Live Performances you were at but wish you were not

[dickie davies]

Was working in Boston in 1979. Went to a load of concerts including The Cars, Abba, Dire Straits and Eagles.
All big names.
Final concert I saw was Van Morrison. He complained about the sound,lighting and the heat all through the concert.
Finally started complaining about the noise from the audience when they started singing with him.
The other bands that I saw had no complaints at all.

A couple of years after the gig I was listening to a radio phone in and some bloke was on saying about the artists he'd worked with, one being Van Morrison
The presenter playfully asked (and I'm sure he knew what the answer was going be) "and what's the real Van Morrison like to work with?
The reply came back "he's a pain in the arse"

 

[Zubrman]

My Dad worked for Granada and got me a ticket to be in the audience for 'Shang-a-Lang' in the early seventies. *shudders at thought*

 

[Innsbruckblue]

I've heard Dylan is awful live. What made it so bad if you don't mind me asking?

He sat behind a piano with his back to the audience. No interaction with the crowd and, when he did play his older songs, they were in a weird kind of jazz style. Lots of people walked out.

 

[Onholiday(somemightsay)]

Queen at Maine Road. Celine Dion in Las Vegas. Paul Carrack Bridgewater Hall. all amazing.

No sympathy for that one - surely you knew what you were letting yourself in for?

 

[Dicko69]

My Mrs was going to a concert with her best mate, I had a bag of green and a fully charged controller.
5mins before she was due to leave her mate let her down so I had to go.
Steps at the arena.
Devastated.
I think I was the only straight man there. Surrounded by middle aged women in clothes that god only knows how they managed to squeeze into, and that was the best bit

 

[Ancoats blue]

i'm only surprised that people even went to see Bob Dylan ... he clearly can't sing , has a poor vocal , and his main strength is always was in actaually writing decent songs .

But anyway i digress ........ i turned up at either Manchester Apollo (or it could have been Palace) to see the group Smokie back in the seventies , sat there in excitement and high expectation, and then found that the theatre couldn't even get the stage safety curtain to raise to allow the group to perform !!

The final result was - one cancelled concert , no f**kin Smokie , and one extremely frustrated theatre goer!

 

[Fame Monster]

Robbie at the MEN in '99, it just wasn't the same without the rest of the lads

 

[chesterbells]

Einaudi at the Bridgewater Hall.
Music to sleep by.

Really love the famous track but I can see how a whole evening might have that effect

 

[Gummidge]

Jamie Jackson doing a reading from his book Night Time Cool at Festival Number 6.

It was that bad I almost felt sorry for him. It’s difficult to fully describe how truly awful it was.

He was ill prepared trying to read his notes on tatty pieces of paper. He didn’t even seem to know his own book judging by the difficulty he had reading it - long, excruciating pauses and getting passages mixed up.

Completely talentless and, what’s worse, completely unprofessional.

Just like his journalism then.

 

[Ancoats blue]

No sympathy for that one - surely you knew what you were letting yourself in for?

I've seen Celine Dion at Manchester Arena , and, believe me , this girl captivates the audience , and just doesn't let you down ..... her songs live are performed with absolute perfection, and her vocal range is awesome.

 

[chesterbells]

PIL at the Apollo about 86 (the Tour off the Rise album I think). Place was raining in spit. Plenty of aging punks still very ‘gobby’

 

[Mad Eyed Screamer]

Oasis at Heaton Park
Laddishness is one thing but absolute savagery is another
When the girl in front squatted and pissed on the floor three times in 15 mins I started to wonder what else I was squelshing about in
Maybe I was just too old

Couldnt even see the stage as it was at the bottom of a hill. Had to watch it on the big screens. My daughter couldnt even see them!

 

[Barcon]

Dire straights backing up Stevie Ray Vaughan at Varsity arena in Toronto. Fell asleep.

 

[ali benarbia's studs]

The Darknesses covered a headline act which had to cancel last minute. I got the fuck outta there but was still subjected to their "guantanamo sound". Back at the campsite I remember looking back and seeing the hoards of music fans leaving the main stage...... It was a Mose`s-esque exodus. They are truly one of the shittest bands of all time, bunch of pissy deluded maggots.

 

[bakerdave76]

Miles Davis Apollo 1989 so we thought lets go and see a jazz legend, he was totally of his nut keep wandering of stage coming back on forgetting what song he was doing, think I was in the chapel house pub in heaton moor while he was doing his encore .

 

[Meatbag]

Mark E Smith at the Bridgewater Hall. That bad I heckled “Taxi for Mark E Smith!”

 

[Two Gun Bob]

For me Chuck Berry in 1975 at the Free Trade Hall. Played 3 songs invited some people on the stage then went off never to be seen again

You were lucky as he didn't even bother turning up at Champness Hall. My Dingaling my arse!

 

[jimharri]

There will be a lot of S****s and Roses fans on here.

 

[OB1]

Bad Company Apollo 1979 - two nights! Hugely disappointing lacklustre displays. Seen them since and they were much better.

Squeeze at Oxford Apollo - I fell asleep - wife wanted to go.

Dave Edmunds' Rockpile at FTH - dull.

REM at MK Bowl - so bad Stipe apparently apologised the next night to anyone who had attended the previous night.

 

[Claytop]

GNR at MEN before Slash came back. 3 hours late and Axl had to go into an oxygen tent in-between songs!

Saw them again at London a couple years ago with Slash back and they were 100 times better.