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3) Mano Chou at Bonnaroo in 2006. I had a pounding headache by the time I left. She b/c you have a lot of bass doesn't mean the music is good. The crowd seemed to be hyped up, but I think that was just crowd energy b/c the music was obnoxious.
What ?!? There wasn't an ass that wasn't shaking at that show.
3) Mano Chou at Bonnaroo in 2006. I had a pounding headache by the time I left. She b/c you have a lot of bass doesn't mean the music is good. The crowd seemed to be hyped up, but I think that was just crowd energy b/c the music was obnoxious.
What ?!? There wasn't an ass that wasn't shaking at that show.
The Police- sucked at roo RHCP- sucked at Lallapoloza but I've seen bands I love have bad shows every now and then Phish- Toronto, Can 7/20/99 Dylan- any show where he had to much of the white stuff James Brown- roo 03 and there are many more but I still love live shows and if bands suck at roo there are many other things to do
yeah, i've never heard anyone say they were glad they payed to see Dylan. Its hard to believe all those good live recordings from 1964-1977 came from the same performer.
no question Dylan has not been good live since the early 70's . I've seen him like 4-5 times between '84-'90 and have always been disappointed
I don't care what you say about me, just spell my name right---P.T. Barnum "As I was walking up the stairs I met a man who wasn't there He wasn't there again today I wish to God he'd go away."
^^^ yea I have only seen 2 shows that I didn't mind paying for. One in 87 with GE Smith and the SNL band and one in 2000 Pittsburgh. It was a Acoustic show he played his guitar which he has stopped doing and you could acutely under stand what he was singing.
I will most likely be smited for this one, but I saw The Mars Volta a few years ago in Albany, NY and they were just terrible. Don't get me wrong, I love their music- but the mix was awful, all muddy drums and vocals (MAN can he get up there), no Omar, and the lights didn't match the music at all. Hopefully this summer they will redeem themselves.
Also, Dickey Betts and Great Southern were pretty underwhelming as well. It's too often egos ruin musical careers.
Post by twilightsociety on Mar 8, 2009 0:10:01 GMT -5
I'll divide my list into four sections: worst live performances, surprisingly good performances (i.e. bands I got stuck seeing for various reasons but were actually good), surprisingly bad performances, and comments on bands mentioned earlier in the thread.
Worst (only including performers I've actually seen): The Beastie Boys. Saw them headlining at Coachella 2003 and they were absolutely terrible. Depending on what's happening with Phish on Friday late-night, I may skip Beasties all together and stake out another stage for late night. It's hard to do rap right when performing live, but it can be done (Immortal Technique, The Coup, Eminem, Jurassic 5, etc.). The Beastie Boys cannot.
Coal Chamber. Got stuck seeing them at a ton of festivals in the late 90s. Dreaded every minute, both the waiting and the actual performance.
Type O Negative. I'm a big fan of their music, but terrible live. I saw them in a club in San Francisco, and they kept on throwing Rice-a-Roni (the "San Francisco treat." Ha... Ha..) and wine into the crowd. Got my sister-in-law in the eye both times. The night just went downhill from there.
Carl Cox, Paul Oakenfold, Tiesto, etc. I've never "gotten" the idea of superstar DJs. The light shows bore me, the buildups are predictable and just make me look at my watch. I almost always skip DJs for real live music. This year, however, I am intrigued to see Girl Talk. Notably, I do not include Daft Punk in this category. Was floored by them both times I saw them (Coachella 2006 and Lolla 2007).
Kings of Leon. Seen them way too many times at all the festivals. I don't get their popularity. Mediocre at their best, incompetent and boring at their worst.
Run-DMC. Again, rap is hard to do live. Run et al continue this trend. Oddly enough, they headlined a festival I was at instead of Motorhead and The Offspring, who performed right before them. I suspect it was just to break up the traffic, a la Widespread Panic's previous Sunday shows at Bonnaroo.
Surprisingly good (only including performers I've actually seen): The Backstreet Boys and N'Sync. I saw the Backstreet Boys in high school in Minnesota and N'Sync in college in California, both as dates. Insult them all you want, but those guys can put on a great show, with great vocals and presentation. They're definitely not "artists" (I call them entertainers), but were great for a good time. And not all boy bands are equal. I went to a Christmas show for a local radio station and went mostly for Boyz II Men (who were awesome, really brought back memories), but was disgusted that 98 Degrees actually headlined the show, and were generally horrific.
Tony Bennett: saw him at Bridge School Benefit 2004 and the man can still sing and entertain superbly, and he's in his 80s. Paul McCartney came out for a duet and was noticeably intimidated by Bennett.
Garth Brooks. Had an opportunity to see one of his TV specials from the venue itself, and was happily surprised. That guy can really run around for his age. Great voice, lots of laughs during the "commercial breaks."
Creed. Deride them as you will (as you should), but they could bring it live.
Melissa Etheridge: I had the luck of working backstage at a Pro-Choice benefit in college, and she performed there. An amazing performer, very focused and powerful. Talked to her afterward for several minutes. She's one of the few celebrities I've talked to that seemed like a genuinely "nice" person (along with Ben Harper and Jay Leno).
Nickelback. A caveat here. I saw Nickelback 5 times prior to 2000 (radio festivals, opening for Everclear, etc.), never in a headlining capacity or before they "went big." Great singer, performances, very methodical and high-quality. Predictable in a good way (in that you won't get a bad performance because every show is the exact same).
Kid Rock. Caught opening for Metallica a few times. Probably one of the hardest live workers I've seen. Seemed like his personal mission was making sure everyone at his shows was smiling. He earned them.
Local H. My first concert. Wasn't too excited and was being dragged by my cousin. Well, many firsts that night. Moshing, concert t-shirt, etc. Everything was perfect and made me into the concert fiend I am today (much to my fiance's chagrin).
Moby. When he's got the whole crew with him (musicians, backup singers, etc.), the man puts on quite a show. Seen him several times in that capacity. But then I saw a DJ show, and I'll never seen that again.
New Orleans Klezmer All Stars at Bonnaroo 2007. Awesome, awesome stuff. I'm pushing for klezmer at my wedding, without much success. One of the best shows to make me smile in my memory.
Rammstein. If you want spectacle, you've found it.
Ryan Shaw at Bonnaroo 2007. It really was like seeing a young Michael Jackson in the works. Great voice and stage presence. He then went and opened for Van Halen's reunion tour. ...What?
Vienna Teng. Fantastic singer-songwriter out of San Francisco. Probably the best vocals in the business. Think of a more melodic and grounded version of Tori Amos and Sarah McLachlan. Listen to her on the Internet Archive, 12/22/07 at the Independent in San Francisco (my first show to see her, hopefully of many). Good god, what a voice.
Surprisingly bad: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds. Had the luck of seeing them in Seattle last year and was really looking forward to it. Nick Cave is my 2nd favorite music artist of all time (behind only the magnificent Greg Dulli), but he and the crowd both seemed tired and uninspired.
Pearl Jam. Here, I'm pointing to one specific performance. I've seen Pearl Jam a few times, including at Bonnaroo 2008 and Lollapalooza 2007, and they were great at both of those. But I also had the misfortune of seeing at Fargo 2006, and oh lordy, what a stinker.
Ghostland Observatory. Saw them at noon at Lolla 2007. Maybe I need to see them in the dark, but they were just bad, boring, and arrogant. From what I saw, most of the crowd seemed to agree with me.
Jane's Addiction. For the love of all that is good and pure, I hope they don't come to Bonnaroo. I saw them in LA in 2004, and Perry's voice is totally shot. Completely, utterly shot. Had the misfortune of seeing Satellite Party at Lolla 2007 (either before Daft Punk or Muse) and confirmed it. Perry lost it all.
Weezer. As with Chili Peppers and Blink, definitely a hit-or-miss band. Saw them thrice, once great and twice bad, terrible.
Wilco. I'm in the definite minority here. I saw them just once (Coachella 2005 or 6) and everything was off. And this is coming from a fan. I'll give them another go at Bonnaroo this year, schedule permitting. I'm hesitant to see them over another established live band, though. For example, I chose The White Stripes (who I've been seeing regularly since their club days) at Bonnaroo 2007 over Wilco, simply because the Stripes bring it every time.
Comments: Blink-182. Many have derided these guys for their shows, and rightfully so. I first saw them headlining an auditorium in St. Paul and only went for the opener (Silverchair). I had heard from someone who saw them before that they were jokers and talked way too much. I clocked them. Out of a 90 minute show, they talked for 53 minutes of poop and fart jokes. Terrible. I then saw them twice more at festivals, and they were much better since they were on a tighter time schedule. Recommendation: they can actually perform well, but don't seen them at a "regular" gig.
The Mars Volta: saw them once at Coachella 2003, and I agree with the naysayers. Terrible live. I enjoy them and have a few albums, but their show is just an irritating amalgamation of elitist noodling and high-pitched histrionics.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers. As others have mentioned, they vary widely in their shows. I've seen them 4 times; 2 were absolutely crap, while 2 were fantastic. Firstly saw their first Californication-era show, headlining in Minneapolis. At that time, I was not into them and went more for the openers (Foo Fighters and Muse). RHCP were absolutely terrible, especially Kiedis. I then saw them headlining Coachella 2003 and they were wonderful, really on that night (probably inspired by The Stooges and The White Stripes, who were on before them). I was so happy at that show that I got tickets to see them again a few months at the Forum near LA. They sucked again, as did the Flaming Lips (their opener, which I was really surprised by. I've seen the Lips 9 times, 6 great, 2 terrible, 1 "all right."). I then saw them doing an acoustic show at Bridge School Benefit 2004, and they were wonderful again. Like Blink, they seem to bring their game for "special" shows only.
Crazy Town. Completely agree with previous comments. Had the misfortune of seeing them at Ozzfest 2001 and regret that waste of time waiting for other performers on that stage.
MIA. Yep, agree, she's terrible. I saw her way back at her "American debut" (Coachella 2003 or 4, I forget which). She sucked then, and she continues to suck now. Her actual music is just fine, although nothing special. But live she's just terrible (confirmed by later performances at festivals). If only she actually retired last year, instead of just becoming pregnant.
Smashing Pumpkins. Contrary to others, I had a great time and thought they were great. However, this was back in their heyday, so maybe things have changed now in the Corgan+1 days.
Stone Temple Pilots. Saw 3 times prior to breakup, and boy, do the good times come and go, mostly based on how messed up Weiland is that particular night. Once, it was great. Another time, he jumped into the crowd and attacked someone and chased him all throughout the venue, including into the bathroom. When he finally got back on stage, he asked the crowd to find the guy and scalp him.
Tesla...lead singer sounds like he is still in puberty. Terrible.
Also the "new" Skid Row...new lead singer cannot hit the high notes. Bach was good, new guy sucks!
Collective soul-they made the mistake of having the Marvelous 3 opening for them and they so rocked them off the stage!
Finally, made the mistake of seeing Firehouse...wow. do I even need to type? Just horrible.
A couple of other hit-or-miss bands: Marilyn Manson (3 times good, once beyond horrible), Seven Mary Three (once as a headliner they were good, the other as a opening act and they blew so bad) and White Zombie (Twice amazing, once had so many sound problems that they only played for 57 minutes!)
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Post by candyflippedaround on Mar 8, 2009 18:24:23 GMT -5
i get that but... pretty much all the quality bands are in the i didnt like it, and all the top 40 is in the "was a good show"
like i said, its just puzzling how you could enjoy 2 hours of any Backstreet Boys/Creed concert more than a mediocre performance from a band you actually like. If i dont like the music to begin with, the more energy the performers put into it makes it that much cheezier and lame for me.
Like the wiggles may have more stage presence than anyone in the world, but thats not gonna make me enjoy watching them.
i get that but... pretty much all the quality bands are in the i didnt like it, and all the top 40 is in the "was a good show"
like i said, its just puzzling how you could enjoy 2 hours of any Backstreet Boys/Creed concert more than a mediocre performance from a band you actually like. If i dont like the music to begin with, the more energy the performers put into it makes it that much cheezier and lame for me.
Like the wiggles may have more stage presence than anyone in the world, but thats not gonna make me enjoy watching them.
Right, but those are bands that he likes!
I've had quite the opposite experience with a handful of the bands he names as having given terrible performances, namely Nick Cave and Wilco. The first Nick Cave show I saw was insane; so much so that I lined up for 7 pm doors at 1 pm the next day for his second performance. And with the exception of their Virgin Fest performance last year (which was severely dampened by the most obnoxious group of teen girls waiting for Jack Johnson), I've enjoyed every Wilco performance I've seen.
Post by twilightsociety on Mar 9, 2009 0:54:02 GMT -5
Just some responses to people who commented on my list.
As someone mentioned, I only mentioned specific performances. I knocked Pearl Jam for one terrible show, but I've seen them numerous other times (including solo shows by Vedder, Gossard, and McCready) and every other show was "as expected" or great.
I also tried to make it clear that I wasn't listing the best shows I've ever seen (although I did state the worst), but the ones that were <surprisingly> good or bad. The Wilco show, for example, was not very good. I was expecting it to be great, both due to my love of their music and their reputation as live performers, but it did not meet those expectations.
Same with the Nick Cave show; he was and is my 2nd favorite artist of all time, and hence my expectations were probably too high and he couldn't possibly meet them (the same occurred when I saw my favorite artist, Greg Dulli, when I saw Twilight Singers and Gutter Twins, though not to the same extent).
N'Sync, on the other hand, was the opposite. As I mentioned, I took someone there on a date, expecting it to be a complete waste of money and time. And yet I had a lot of fun, almost to my chagrin. The singing was great, there were some surprisingly covers (Hey Jude) and they were great entertainers (particularly Timberlake).
As an aside, I have an additional act for the "surprisingly bad" group: Fleetwood Mac. Saw them back around 2005 and was completely disappointed.
Post by mulcherry0420 on Mar 9, 2009 1:18:27 GMT -5
Incubus - Lollapallooza 03', Cincy OH. Just completely stoned, and completely bored. And I ran into an ex girlfriend there. damn! Enjoyed q.o.t.s.a. and audioslave though.
The Police - Bonnaroo 07'..just no heart in the show.
Everytime I have seen Dave Matthews band, too crowded and just a bad crowd in general.
The Killers - Echo Project, I probably shouldnt have been there in the first place. Exactly what I thought it would be.
Aerosmith - 2006 Cincy. WOW what a fuckin' waste of time. Motley wasnt bad though.
Asher Roth. anyone heard of him?? first time I'd seen or heard of him was opening for Common. ugh I have soo many complaints about Asher Roth but the biggest one is that he tried to mask a bad stage presence by yelling about his love for weed and partying to get a rise out of us. not cool. I don't know maybe if he wasn't opening for an MC like common I would have had different expectations but I can't see why they're touring together.
Public Enemy Ani DiFranco Amadou & Mariam Shadows Fall Heartless Bastards Tony Rice Unit High On Fire Passion Pit Dillenger Escape Plan Wailing Souls The Itals MURS White Rabbits Janelle Monae Hockey Pretty Lights
1. Biz Markie - half assed played a 10 minute set; was a free show, but my worst by far 2. Kanye West 3. Black Dice - Just not my thing I guess 4. Testament - LOUD, and just meh all around
Public Enemy Ani DiFranco Amadou & Mariam Shadows Fall Heartless I HAVE NO DADDY Tony Rice Unit High On Fire Passion Pit Dillenger Escape Plan Wailing Souls The Itals MURS White Rabbits Janelle Monae Hockey Pretty Lights
Any list of bad live acts that includes Amadou & Mariam is that of a complete idiot who hates music and prefers smelling his own farts. Not that I'm biased or anything.
Post by rooconteur on Mar 30, 2009 15:19:31 GMT -5
the black lips (opened for raconteurs last year). whoever opened for ratm for the battle of LA tour is the absolute worst. not worth even looking it up.
Public Enemy Ani DiFranco Amadou & Mariam Shadows Fall Heartless I HAVE NO DADDY Tony Rice Unit High On Fire Passion Pit Dillenger Escape Plan Wailing Souls The Itals MURS White Rabbits Janelle Monae Hockey Pretty Lights
"There is an ancient celtic axiom that says 'Good people drink good beer.' which is true, then as now. Just look around you in any public bar-room, and you will quickly see: Bad people drink bad beer. Think about it."
the black lips (opened for raconteurs last year). whoever opened for ratm for the battle of LA tour is the absolute worst. not worth even looking it up.
At the Drive-In and Gangstarr opened for RATM in Detroit. It's pretty funny you said this, because i thought Gangstarr and ATDI were fantastic and i was majorly disappointed in RATM.
Duran Duran was probably the worst i've ever seen. I love Ordinary World and Come Undone, so i figured i'd go since it was free. It was so embarrassingly bad that i left before hearing either song.
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