldritch apologised after a couple of songs, but they just carried on as before!

I left well before the end so I could get my train back into Birmingham for a decent couple of pints before closing time.

The only concert I ever walked out of part-way through was Dylan in the 1990's.  It was rubbish.

Jethro Tull, in the early 80's, disappointed by playing only 90 minutes.  But the 90 minutes were good.

Another reminder of Yes in the 70s. We saw them on the Topographic Oceans tour where the entire album was played. The only problem was that it had been delayed and hadn't been released yet. So the concert was two hours of music nobody had heard before, played at an ear-splitting volume, louder than anything else I'd ever heard including a Vulcan flying low overhead. It was an absolute disaster and my girlfriend didn't speak to me for a few days after. Or maybe she did and I just couldn't hear her.

Thankfully we saw them again a couple of years later and they played my perfect set. It was magnificent.

Saw Rush on the roll the bones tour in Glasgow, lots of techy problems that persisted all night, a big dissapointment. The Sonisphere weekender, Metallica was headlining on the last night, I was rather excited and the band started well but then they asked the crowd if they wanted it louder? Yes they say, so it did and again asked and it got louder again, I could go on but by the middle of the set I couldn't hear anything but noise so we left. I thought it was the stupidest thing I have ever experienced, utter tosh. Based on that and the fact that Metallic's new output is utter tripe, I will never go and see them again

I'll go for Clapton at the Rainbow (I think) in 1977. He was a bit drunk and got progressively more pissed, the stage was dominated by Yvonne Elliman and Marcy Levy, there was a strange looking fellow bashing a big gong, the sound was crap and half way through EC gave up altogether and had to be rescued by Pete Townshend, who at least provided some entertainment at the end by doing his Windmill guitar to Layla.

I saw the Clash in 84 or so, at the De Montfort Hall in Leicester. Mick had left and Joe's heart clearly wasn't in it. My friend Keith had his glasses knocked off and the bloke next to us, rather than picking them up, deliberately stamped on them. We went home and Keith systematically destroyed all his Clash albums. It wasn't a good evening.

Yes became shite after Rick Wakeman joined in my very humble opinion.

Saw them in January 1971 promoting the Yes Album - brilliant, subtle, organic.

Saw them in October 1971 promoting Fragile - overblown pomp-rock.

Jethro Tull about 8 years ago at Manchester Apollo(Had seen them circa 1981 at Hanley and they were stunning) but the Apollo gig was atrocious. He had some bird(she was lovely mind) playing violin and covering Zep stuff. The gig was split into acoustic and 'heavy' halves and the song; ';Too old To Rock And Roll' was alarmingly appropriate. I'm not in the habit of walking out of gigs and I did'nt this time. That was because her ladyship had a busted ankle and was on crutches and we were land locked in the middle of a long row of seats.

I'm not sure I've listened to any of my Tull stuff since, scarred init!

Truely dreadful

Jesus, it must be really hard to keep up with fame and standards.

I've never been a fan of concerts, so I've probably spared myself a number of disappointments.

I have walked out of one concert, a few years ago: Madeleine Peiroux came to perform at a summer open air festival in my home town, Torino.

Everything was so subdued - the music, her singing, the act: almost like wax statues - and her constant updating of Billie Holiday's singing style so boring that I just wanted to go away. When she finally tried to explain the meaning of 'I'm sorry' with 'lo siento!', mistaking us for Spain, I had enough and took advantage of the intermission.

Another partial disappointment was Randy Newman, in Milano, a few years ago. Solo piano and voice. He seemed to care little for everything including his music, and the audience. Did a very little bit of talking, without even looking at us, but the songs were great and I still love him and his music.

I don't know what an involving act is - probably never saw one. In 1971 King Crimson, in Torino. Line up was that of Islands, a disc I adored. So, although it was perfect and professional and Robert Fripp didn't move from his chair to look up even once, I was emotioned. In retrospect, excitement zero, but who cared.

As for things like U2, they are probably my idea of boredom, but it's personal taste so apologies.

Kevin Ayers in Toronto some time in the mid-eighties I think.  I had been a big fan for many years but had never had the opportunity to see him live, so it was with great anticipation that we went to see him at a fairly small venue.  When he came out to play it was immediately apparent that he was pissed as a newt.  He laboured through about four or five songs and then said good night!  It was no more than about twenty minutes.  I recall someone yelling "Go crawl back into yer bottle ya ****!"  So sad to see such a great talent self-destruct like that - a real trainwreck.

Modern life, in a nutshell.

Middle age, in a nutshell. G

Jesus, have I become a boring, complaining, unsatisfied middle age a***hole?

I hope I'm not on the verge of needing drugs and 18 years old girls to feel young.

I'll check my posts more closely.

M

Welcome to the club 

Exactly!....I was including myself too! G

Oh well - still preferable to the alternative.

M

I have to disagree about Van Morrison!

I saw him outdoors at the Fleah festival in finsbury park in the 90's and last year at the Green Man Festival. I enjoyed both performances. He was postively transcendental at the Fleah. I do find him a little polished for my liking nowadays but he's getting on and has still has 'soul' in abundance!

I do think the venue has a lot to do with things really. I now wouldn't see ANYONE in a big area like the MEN. It just kills it for me: souless, seated, too managed, too much security etc.. I now choose my gig's by both performer and venue. Ambience is everything to me!

Which probably means i'll never see Dylan again. I saw him in a big arena once and it just didn't suit him. But i was glad i'd seen the man once. It's the never ending tour anyway he goes out, keeps his music alive and some nights will be better than others. It's Bob Dyan, not a lady gaga show ;-)

The only gig i was really disappointed with was Patti Smith back in the 90's. She came on and read 'Piss factory' and it was hairs on the back of the neck stuff. But unfortunately it descended into a dirge and we ended up going over the pub!

ELO at Sheffield City Hall, I didn't want to go in the first place but was dragged along as they were my cousin in law's favourite band, I managed to go to sleep!

Phil Collins at Sheffield Arena. At the time I was a fan but he put paid to that. Was completely lifeless.

Chris Rea, also at Sheffield Arena, might as well have played the album at home there was no engagement with the audience at all.