Worst Concerts You Have Attended ??


I just left a remark about a favorite band of mine back in the day - April Wine - that I saw in concert and was disappointed. Could have been that it was an off night for them, or maybe they were never good in concert. Maybe the lead guitarist had too much to drink? April Wine was not the worst, however. I remember Neil Young in the 1990's who was on his one-man acoustic show type of tour that many artists were taking advantage of (perhaps for financial reasons) during that time. While a friend of I had near front row seats at Desert Sky Pavilion (now Ak-Chin) in Pheonix, the crowd was just roused up into a frenzy by the warm-up band (James) and here comes Neil and his guitar/harmonica. Wow, what a sonic letdown. I remember getting up and leaving and feeling Neil's glaring eyes on us as we ushered out. I think, to this day, he probably still remembers me. We all can remember the great live concerts we attended, but what were the worst and why?
goodlistening64

Showing 3 responses by tony1954

Bob Dylan. Could not even decipher what song he was singing. I don't think he understood that people go to his concerts to hear his songs, not some "muttered interpretation".
Warren Zevon. Introverts and hit records don't work well together.
Joe Cocker. Alcoholism and singing don't work well together.
JJ Cale. Music was okay, but he sat on a chair with a wide brimmed hat pulled down over his face the whole night. Maybe it wasn't him?

@feldman
Sounds like the Warren Zevon I saw wasn't indicative of him as a live performer. That is very unfortunate, because he was a truly brilliant songwriter. And yes, because of the venue the audience sat in their seats for the entire show. Mind you, this was 1978 and the following night, same venue, we saw Springsteen and the E Street band play for almost 4 hours. Best show ever.