Worst Concert You Ever Attended? Why?

Years ago my friend saw Taylor Dane at a casino. Needless to say, Taylor kept interrupting her songs for 'bathroom' breaks. Each time she would come back on stage all hopped up and a mess. Sad.

Steve Winwood & Eric Clapton were both boring as hell.

Ozzy back in the early 80's. They played for 30 minutes then just left the stage. My friend's father who worked security at the venue said Ozzy and the whole band were so fucked up they could barely stand up.

Dave Matthews Band in the mid-90s. Dave was so drunk, he was incoherent and may have pissed himself onstage.

A girlfriend of mine fucked him, OP. She said he was a total asshole.

Britney's Femme Fatale tour

Most of them weren't that great. A bad voice or a bad mood.

Friend saw Soundgarden a few years ago at a music festival they were headlining. Chris Cornell was so loaded that he couldn't remember the lyrics to the songs and ended up telling his fans to fuck off.

Too soon, R7.

We pay good money to see these concerts only to have them disappoint, and be high. What a waste for them and us.

Cheap Trick a few years ago. Zzzzzzzzzz

Van Morrison, years ago in Edinburgh. Great venue, great crowd, uninterested and rude singer. I'm glad I was given the ticket I'd have been pissed if I'd paid to watch someone's back for an hour.

Helen Lawson LIVE! in Cedar Grove NJ at the Meadowbrook Theater. June, 1973. It was a mess. She opened with "If I Could Talk to the Animals" surrounded by a goat, two pigs, and a dead cat. The pigs started fucking during the first chorus. Then the goat started shitting all over the stage. When the smell hit the first tables at the dinner theatre, you could hear people coughing and, well, vomiting. It cascaded through the room until everyone was ill. you couldn't walk on the floor because of the goat shit, vomit, and prime rib.

Then the police and fire departments arrived. I'll never forget the smell...

Smokey Robinson. Kool Jazz festival, when he was coked up bad. Rambled on and on til fans started booing him. Smokey, a living legend, booed...

I saw Chicago and The Beach Boys together. I went to see Chicago and they came out first and I was not too impressed. I ended up having more fun watching The Beach Boys .one of The Beach Boys even joked that Chicago didn't perform any of their good songs .

Stevie Nicks, last month. She was awful. She doesn't drink or drug anymore, but she also doesn't reach for any notes, dance, or spin anymore either. No exaggeration, half the concert was her standing at the mic telling very long rambling stories about each song without any self awareness at all at how indulgent and narcissistic it all looked. They do things to her mic now too to try to cover that her singing voice is in such bad shape. No vibrato, no range, no character. She sounds like Lucille Ball now, it's sad. And I'm a big fan too, but sorry Stevie, it's time to pack it in and write those books and screenplays you've been talking about for the last three decades.

I love Stevie Nicks too. Sad to hear. I guess years of drug abuse could be the culprit.

Brian Wilson a couple of years ago. His backup band had to sing most of the high notes from his own songs and his audience banter between songs was on a huge TelePrompTer right next to his face. I left midway through - it felt exploitative to be there seeing him in such decline.

Whitney Houston, her last tour, was horrible, she could not hit any high notes, was raspy and hoarse. An obvious cash grab on her part and a major embarrassment.

Reminds me of David Cassidy's concert, if you want to refer to it as such. When he had the crowd performing most of his songs. Then he goes and does another concert. Pathetic

I saw Stevie in concert in December. She was terrific.

One man' says terrific is another man's awful. It all depends on your tolerance factor of seeing your idol go from her 'Mirage' and 'Bella Donna' era beauty and voice to whatever it is she's doing now. The one thing I do appreciate about her is that she gets all the proper accolades for her body of work. Seeing people like Harry Styles and Taylor Swift fall all over themselves over her is very gratifying for those of us who stayed with her all these years.

nobody is the same person they were 35 years ago, r15.

Aretha at the Kennedy Center. Tired, distracted and bored. Well-dressed black professional audience who had paid a lot of money left stunned and quietly disappointed.

Aretha was too busy thinking about how Dionne dissed her five years ago at Whitney's funeral to bother with singing properly or giving a shit.

Lauryn Hill .She turned up late , and high AF

R22, oh yeah? I saw The B52s when Rock Lobster came out, with Kid Creole. Saw them decades later on the Beach at Virginia Beach and they rocked! Even better 30 years later!

I don't know, R22. The Pretenders opened for Stevie and Chrissie Hynde sounds exactly the same as she did years ago.

Bob Dylan in early 2000s >>>>BORING

the amounts of drugs these people use or have used surely must have an impact on their bad performances and voices.

Huey Lewis and the News at the Worcester Centrum when Fore! came out. Centrum seats about 15,000. They are probably a better band for 2,000 seats. They only really played for the first few rows on the floor. Plus the opening band was a blues player who sang about an Oreo cookie.

1988 - New Order when they toured with Public Image Limited and The Sugarcubes. New Order barely looked up from their keyboards. PIL was amazing and I fell in love with Bjork that night.

Madonna. I actually walked out, and I otherwise never do that.

Why?

R.E.M late 90s. They didn't engage with the audience at all. It was like watching teenage boys rehearse in a garage.

I'll second the Aretha disappointment. Saw her at Wolf Trap late 90s. It was a brief and totally unmemorable concert, to say she phoned it in was giving her too much credit. Took longer to get out of the parking lot than the entire concert.

And to compound the mess her son was her opening act. Ah, nepotism.

I would add Sarah Vaughn to the list. I've seen hundreds and hundreds of concerts in my life -- I used to go at least once a week for years -- and SV was the worst. it was Carnegie Hall, at the JVC Jazz Fest in the early 90's. She was rude and demanding, at one point yelling at the stage hands for not having her water where she told them she wanted it, and I was embarrassed for everyone who had to deal with her. She was such a mannered, unkind diva, and I have not been able to listen to her since that show. On the other hand, I saw Ella that same week, who couldn't have been sweeter or better.

r26 just shut up

[quote]No vibrato, no range, no character.

R15, she never had that. My friends saw her during her solo heyday when she toured and they told me her BACKUP singers sang better than her.

[quote]Aretha at the Kennedy Center. Tired, distracted and bored. Well-dressed black professional audience who had paid a lot of money left stunned and quietly disappointed.

I liked that she still has her voice. She sang at that Carole King Kennedy Center Honors tribute and still hit her high notes.

R37 you don't have friends.

[quote]you don't have friends.

Winged YOU, R39.

R30, I saw that tour too! But at an amusement park in Connecticut

That may be true of Chrissie Hynde, r15/r27, but certainly not all of the original Pretenders. Between their first and third albums (only four years), Pete Farndon and James Honeyman-Scott died under drug-related circumstances, Honeyman-Scott only a few days after helping fire Farndon for being too drugged out. But, man, those first two albums were incredible.

Newsflash: if she sounds like she did 30 years ago, she is lipsyncing along to a recording.

Aren't you glad you paid $200 for a ticket? A drag queen could put on the same show for $20.

R12, I believe I read about that a few years after it happened. Didn't she grab an officer's gun and shot both pigs between the eyes? She than called for her stagehand/boytoy Manuel to get one of the pigs and they carried them to their car. She was quoted as saying "I paid for those motherfuckers and I'll be damned if they are going to waste." Although witnesses were not sure if that is what she said because she was boozed up and had a cigarette in her mouth. Also there was alot of noise as fireman and police officers kept stepping in goat shit and yelling "Fuck" as they did. Added note is that when they left Manuel used Helen's car as a bulldozer to clear police cars blocking the parking lot exit.

R37, I've been to six Stevie Nicks concerts since 1983 and the only one that was less than excellent was1985 or 1986, right before she went to Betty Ford. She seemed very high that night. Maybe your friends just don't like her voice.

Stevie Nicks 1986 tour was her teetering on Amy Winehouse/Janis Joplin territory. She herself admits she's lucky she lived to tell the tale of those days, she was a hot mess. But it made for some compelling shows.

Sarah Vaughn, absolutely the worst. Late 80s in Kansas City. She was so drunk she kept saying, "Is this St. Loius? Where am I?" What a sad sight she was.

Ha, R47. It never occurred to me that Sarah Vaughn was drunk the night I saw her, but she was mean and unkind and just awful. Her voice was in good shape, but she was such a bitch, I didn't care.

[quote]I've been to six Stevie Nicks concerts since 1983 and the only one that was less than excellent was1985 or 1986, right before she went to Betty Ford. She seemed very high that night. Maybe your friends just don't like her voice.

Dude I'm just telling you what they told me.

Liza around '95 or '96: she had just had vocal cord surgery and literally could not sing. She apologized to the crowd by saying, "Sorry for my chokin' and crokin' up here." Half the audience left at intermission.

I doubt she even makes excuses anymore, r50.

I saw the Pretenders around the time of their first few hits -- awful concert. It was just noise, barely recognizable as songs. And it seemed that most of the band was under the influence of something.

As fate would have it, I saw the Pretenders again some years later. This time it was a much better, more professional concert.

Mariah Carey - The Emancipation of Mimi Tour.

She wandered around the stage endlessly in ill-fitting clothes and couldn't relax. Her voice was already deteriorating at this point but she would occasionally hit these amazing notes, which we know now were dubbed in, as evidenced from the New Year's Eve disaster.

I saw Stevie Nicks and the Pretenders in November. Both were great. Stevie told stories about some of the songs, which were not songs she does live very much and were on her most recent release, which the tour was in support of. It was one of the best shows I have been to, and I really went to see the Pretenders.

Not really awful, but interesting. Saw the Gogos at a small concert hall about 5 minutes before their first big album came out and the girls were still learning how to play their instruments. They were giggly and quite often enthusiastic but they hit a few odd notes

Elton John at MSG--seemed bored.

Madonna--about 2 hours late and not one fucking ounce of joy or spontaneity.

Not really the worst per se, but one of the few I walked out on early. The Pet Shop Boys, in Nashville a few months ago. I LOVE the PSB. I still buy their current music. I still listen to them. I saw them years ago in NYC, and thought they put on a fantastic show. This show was the first time they've ever played Nashville, and I got third row seats for it. I then read that Es Devlin designed the sets, so I was even more excited. My excitement turned to boredom pretty quickly. I know the PSB's are all about cold facades and jaded disengagement, but Neil Tennant looked and acted like he was on remote control. There wasn't one ounce or enthusiasm, no spontaneity, and it felt like they could have just grabbed anyone from the audience to just stand onstage and look bored. And the sets were nothing special; mostly just geometric projections. I was disappointed, because i really do love their music, but I doubt I would ever go see them again.

R56, was that the MDNA tour? I remember waiting forever for her

The Cars in 1988 or so. Sounded ok, but no one moved at all, mannequin style.

Kate Bush -- Traveled to London to see her a couple years ago -- she hadn't toured in 30 years. Love love love her, but she and her son acted out this weird story the last half of show. Kinda disappointing.

Not all bands or artists jump around the stage or engage in playful banter. The Cars, The Pixies are just two examples of "stand still and play."

Rickie Lee Jones threw her guitar down and walked off stage in a small Houston club because people wouldn't stop talking.

I love Stevie Nicks and have seen every tour. Saw her fall off the stage in Houston circa 1986.

Eric Clapton = "Trained animal act"

System of a Down. The rest of the audience ate it up, thinking it was edgy and energetic. I found it incredibly repetitive and formulaic. It was painful to listen to what was essentially the same song over and over.

Mariah Carey's Rhythmless Nation Tour. Walking around in a number of ball gowns singing fast pop songs with some lame ass dancers in the back doing Kids Incorporated choreography. Occasionally she would bust a laughable move.

R51 Although Liza's voice isn't what it used to be and she can't hit the high notes she still puts on a show and knows how to interact with her audience. Having a good-natured , friendly connection with your audience will cover up a multitude of sins.

R65: true, saw her at the Hollywood Bowl a few years ago and she did a great show.

RE Liza. I was never a fan, and went to see her years ago at the Chicago Theater almost as a joke. The joke was on me; she really put on a fantastic show. An interesting story: in Carol Bayer Sager's recent memoir, she recounts how she was once in the studio with Peter Allen as they were recording a song with Liza. Carol thought she sounded great, and told Liza that they got what they needed. Peter asked Liza to sing the song a few more times. Carol asked Peter why, and Peter told her to listen to Liza with her eyes closed, because watching her is so engaging and enthralling, that you don't realize that she really isn't singing the song well. Carol closed her eyes, and realized that Liza, indeed, did not sing the song well. So...even in the studio, Liza has the power to entertain.

I'm not a bored queen waiting for "Stand Back" R54. I've been a fan of hers since the Fleetwood Mac 'white album' in 1975.

BTW, I wasn't knocking Liza, just pointing out that her voice really is in a sad state of disrepair. Still, it's commendable that she continues to play to her remaining strengths. She really is one of the great entertainers of our time.

I saw Elaine Stritch at Town Hall here in NYC about three years before she died, but it was more like three weeks after she died. She was unable to get through a SINGLE song without forgetting the words, and of course would NEVER use a teleprompter- that's not her brand of show biz! Instead her beleaguered accompanist threw her the lyrics and often she would stop singing to YELL at him! She did manage to get through "Ladies Who Lunch" in this fashion, but it wasn't without a lot of help.

She did a LOT of talking and tried to retell her best stories from "At Liberty", but those were written FOR her by John Lahr, and she was directed in that previous show by George Wolff, both having long since run away from Elaine. Oh, she pretended to be sober, but had been drinking again for years before she admitted it. It was pathetic, and she was a mean cunt on top of it.

Although I am really only a casual fan, I saw Liza in '79 at her peak, and her Carnegie Hall return in '86 (after being sprung from Betty Ford) and they were two of the most exciting concerts I've ever attended.

Poor Rob Bowman. I hope she was generous to him in her will.

[quote] R32: Why?

The concert was in a huge sports stadium. She was so far away it would have been better on TV. There wasn't much to the show. I was sober and bored. My co-viewers were boring, too.

[quote]her Carnegie Hall return in '86 (after being sprung from Betty Ford)

r70, is this the one that was released on CD?

Roberta Flack, with Barry Manilow as her warm up act. Barry was really starting to get noticed then, and he stole the show. Flack was so pissed she came out an hour late, so Barry came back on stage and did a few more numbers for the crowd. When Flack finally came out she was booed. Many people.got up and left, and after a twenty minute performance, she left the stage. And no one cared.

Billy Ray Cyrus. He opened with Achy Breaky Heart, then sang it again after 3 more songs.

Later in the show he asked for requests, so we got Achy Breaky Heart again. The encore? You guessed it, Achy Breaky again.

It was all just too much.

I saw Tiffany at Orland Hicks mall in the 80's. Bitch was late to start and my cheese fries got cold. I hate that whore.

Dave Matthews Band. First, the fans. Bimbos wandering the tailgate area in their skimpiest creation from Hollister. It was a fifty degree June day, I was wearing a sweater. All the guys smoking pot. In the bathroom, people wouldn't bother to wait, they just peed on the wall, LIKE CATTLE.

Next, the band. This wasn't their fault, but the feed for the sound & big video monitors kept going out. It was torture. But this was their fault; They basically only played four songs, which were half hour/45 min jam sessions. BORING!! Never again.

I saw Fleetwood Mac On With The Show 2 years ago and was enchanted, sorry to those that had a bad experience with La Nicks.

Omg, so funny about Billy Ray. I needed that early morning laugh. Did the audience boo him? What a hilarious repetitious mess that must have been.

R58--yes. She was texting it in.

Too funny, [R7].

RE Billy Ray. I saw the Police on their first US tour, at a punk club in Boston. Their first album was not out yet, but the local indie station was playing "Roxanne," which was then just an import single. They did not have enough songs for a full set, so played a few songs twice. I thought they sucked, although, even then, Sting had charisma. I never liked the Police, always thought they were overrated.

r67 no offence, but Carol can barely hold a tune herself. I wonder what Peter thought of her singing.

[quote]Years ago my friend saw Taylor Dane at a casino. Needless to say, Taylor kept interrupting her songs for 'bathroom' breaks. Each time she would come back on stage all hopped up and a mess. Sad.

My friend said the same thing about Laura Branigan, except you have to replace "bathroom breaks" with "buffet table breaks" And replace "hopped up," with "filled up"

I saw Darren "Savage Garden" Hayes playing in Borders, just before it closed to like 10 people, of which 9 were annoyed and wanted to be left to drink their coffee in peace. "I was the tenth who wasn't"

Remember Rosie O kept trying to make Darren Hayes and Savage Garden happen? I can picture her to this day, in her craft house blasting their old songs, clueless.

Darren Hayes must have had horrible managers or booking agents. For the amount of success Savage Garden had, he should have been able to parlay that to an opening slot on a good prestige tour, or at least a run through the more celebrated performance places . But Starbucks? Wow. That is a mighty fall. He must have made so much money with SG, though, that he was touring out of love, not necessity, so at least that's a good thing.

What you don't know, r86, is that Darren performed only during bathroom breaks working as a barista.

Fleetwood Mac, right after "Tusk" so maybe 81 or 82? Everybody in the band was great but Stevie sounded horrible, more adenoidal than usual and sang flat, sharp, rough edge on her voice, everything. All the top hats and twirling in the world couldn't hide it especially compared with the precision of everybody else on that stage. I assumed she did too much coke the night before or something.

[quote]Brian Wilson a couple of years ago.

r17 The 2005 SMiLe tour? I saw that in DC. Give the guy a break. His voice isn't what it once was, and the man has been through hell. I was so glad to be able to watch him perform his obra maestra, I couldn't have cared less that he wasn't quite making sense reading from the teleprompter. It's one of my favorite concerts just for the fact of its having taken place at all.

This thread is turning out exactly as I thought it would. One person (like me) will say so-and-so at the wherever was awful, and then their vocal fans will say no, they were brilliant. No, you just don't understand them. No, you just have no taste. No, they were just recovering from a rough patch.

What's the point of this thread then? We all have our opinions on what we consider the worst concert. It's subjective. It's not supposed to be a battle of who can convince others that the shit they saw on stage that night was, in fact, pure artistry.

Dolly Parton. The bitch did sing a word and she wasn't very good at the lip synch.

Watching that clip of Brian Wilson reminded me of how much I hate the Beach Boys. I just never understood their appeal, and I'm in the music industry where they are still revered. I don't get it. And R90, I agree. I think some people are just so happy to see their musical heroes, that they don't recognize when their talent falls short in concert. They're just happy to be there. Some of us can be more objective about our heroes talent, or have seen enough concerts to know what is good and what is bad. It is also sometimes hard to distinguish if a concert is good because the band was great, or because you had a good time in spite of or because of the talent onstage. I know I've had terrible times at great shows, and great times at terrible shows; the trick is to recognize why you had the good time.

Ariana Grande, in Manchester. Shot in the head twice. Waiting for the paramedics to get..............

R35 how could you have seen Sarah Vaughan in the early 90's when she died in 4/3/90. You stupid motherfucker asshole.

R76, u were saving the cheese fries for Tifanny? 💋

Stevie Nicks has the the type of fans who love her and say she's terrific no matter how bad she sounds or how much she rambles. I'm sure her voice is pretty shitty these days; age and all those years of drug abuse have no doubt taken their toll. Even at its best her voice always sounded somewhat shredded and gnarly. I never much cared for it. "A nanny goat with a head cold" is how once critic described it.

Her voice is crap but I'd still pay to see her.

JNGASP if people like Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys. I make fun of Madonna every chance I get, so have at it, r90 and r92. Let it all out.

Ariana Grande CONCERT IN MANCHESTER

I thought it was going to be da bomb, R99. Instead, *she* bombed.

Savage Garden had some of the most annoying pop tunes of the late nineties. Their songs make my ears bleed.

R94. This is R35. Clearly I had the dates wrong. It must have been in the late 80's. I moved to NYC in 87, and left in 93. I thought I saw her in the latter part of my stay there, but clearly I did not. I was off by a few years. Is that any reason to call me a "motherfucking stupid asshole"? Why would you be so unkind for such a random, simple date mixup?

I saw Ariana Grande in Manchester today.

There were explosions and gunfire and everyone thought it was a terrorist attack!

R35 if you are planning on trashing Sarah Vaughan at least get your dates straight you stupid motherfucker.

Anyone else want to chime in with their Ariana Grandeur bon mot? You'll be late to the party, but someone is bound to think your hilarious.

I agree r92, I had a friend who went to some Madonna show in the last couple of years. Reviews were terrible, madge showed up late. When I asked my friend how it was he gushed that it was wonderful, that she was awesome and well worth the wait. No one minded he said, although social media was littered with angry (former) fans who were furious she had made them wait. Some people can't see past their own adoration of the singer/band to have an objective view of the performance, they're just so delighted to be there that they'll lap up whatever crap is thrown at them.

The Sarah Vaughn super fan calling names over a date mix-up really knows how to keep it classy!

Janet the pig never showed up! 😤

I think the SV super fan IS Sarah Vaughn, typing from the dead. She was a cunt when she was alive, and she seems to still be one. And to the fan: if something so innocuous as getting a date wrong has you that riled up, you might have something a little larger going on. You should check it out.

[quote] but someone is bound to think your hilarious.

Oh, [italic]dear.[/italic]

R84, thank you for that, I laughed soooo much! I was having such a shitty day and really needed the laugh...that's why I love DL!

Brian Wilson is performing the pet sounds album right now. I saw him a few weeks ago, and the crowd loved him. He did have to have help on some of the songs, but the help came from original beach boy al jardine and his son Matt who both sounded great. He had a great accompanying band that obviously worshiped him. Considering he is 75, has had numerous bouts with addiction and mental illness he was pretty damn good.

Everyone thought Brian Wilson would be the first to go. And Al Jardine looked old in 1962.

(R59) everyone I've ever known that's been to a Cars concert has said the exact same thing.

I saw Ban Morrison in Boston maybe 20-25 years ago. He had a backup singer take the lead and sing every song. It was awful. Never said a word to the audience.

Liz Phair at 9:30 Club in DC, somewhere around 2004. So boring and self-absorbed.

Fleetwood Mac early 80's and all coked out of their brains but still awesome.

How disrespectful for these performers to come to the stage drugged out. We work hard for our money, and tickets are expensive. Their lack of respect to the people that cared enough to spend their time and money is ungracious on their part.

I agree r117, although I find the ones who deliberately come out and act as though they'd rather be anywhere else far worse. Perhaps the ones that are wasted had good intentions. But those like Justin Bieber who, I've read, at times performs without ever smiling or acknowledging his audience are just prats who don't deserve their career. I understand they make a fortune from concerts, but why hold a concert if they can't be bothered. This isn't a free cash grab. In exchange for the patrons hard earned money there needs to be a performer who doesn't look pissed to be there and needs to sing on key. That's their job not some unrealistic expectation.

Yes, R118. That is exactly how I felt about the Pet Shop Boys concert I posted about upstream. They acted bored and like they would rather be anywhere but there. I might not have noticed if I hadn't had tickets so close to the stage, but that is one time being so close ruined the concert for me.

I don't mind if a band is high or drunk. I would rather that, because then you might get some spontaneity, rather than a show that is completely rote.

I also saw the Pet Shop Boys in concert. Not very memorable live but I still love their music. I think some acts are just not meant for touring.

Lana Del Ray, SNL.

R103 But it was just a vulnerable little Muslim playing with some exploding presents. The poor Muslim was very shaken and needed love, understanding and sympathy.

r118 I saw Justin Bieber a few years ago in concert. Cody Simpson and Carly Rae Jepsen opened. Cody and in particular Carly were both terrific; in good voice and seemed happy to be there.

Justin, on the other hand, lip-synched 80% of the show, looked bored and went through the motions; no engagement at all. It was a professionally well done show - good lighting, stage design, etc., but Justin looked like he was waiting for the cheque.

R123, how did Justin's ass look?

Ariana Grande

Right on time, r125!

I hate to be just like whiney old r90 says, but I saw Laura Branigan at 88's in the Village and she was incredible. She sand pop, folk, rock, Broadway show tunes, and jingles (she used to be a jingles singer for commercials)! I heard her in fine voice and it was a supern show. This was late in her career, but she had it together.

*sang, not sand, oops.

How about concerts that were great? I went to a great cancer benefit gig at Irving Plaza, think it was about 20012-2003.

The line up was, The Roots (always excellent, but Questlove's drum solo was a bit long), Dave Navarro's offshoot band Camp Freddy (with Donovan Leitch and Alice In Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell) and Lou Reed. It was a pretty amazing show, the Camp Freddy guest singer was actress Gina Gershon, she was great. I recall she played a singer on some TV series years ago, I had no idea she had such a good voice, she reminded me a bit of Chrissie Hyde. Lou Reed was pretty good, from where I was in the audience, I noticed he cracked a smile a few times.

Interesting feedback

[quote]How about concerts that were great?

This thread:

Interesting that everyone mentions Sarah Vaughn. She would sing at Wolf Trap just outside Washington, DC, every summer. I keep meaning to go each year but was always too busy.

Then she died.

I always regretted that I never got to see her live,

It's a mystery why he'd even bother having a concert R123. I understand that his people probably push for it as touring brings in so much money, but at this point he's powerful enough to say no. I doubt anyone makes him do anything he doesn't want to anymore and he doesn't need the money. Is he hoping to come out and find the seats filled by cool 25 year old hipsters because that won't happen. His last album was pretty good, people of all ages liked it but it doesn't change the fact that he's fan base is still predominantly teenage girls and the ones most likely to buy a ticket his show. If he's coming out on stage and he's instantly pissed because his audience isn't who he's hoping they'd be then stop touring.

R132 - agreed. it's a different world now too. Most people can watch online any celebrity they choose. Most people post their music online. I wonder if concerts have decreased in attendance? I know it's different and fun to say I went and saw so and so.

I remember when concerts by big name groups and bands were under $15.

For r134. I saw the Byrds and the Beach Boys that year.

R131 I'm the Sarah Vaughan defender. I hate to see her trashed when she had so many problems. That voice was her gift, and you'll notice no-one says she sucked. They call her out on behavior. That always gets me. I saw SV at Carnegie Hall, Summer 1985. She was unforgettable. The packed house sure enjoyed it, as did I.

My partner really wanted to see Stevie Nicks last concert here. I looked up tickets they were almost $300 just for one. Crazy. I know it's a privilege to see them life, but that just appeared selfish to charge so much. Who can spend that kind of mone? I cannot. So we did not go. I know it takes money to put on a show, I respect paying. However, that is just an astronomical price. Our seats would not have even been close to the stage. I must have been clueless to think we could even go.

R137 sorry for all the typos I got carried away typing. I should have proofed.

Thanks, r135. The Stones for 5 bucks! Ha!

I remember seeing The Who in Mid-South Coliseum in the mid-'70s and I seem the recall my ticket was $11.50.

This was pre-Ticketmaster?

High-priced Rolling Stones tickets: 8.50

I can't think of ANY act today that I would pay over $25 to see live.

What with the parking, the ridic refreshment costs, the hassles at the door (security checks), etc. etc. etc.

Barbra.

I'm sure there are 20,000 people who after yesterday have a new answer for this thread.

Missy Elliot. In Nashville, as the Municipal Auditorium . Despite the fact that he name was on the top of the bill and on the ticket, she decided that she didn't want to perform that night. She just emceed, and introduced all the other bands. I have never seen a worse-organized show. The bands would come on, just loiter about the stage, mumble into the mic, then leave, wander back on, then another band would come out. There was no structure, no organization to the performers. The sound system was woefully inadequate for the size of the hall. It was almost like someone hooked up their card stereo, and put the speakers in the cavernous hall. It was atrocious. It was so bad, I demanded my money back from the box office. It was a little odd: there were other people, also asking for money back, and they gave it to me, but not to the others. I was one of the few white people in the entire auditorium, and, I suspect, they just wanted me out of there, or they didn't think that the blacks would cause a scene as much as a disgruntled white guy. To my eye, there was something overtly racist about refunding my money, but not the black people asking for refunds.

Years ago I went with friends to see the Neville Brothers at the Warfield in San Francisco (I wasn't a huge fan, but my friends were and the Nevilles did put on a good show).

Midway through the concert they announced a special guest, and Carlos Santana walked out. The hippies in the audience went crazy and he did his noodling around on the guitar and making stupid faces for five... then ten... then fifteen minutes. Pretty soon it was a Santana concert and a lot of the people who were there to see the Nevilles streamed out to the lobby, pissed off as hell. By the time he finally got offstage it was 45 minutes later.

Really annoying, selfish move.

Lenny Kravitz is a hit-and-miss performer. I've seen him three times. The first time he was amazing, playing a hits-packed set in an intimate venue.

The next time I saw him it was in a bigger venue and it was very self-indulgent. Lots of preaching and he must have been high.

The third time I saw him it was kind of a hybrid of the first two shows I saw. He performed a 30-minute version of Let Love Rule.

[quote]Stevie Nicks, last month. She was awful. She doesn't drink or drug anymore, but she also doesn't reach for any notes, dance, or spin anymore either.

Let's see YOU dance and 'spin' when you're 69!

You Americans really do like to flog a dead horse when it comes to old people. It's unbelievable!

The worst concert I *never* attended, and never would, is a Frankie Grande concert.

I'd rather poke my eyes out with ice-picks than watch that non-spectacle.

I saw Sarah Vaughan at Symphony Hall in Boston in the mid-80's. Billy Eckstine opened and they did a song or two together. For her own set her trio played 'Inner City Blues" as she emerged from stage left after scatting the tune from offstage. It was a lovely show and I remember her as warm and charming. I'm surprised to hear all the negative stuff here.

I saw The Rolling Stones twice, not really Inpressed.

Saw U2 three times, twice during the original Joshua Tree tour, and they were outright lousy. And I was all about U2 in college. Huge disappointment.

Saw Sir Elton twice. Ray Cooper(?) the percussionist, was outstanding. Elton was OK.

Saw Fleetwood Mac, sans Lindsey Buckingham, and they were good. Christine McVie in particular. Could have lived without Mick's 15 minute drum solo, but that let me go get a beer and not miss anything.

I got Chris Isaak's signature in AC after he opened up for Bonnie Raitt. He and his band were just standing around outside the arena waiting to be noticed.

I saw Smashing Pumpkins, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Pearl Jam together in 1991. RHCP and PJ put on a good show, but the Pumpkins were boring as hell live and Billy Corgan was an unpleasant dick.

I can't stand smashing pumpkins at all, his voice is really terrible, like nails on chalkboard. And he dated courtney love, enough said. 2 peas in a peapod.

I like Tori Amos, but she came to a venue that was a hockey rink / basketball court. It was awful. First, she was on my left, so it was a pain to even see her (half a mile away from my seats). The sound quality was so horrible, it would've been better to just listen to the CD in my car. These places seem to do absolutely nothing to improve acoustics. I don't even know why she would have gone there.

Not to mention, I got the tickets 2 minutes after they went on sale. I remember being on hold for like 20 minutes before the line opened, but I was allotted a seat in the last 1/4th of the arena - in the second or third deck. On the phone, they claimed everything else was sold out. When I called to complain later (since the seats were a lot worse than I thought), they claimed they release seats in batches and calling early doesn't guarantee a good seat. They also had "sold out" of all of the seats on the actual floor facing the stage, yet there were probably 50 empty seats I could easily see on the floor. However, the security guards were total ass holes if you even tried to move one row over. You were certainly not going to get onto the floor.

Oh and some whiny straight couple to the left of us were complaining the whole time and didn't want to be there. I don't know if they won the ticket or what - but I was like - can you shut up or get the fuck out? Why are you even here?

r150 Chris Isaak is a great performer. Still a good looking man. My only quibble about his show was that it was too short. But definitely see him.

R153, lots of venues release 'house seats' the night of a concert OR not at all, perhaps the 50 empty seats you saw were house seats which, for some reason, were not released to the public for that concert.

A friend worked at Radio City Music Hall, their house seats were scattered within the first 10 rows. House seats are usually set aside for a venue's employees, but a lot of people who work at concert halls, and other venues, simply don't go to concerts. My friend never went to many RC concerts, he would get me tickets for most of the shows I wanted to see. House seats are not free to the employees. My friend would set aside his four seats for me, I went directly to the box office and paid the actual price, I don't think I ever paid a processing fee.

I guess I haven't gone to enough concerts to hate any of them. But I find most rock and pop music better on record (or CD, or whatever) than live, so I've never been drawn to the concert experience.

Who ever thought concerts tickets would cost over $100-$300. How ridiculous. No show is worth that. It's laughable.

$100 used to be scalper prices for a concert ticket for first row seat. I'd rather spend my money going out with friends, have a wonderful dinner and good conversation. I agree R156, I'd rather listen to an LP or CD. Concert experiences have lost their spark.

If I do go to concert I prefer smaller venues, like a club or Carnegie Hall. I've never understood seeing a band in a place the size of MSG or a stadium, especially when the concert goers have to watch the concert on huge monitors, why bother?

Broadway doesn't go for mews and goats, R12.

V.G., BTW

I went to see Sting because it was free, and I liked the Police. He's not an engaging performer, and sang every song from "Dream of the Blue Turtles" which hadn't been released yet, and is all slow songs.

Big Sting fan here, "Dream of the Blue Turtles" is not "all slow songs". "If You Love Somebody...", "Love Is the Seventh Wave" and "Shadows in the Rain" are not slow songs.

The Soul Cages is an extremely depressing album, if you want to talk slow and depressing songs. IIRC, it was written or recorded around the time of one of Sting's parents deaths, both of Sting's parents died fairly young, think they were both in their 50s.

So you're talking about 1985 Sting? Bitter since then?

Saw Barry White in Frankfurt, Germany. He stayed seated the whole show so it was like being serenaded by Jabba the Hut. But when he died a few months later, I was glad I had seen him at least. Talk about a true Farewell performance.

Jabba? Did someone say, Jabba?

ESCAPADE, Y'ALL!

Milli Vanilli

Michael Jackson, 30th Anniversary Celebration in 2001...Michael was in a very bad shape, high as fuck, off course lipsyncing all the way and repeated his ridiculous robotic moves.

However, It was hilarious to see Marlon Brando babbling on and being booed off the stage.

Wasn't Whitney high at the same concert?

Richie Havens. Syria Mosque, Pittsburgh c. 1968-71. (Whatever his hay-day was.) Was so wasted. Didn't get through one song for the whole concert. Would begin a song then stop and ramble on and on about nothing. Over and over again.

Love it, r162! Worst concert I ever saw was Molly Hatchet. To be fair, I hate heavy metal, and they were the opening act for The Allman Bros. Used to have a friend who was such an Allmans fan that once, when Whipping Post came on the radio, he became so excited he crossed all 3 lanes of the GW Bridge horizontally. The Allmans were fine, but I wish they'd come on first.

R167 yes

R167 When was Whitney sober?

This wasn't a live gig, it was a concert aired on TV. I was surprised it was aired at all. It didn't go out live, it was a pre-recorded performance. It was Natalie Cole drugged out of her mind, screaming and screeching through every song. The songs she was attempting to sing weren't her usual smooth jazz type stuff. It was unbelievable.

I think this concert was on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert show or one of those late night concert shows which were on the broadcast channels, this was pre-cable. It was one of the worst performances I'd ever seen in my life and I've witnessed hundreds of live concerts. RIP Ms. Cole.

r172, you stupid asshole. Natalie Cole wasn't smooth Jazz for the majority of her career.

[quote]you stupid asshole. Natalie Cole wasn't smooth Jazz for the majority of her career.

Wow, take you meds today? Why so angry over a post? Get a grip!

I don't know WTF you'd call Natalie's music, R'n'B? It was also jazzy. My father was a jazz musician, so I know what jazz if! Idiot! It sure wasn't the tone-deaf caterwauling she was doing during that TV broadcast. I couldn't even hear any semblance of her beautiful voice, she was literally screeching like a cat in heat. I also recall she was super skinny and basically looked and acted drugged to the gills.

i did take my meds, r174, thank you very much. now off with your head!

The Kinks,.

Damian Rice, 9:30 Cllub, DC. I wanted to claw my face off, I was so bored, but I couldn't t ditch my friend.

I've told this story before here at DL.

Back in the early 70s, Anne Murray was the opening act for the Rolling Stones at the old out door Yale bowl in New Haven. Things were different back then, they never searched anyone so everyone was smoking dope and drinking alcohol.

The concert started way late so everyone was toasted by the time Anne Murray came on. When she started to sing that stupid infernal song "Spread Your Tiny Wings and Fly Away", people started throwing their empty beer cans and alcohol bottles on the stage at her and she had to cut her act way short. This only made a further delay because the Stones weren't ready to play yet. Horrible night.

R178 with another story here.

In the late 70s I lived in Athens, GA. Dolly Parton was the opening act for the Village People. It was a good concert but I've never been able to understand why such divergent talents go on the road together.

R178 The song that you are talking about is Anne Murray's first big hit called "Snowbird" which I have and really like. But somehow I can't see The Rolling Stones and Anne Murray on the same bill.

UB40 - Paramount.

What the hell kind of moronic promoter would book The Stones with Anne Murray?! Most of the concerts I've ever attended, the booked bands played similar music.

Before the Palladium in NYC became the large infamous club, I saw XTC there. Joan Jett and The Blackhearts were the opening band, they were incredible, the crowd went nuts. By the time XTC hit the stage, the audience were still screaming for more Joan! I figured most of the crowd were there for Joan not XTC, especially as the concert was sold out. I felt so bad for XTC, they were always an excellent live band, but Joan's crowd clearly weren't their's.

Asked this question to a co-worker. His response: "Ja Rule, what a waste of a free ticket, he sucked." Two, maybe 3 days later, the Fyre Festival debacle was all over the media.

Taylor Dane at Tracks in DC. Awful.

Dire Straits in 1992 and Mark Knopfler (sp?) in 2001. I like the band/him, but both shows were people going through the motions, putting about zero energy into the "performances," coming across as somewhere between indifferent and rude.

On a cheerier note,I wasn't much of a fan of Guns N Roses or Van Halen w. Sammy Hagar, but I saw 'em both for free and enjoyed the concerts, mostly because everyone in each band made a serious effort to put on a good show.

Hey r179 -- Dolly opened for Jackson Browne at a concert I attended in the late '70s. Were these odd pairings the work of Sandy Gallin, ya think?

Really loved the LiZa videos up thread. Voice is gone but I would pay to see her today. What a great performer - even if she's a little croaky.

Wavves --an all ages show. Fucking turned me off the band. The opening band sounded like shit (on purpose?) I can't even remember who they were but they were trying to be lame o Sonic Youth wannabes with shit hair. I did not even stay for Best Coast.

Dolly and Village People doesn't seem so odd -- both gay camp and it was the late 70s. And the idea of her with Jackson Browne seems like part of her "mainstreaming" campaign, yes, via Sandy Gallin. The Village People might've been part of that too.

Still, poor Anne Murray being pelted with beer cans could have been avoided. But I always thought the same thing would've happened to Streisand in "Star is Born" if some woman who looked like a Pasadena schoolteacher came out and started singing "I Believe in Love" at Woodstock or whatever.

Holy hell, r145, I was at that concert too! Yes, it was fun in the beginning, but when Carlos went on for about 10 minutes with no respite, we left. One of my boyfriend's friends was so wasted, he threw up his sushi dinner in the back of my car.

This thread is currently below the "French Singer Dies on Stage" thread. How appropriate.

I go to so few concerts, I don't have a "worst."

It wasn't a bad concert, but a friend of mine and I went to see Prince on his One Night Alone tour, and these two butch drunk lesbians behind us kept screaming "play Pussy Control!!!". "How about a little Pussy Control!!!', "Prince, you're so sexy!!!". We had to turn around a few times to tell them to shut the fuck up, and then they proceeded to bitch about us for the rest of the show.

Pat Benatar & Cyndi Lauper at their respective "blues" concerts. They didn't do one of their hits. All boring blues songs.

Frankie Goes to Hollywood at the Beacon in NYC. It sounded like it was all on tape. Their opener Belouis Some was better. Pet Shop Boys at Radio City. They had no stage presence and were overshadowed by the moving scenery. Also didn't seem like it was live. New Order at Jones Beach just sat at their computers or keyboards. Very boring. They were on a triple bill with Gene Love Jezebel & Echo and the Bunnymen.

Journey (with the new guy). We were in a foul mood before going so that might have contributed to our hatred of the show. We had been drinking on a hot deck with 2 str8 couples who we were going with. The deck and getting to the concert were a pain in the ass. We had floor tickets and my b/f was almost crying in pain because he had hurt his knee. So the opening act begins, its loud heavy metal from some shitty band I never heard of. We were both stunned and deafened and in a really vicious mood at this point. The opening noise seemed to go on forever but we tried to remain calm. Then Journey appeared and of course everyone stood up. B/F could only stand for a while because of his knee. The music was forgettable as was the new lead singer. We stayed for 1.5 songs and left.

All the old divas still around doing cabaret in NYC in the 80's. They were ALL awful and I GOT paid later by the old queens who would be my host for the evening.

The Poughkeepsie Tone Deaf Philharmonic

Johnny Cash when I was little. He was so wasted.

Imagine Dragons at the Hollywood Bowl 2017. Imagine Dragons now attracts little children and their annoying parents. The night I saw them it was seriously like a kids playground. 70% of the crowd were children and parents who were busy playing games in the stands during the concert. I D couldn't stop talking about their kids between songs. Never again.

[quote] The concert started way late so everyone was toasted by the time Anne Murray came on. When she started to sing that stupid infernal song "Spread Your Tiny Wings and Fly Away", people started throwing their empty beer cans and alcohol bottles on the stage at her and she had to cut her act way short. This only made a further delay because the Stones weren't ready to play yet. Horrible night.

I don’t care if this really happened or if it was false memory implanted in the poster’s mind. It made me howl!

R201 me too! Poor Anne Murray. He’s probably the same poster who started the Anne Murray thread. Anne made a significant impact on him forever.

R178, not sure what kind of drugs you were on, but Anne has never opened for the Stones. Google it. The only mention is this thread. Matter of fact, by 1974, Anne was such a huge success in the US that BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN was HER opening act. Talk about a weird pairing!

I took a bus load of older people to an Anne Murray concert in the 90s. I’ve never been a huge fan, but she gave the best concert I’ve ever seen, bar none. It was perfection.

Janet my pussy is wet tour

R205 got to go. Her pussy is too large now after birthing her baby.

Fleetwood Mac on their last tour a few years ago. They were all pretty diminished, sadly. Watching that concert, I understood why bands like ABBA and a few others decided to leave the party early. Sometimes, that's a smart decision.

Saw Natalie Merchant this past summer - she seemed so pissed off to have to sing any of her old hits. She was very crabby before and during the performance. It was actually weird - like, why even perform if you don't enjoy it?

Taylor Dayne at Traxx in DC...1994 or 95. She sang all of three songs. With canned music. Then the bitch left.

R209 my friend went to her concert and she was very ‘coked’ up. She kept leaving in the middle of songs to go do another line. She would come back finish the song sniffling and actually looked like she wet herself. She was a mess. This was at a local casino. She never played there again.

Pink Floyd back in November 1987. It was at a stadium in Miami , where we got hit with some pretty nasty hurricane weather. It was cold, and the rain was pouring so hard and was coming in sideways because the wind was whipping it around .

If that wasn’t bad enough,there is no cover at all since it was a stadium. Everyone Was huddling together with their heads down between their legs.

Pink Floyd couldn’t bring out the inflatable pig, or any of the other props. because the wind was blowing so hard. It was the beginning of hurricane season, and it sucked big-time because they left early and everyone got completely drenched in the freezing cold getting pelted.

Me and my friends left early because her teeth were chattering and we were shivering. Other than that they sounded good!

Fine Young Cannibals in Toronto circa 1989. Rude, arrogant and kept restarting songs if they felt the audience wasn't giving them the respect they deserved. At one point Roland Gift left the stage and after 15 minutes came back on asking if we were going to pay attention. It was less a concert and more a lecture from a school teacher.

Chuck berry I won free tickets on the radio. I had no idea who he was or sung. He was a drunken mess. He was trying to scoot on the floor and kept falling over. Sad, but funny too. Damn he was so old too. People need to retire.