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

I think Dekay is trying to be funny.

Worst is a three way tie. Santana, touring with Jeff Beck in ’95. His pal Jerry Garcia had just passed earlier in the week and his whole set just seemed like a spirituality/sob fest. Thank god Beck went on first (with Bozzio on drums) because they killed it. My friend’s and I left halfway through Carlos’s set. Other two were opening acts, Blackfoot opening for Deep Purple in ’85 and Little Steven opening for U2 in ’87.

Best show was probably Zappa, ’88 tour. Only time I got to see him, sadly he never toured again. Honorable mention to The Clash opening for the Who in ’82.

36 Years of shows : here goes some of them

Overall Best for me personally - Emerson, Lake, Powell 1986, Massey Hall, Toronto, Ontario. The night that changed my musical life forever. Band was firing on all 12 Cylinders that night and did 3 encores. Keith Emerson was and still is The Greatest ROCK Keyboard Player (to me anyways). Mental illness is a serious thing. Please always reach out if a friend asks.

Others were (and there were more...just too lazy too list all them here) :

Rush Outdoors - always great sound...indoors and they played incredible but the sound ALWAYS sucked on both sides of the Border. Be it Toronto, Hamilton, or Hershey ! Outdoor Rush shows were always the best of the Band and their P.A. system.

Yes Union Tour 1991. 6th row T.O. Skydome. What should have been a major clash of styles...was. But they made it work for the audience. The "Onion" tour as R.W. called it had style clashes with both B.B & A.W. during their "Drum Duet". Paled in comparison to Bruford/Collins in the 70's IMHO. Steve Howe and Trevor Rabin, another clash of styles. Separately, their acoustic and electric solo's were great, together they was no trading of licks between them. Chris Squire was the glue that night. Oddly, both Rick Wakeman and Tony Kaye were playing together and it showed !

There's more but it would be a really really long post. 

Worst concert

April Wine -  Ottawa, Ontario 1996 :
They brought in this huge Stadium P.A. system in a small club (can't remember the name - on Richmond Rd.). Great playing but horrible sound.

Nick Mason's A Saucerful of Secrets - Phoenix, AZ - 2019
Again, brilliant show that ruined for my because I stupidly bough a front row seat that was direct in front of a stage level P.A. Cabinet !! 

Aerosmith in 2004 Hershey, PA. They truly are and play the "The Poor Man's Rolling Stones". A letdown for since I'd never seen them live and was looking forward to it. That night, Cheap Trick opened for them and outperformed Aerosmith. IMHO.

ELP/Jethro Tull - Toronto 1996 - Both played incredibly well that night and sound at the Kingwood was good. ELP OPENED for Jethro Tull ! We were all expecting Double Bill that night. It my have had to do with K.E's wrist surgery in 1994. He played lie he meant it but "dialed in" the knife stabbings into the Hammond L100. They would redeem themselves in 1998. Read below.

ELP/Deep Purple - Molson Amphitheatre 1997 - ELP were again firing on 12 Cylinders. Dream Theater opened. It was a double bill ELP for 90min. followed by Deep Purple for 90min. and I started to doze off. Honestly, I was only there to see Jon Lord and he did not disappoint. 

There's more but this is already a lengthy read.




mitchagain,

"All three only lasted around 45 minutes; so, they also felt like a double ripoff."
Look at the bright side. At least you did not pay to be tortured for three times 90 minutes.
With so many Bob Dylan entries here, I have to agree. Only the last time, whenever that was (not long before Coronavirus), was he anything close to good. Other few times, it was mostly "Ok, now I saw Bob Dylan". As a few others mentioned, it was hard to recognize what song he was mumbling.

Maybe it is time to end The Neverending Tour. Or maybe that time was many years ago.
BTW, RIP Keith Emerson.

In New Orleans, early 80's, was looking forward to Johnny Winter; he injured his fretting hand before the show and played the whole concert with a slide...LOUD x7 .....he clearly adhered to a rigorous regimen of painkiller(s); even at the bar in another room it was deafening.

In contrast, Richard Thompson played a solo acoustic, small-club show in St. Pete, FL in the mid-late 80's; the rather small audience was on the same floor level as him, on folding chairs, and he repeatedly refused to turn up his amplification for guitar or vocals. Us in the back could hardly hear anything....playing or singing...and the last straw was when a bartender drowned him out by crushing an empty bag of potato chips!