Inspired by the live gig you would like to see again post I thought about gigs I looked forward to that left me cold.
There have been a couple for me. I am a big fan of the recorded work of Los Lobos yet when I have seen them live (twice) they have failed to move me. I have heard live tracks of theirs on disc and they have it in them to be incendiary. Yet both times I saw them they appeared to be going through the motions.
Another huge disappointment was Robert Cray – recorded output fine. I expected a live performance with extended solos etc but nada – almost a note perfect facsimile of his albums. Really what is the point?
Who burst your bubble with a below par live performance?
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Oh Josh Rouse. Loved his albums, saw him live where only a large sign saying I DONT WANT TO BE HERE could have made it plainer. Talk about phoning it in. He told a roadie to phone it in. His albums are great but I can’t love them as much.
Check the thread, also has worst gigs.
I too was disappointed by Robert Cray. As you say, trotting out the album plus his guitar tone was terrible.
The last time he was on ‘Later…’ his guitar sound was ghastly – like scratchy amplified piano wire. What is he thinking?
I saw him in the early ‘90s on the Midnight Stroll tour, I think.
I enjoyed it, but mainly because his band were top notch. The Hammond player and the drummer lifted everything.
I saw the Robert Cray Band at the Hammy Odeon in 1988.
We had great seats. Row 2 or 3.
I remember it being a very professional, polished show. Cray was in fine voice.
I had no idea a video recording existed of one of those Hammersmith shows….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egdmuFd7bLA
I have seen RC a couple of times. Once in his heyday when he was regarded as the new Blues Guitarist slinger on the block. The other time was as support to. Clapton at the Royal Albert Hall.
On both occasions I was totally unmoved and just found his performances as really boring.
Regrettably, Andy Irvine played an unusually poor show in Belfast in January 2019, at a packed out venue (the Black Box). His repertoire has always been very wordy and complex musically. He had taken a month or so off beforehand – being usually very active on the road – and had taken the opportunity to relearn some older stuff he hadn’t played in a while. Sadly, once he had forgotten the lyrics to one number part way through, he kept holding the chord pattern and getting increasingly frustrated with himself that he couldn’t recall the next line. This then kept happening to the point that his mood got grim and the audience became uncomfortable – sympathetic of course, but just wishing him to stop trying to play complex / resurrected repertoire and just play something easy. In fact, one woman shouted up just that – it would have been the right thing to do for his sake and the punters.
Andy was 77 at the time – he’s fiercely intelligent and driven and I can understand his frustration. But he’s a living legend and audiences would be perfectly happy for him to turn up and play an hour of ‘greatest hits’ instead of two hours of regularly revolving repertoire. I longed to tell Andy this, but he wouldn’t speak to anyone after the show and didn’t respond to an email.
YouTube clips since then show that he’s still perfectly capable of playing and singing brilliantly – but there is no shame, at 78 and with nothing to prove, to just going out there and playing a manageable set – to accepting that we are none of us flawless or immortal. And also, on a more prosaic level, if you are charging money as a performer, you need to be delivering a ‘professional’ performance. Andy can most definitely do this – but not if he’s trying to defy age and memory to deliver a kind of show he could have done 20 years ago.
Here he is with a brilliant accompanist in Australia in 2017:
He can still easily deliver a great night out; he needs to relax a bit more into the certain knowledge that those paying to hear him sing and play are all both on his side and eager to share a fun evening with him, missed words, fluffed chords and all – they matter not.
See here: https://theafterword.co.uk/andy-irvine/
Black Sabbath. 1978. Their worst year. “Symptom of the Universe” kicked things off and was all you’d want of the Sabs in full flight, and I thought we were in for an exciting evening. But that was it. As the charlie wore off, they got weaker and weaker, with lousy solos and the lead singer being increasingly desperate to excite the audience. It wasn’t loud enough, either.
Bob Marley and the Wailers were weak too, but as he died 10 months later, he may have been lacking in vim for understandable reasons.
I saw Pink Floyd on the Animals tour in 1977. I felt amazingly detached from it all, despite it being before any herbal or chemical explorations. People cheering the effects was disheartening, and musically, it was far too close to the albums. You could understand why people were critical of stadium rock, as this was very much “put on a spectacle and it’ll keep the buggers happy” stuff.
Ian Dury on the “Laughter” tour wasn’t funny, either. Compared to their previous magnificent shows in Brighton, this was pretty desperate.
Of course, Roger Waters didn’t enjoy the Animals tour either….
Spit-hood that bassman!
Didn’t you get Van Halen as support on that tour though?
Squeeze touring in support of the Excess Moderation compilation – a CD so bad, that it featured a tape breakdown in the middle of one of the tracks, evidently nobody cared enough to listen to it before it was released… the live show was absolutely dreadful, with no keyboard player in the group, Glenn TIlbrook decided to “have a go” while their new mate Nick Harper shredded musically inappropriate guitar solos, normally the high point of a Squeeze song, over everything.
The tour for Frank was pretty bad as well, you could tell they were very unhappy, and were being blown off the stage every night by The Katydids.
Thankfully they have since redeemed themselves – last year’s tour was easily the best I’ve seen – out of about 25 shows over the years.
The tour promoting Domino, of course, was the time when relations between Glenn and Chris were at their lowest, mostly (but not wholly) due to Chris’s drink problems. It got to such a low that when the band did an arena tour supporting Blondie, Chris went on tour with Jools Holland instead and Squeeze performed as a four piece.
Thankfully I missed that tour (and album).
I got to see the pre tour warm up in New Cross. Just as well as Chris went AWOL next day.
I saw the Guildford gig on the Excess Moderation tour…it was mostly kind of OK but definitely going through the motions with one too many crowd singalongs for my liking.
Taj Mahal at Kentish Town in about 1987 or 1988.
Charles Shaar Murray mentioned it in his (excellent) “Blues on CD” book.
The problem?
The appalling sound of a Fairlight thingy squeaking away in the background of every single song.
How on earth could an artist like Taj Mahal not notice how awful it was?
He’d recorded in the Golden Age.
The dire 1980s were so obviously dire in the actual dire 1980s.
I said to my mate afterwards, “Maybe after the dire 1980s it’ll be alright to see an artist like Taj Mahal play live.” Used those exact words!
I saw Taj in 2000 and can remember no such electronic intrusions. A great night. Perhaps he’d heard you tutting.
His wife joined him on stage to dance towards the end. That was… impressive.
I’m with you. The 80s were CRAP – great acts in the 70s went crap and sounded crap and didn’t seem to have the gumption to realise it. It really did all change for the better after the decade was over. I knew it would at the time, and I was proved right.
So no great artists emerged in the 80s…really? And to disprove your theory, Van Morrison had a great 80s, Springsteen’s was none too shabby, Kate Bush was stellar. I could go on…
So many really fantastic albums from the 80s, from new acts and old. Steve McQueen, High Land Hard Rain, Eden, Tin Drum, Closer, Wilder, Neither Washington Nor Moscow, Avalon, Gaucho, The Wall/Final Cut/Pros & Cons, Penthouse & Pavement/Luxury Gap, Pirates, Bella Donna, Gabriel 3 and 4, etc etc.
They’re all 70s acts but your main point is correct. (Replying to BT).
Yes, that was my point in refuting Colin’s premise about 70s acts.
Ah yes I see what you mean.
Two words: Paul Simon.
I maintain that the 1980s is/was the worst decade in the history of jazz.
Make a list of all your favourite jazz albums; you’ll find that very few of them were released in the 1980s.
I was at that Taj Mahal gig.
I don’t recall any Fairlight spoiling the sound. Maybe it depended where you stood. As I recall I was near the back on the ground floor, to the right of centre.
Albert Collins at the Town and Country Club around 1990/91. An OK gig until Gary Moore jumped up and the audience was largely forgotten as he and Albert started trading solos. I know in theory that two fine blues players facing off ‘showdown’ style is exciting, thrilling etc but in practice it can get dull fairly quickly. We left early.
Simeone Coxe of the 60’s electronica heroes Silver Apples (and forgive me for saying this after his recent death); when he came out of retirement to play a club in Brighton in 1997 as a chance to see a cult legend of experimental rock, it was a terrible performance in front of an embarrassed crowd.
Jimmy Boo Boo &The Boo Boos, Blue Lamp Aberdeen back in the day. Just off the plane after playing for Nelson Mandela as he took the long walk back to freedom, Jimmy was emotionally and physically drained. Despite the advice of Ronnie and Billy Boo Boo he took the stage obviously the worse for wear.
The crowd, some say as many as twenty three, watched in dismay as Jimmy crashed his way through the first three numbers, each dismissed with a devil may care, who gives a fuck, I certainly don’t, make mine a large, wave of the right hand. The sound was terrible, Ronnie and Billy lost deep in the muddy mix, poor Millie sounding like a kitten caught in a mangle, and slowly but surely Jimmy lost the plot.
I felt both embarrassed and lost. Ten shillings entry fee and a pint of Ushers cost a quid! Last thing I remember is Jimmy wailing “This ain’t no party, this ain’t no disco” as we wandered disconsolate and lost into a squally and rain-swept night.
What a sad tale, Lodey!
By contrast, here are the Boos when they were still good news.
Ken Dodd.
I`d seen him on a number of occasions and was delighted and left physically exhausted from laughter. He was the absolute governor. Me and a mate got tickets to see him at Blackpool Grand, one of his favourite theatres. Although he was getting on a bit he could still captivate an audience…except on this night. I dont know if he was under the weather but his timing was out and seemed to be struggling to hit the spot that previously had seemed effortless. At the interval, I looked at my mate, he nodded and we left before the start of the second act. Mind you it was 11:00pm!
Death Cab for Cutie, Enmore Theatre, Sydney. Opened with what I assumed was an unreleased song which ran at about 50 bpm. I think a few bands – The Frames spring to mind – were trying to open gigs with striking slow songs but it just wrongfooted the vibe of the audience and it never recovered for me.
At the end of the gig the otherwise taciturn guitarist gave it “thangyewyou’vebeenfuckingawesomegoodnite!” so they must’ve felt it was OK, but I’ve only been able to listen to their ‘Plans’ album since.
Elvis Costello has a poor hit rate in my book. I’ve seen him five times. Once he was brilliant and on another occasion he was OK but that leaves three poor gigs, one of which was awful (Birmingham, 1981 or 2).
However, the gig that actually put me off the band was The Rolling Stones at Knebworth.
Elvis Costello is the artist I have seen more than anyone else (except maybe RT). Some of his shows have been out of this World -With Steve Nieve at Bridgewater Hall, With the Attractions at the Albert Hall for the Brutal Youth tour, With Nick Lowe in Liverpool and with the Imposters of the Spinning Wheel Tour. However I was seriously underwhelmed when he played with Allen Toussaint at the Tower of London. He came on stage about 45 minutes later than he should have done and we got a greatly curtailed set. Another time I saw him at Warwick arts centre and he was a bit ropey.
The tour he did earlier this year was supposed to be excellent but the last 3 gigs including the Symphony Hall were postponed because of Covid. I still have the tickets in case it is rearranged.
I have never had much luck with EC. My 5 experiences were 2 good and 3 not so good. But, strangely, the best of those, where I thought he and the Attractions incandescent, he later dismissed his performance as being not a patch on Paul Wellers, who was at the same event. I thought Weller less than inspiring, even at his first burst of dadrock gianthood. 1994 for perspective.
His last tour with the Attractions was some of the angriest, squalliest music he’s ever been involved with. A fine swansong for one of the great bands.
Because it was shite or because you were knackered? Do tell. Sure, it was silly o’clock and lord knows how many hours running late, but I just faded about 4 songs in. I wish I had been able to at least know.
It was such a long time ago but I know was bitterly disappointed. Probably because of the effort I’d put in to still *be* there at the time. Definitely sub-par performance too. They were probably knackered in more sense than one at the time. The people I was with were unimpressed too.
Peter Green.
Woe,woe and thrice woe !
Front row center at the Buxton Opera House to see my hero for the first time playing with The Splinter Group about 20 years ago.
I left the theatre in tears.
Wish that I had never gone. Totally tragic.
Also a disappointing experience for me when I saw PG & Splinter Group at London’s Jazz Café, roughly the same time as you saw him.
To be honest, I was half-expecting it to be a disappointment, having heard stories of shambolic performances and being well aware of his history.
It was very sad to see him laid so low, having seen him in his late ’60s prime with Fleetwood Mac.
I saw him in the 80s when”In the skies” came out and left early, profoundly depressed. It didn’t put me off him because he clearly had no idea what was going on. I’ve never seen a more unsympathetic backing band. They were dreadful. Went to the pub and tried to drink to forget.
The Kinks, early ‘seventies. Ray Davies’ hatred of everything – the music business, playing live, playing the hits, the audience, the band – was insulting. In every way, the worst gig I ever saw. Haven’t bought a Kinks record since, but who has?
Lightning Seeds about 23 years ago at the Shepherds Bush Empire(?) Really just went through the motions. Very disappointing and I had dreadfully anti-social wind to boot!!
Thirty years of farts never stopped me dreaming.
Was that with the Wannadies and Sice out of the Boo Radleys as support? I went to that show.
That’s the one. Just remember the Wannadies though.
I saw them on that tour. I think Ian Broudie is actually a fab songwriter, but they were never very strong live.
I recall that the Wannadies were the most twee, irritating band I’ve ever seen: every song was ‘quiet nursery rhyme’ bit, followed by BIG LOUD BIT.
I think it was actually Sice lookalike and non-politician Ed Ball who provided support. He played his ‘hit’ – the rather ace Mill Hill Self Hate Club – twice, due to string breakage.
I’ve got all her albums (solo and with the New Pornographers) but Neko Case live is dull. I gave her the benefit of the doubt the first time because she was mainly playing her new (at the time unreleased) album so I didn’t know the vast majority of the songs. I went again about 18 months later and she seemed more keen on having a chat with her backup singer than engaging with the audience. I still wan to see a New Pornographers gig with her involved but I’m not going to see her solo again.
Should bands touring ever resume, that’s food for thought as Neko is on my “never seen but want to see” list.
If she ever reaches the UK again I will obviously have to think about whether I want a ticket.
I saw her when the Sadies were her backing band, and their opening set was way better than hers, sadly. She was worthy but dull.
I saw her fairly recently (well, two years ago perhaps? Or was it last year?) and loved it. Fun anecdotes/banter between songs, in a great mood, the way I remember that gig everything was wonderful (if something was less than expected, I’ve forgotten it).
60 minutes and off and can’t be arsed.
Chuck Berry at the Ardwick Apollo many years ago.
That’s Chuck for you. But Shirley nobody expected anything else? Thousands of gigs, exactly one hour, unrehearsed pickup band … anyone expecting anything more hadn’t heard the news.
Similar experience with Johnny Winter at a club in Florida either 1988 or 89. Played 60 minutes to the second and was off. Underwhelming.
60 mintues? You were lucky. 40 minutes with a piss poor pick-up band at Middlesbrough Town Hall.
But then he always played with a pick-up band. Also took his fee in cash from the venue.
Last time I saw Patty Griffin she majored in shrieky bluesy numbers with the band crashing around her and it gave me a headache. The sound was awful too. I mentioned the sound to a marshall who said “they did their own sound” which probably explained it.
Same PA set up every venue. Grind through the tour, take the cash, fuck off home.
I have distinctly un-fond memories of Shane MacGowan in Manchester back in, I think, 2006. He stumbled onstage at 10.45 pm, with the horrified look of a fat kid whose mum had forced him to take part in a school panto.
You don’t go to see MacGowan and expect a normal gig, but you’d have thought turning up before half the crowd had to leave to get the last train might have made sense. I watched half of his opening number and went home.
The Pogues headlined Reading Festival c. early 90s. Shane shuffled on wearing a filthy mac, clutching a bottle in a brown paper bag. Burped into his mic, took a swig, fell on his arse, Spider sang instead.
Yeah, at the UEA in 1991 Shane was too gone and sat out the gig after the first few songs: disappointing.
The Fall. More than once. Yet still magnificently entertaining.
Fall. Twice. Both festival performances. Dire.
Fall. Twice. Both festival performances. Dire. Which reminds me, Public Image. Again a festival. Dreadful. But festivals sort of don’t count, as they weren’t remotely why I was there. Saved me wasting dosh on a tour.
The impression I get about going to see The Fall after about 1986 is that it was like Russian Roulette – only with five bullets instead of just the one.
Happy Mondays at Brixton Academy. This was before Yes Please wsa released – they came on late, Shaun looked waxy (like he was sweating crack), Bez had his arm in a plaster cast having recently rolled a jeep and crushed it in the Bahamas. They were ruddy awful. We were in the pub well before the end.
Stereo MCs were support, though – they blew the headliners offstage. They did the same when I saw them supporting EMF a few months before.
Totally agree about Stereo MCs, they were superb live- I saw them at Underworld in Camden & the place absolutely rocked- they were far more impressive live than a number of US ‘rap’ acts who were sloppy by comparison, seeming to think that shouting ‘ Let me hear you say, hell yeah!’ & strutting back & forth was all that was required.
Stereo MCs did their homework, could really play & worked the crowd like demons.
Yeah, they were a support act for years, I often saw them and left before the headliners took the stage. The album Connected seemed to take ages (many months) to come out.
See also: Sunscreem.
Shows by US hip hop stars are almost always absolutely shit. They walk around with their coats on for about twenty minutes with about ten under-employed mates. Then they fuck off, and we’re supposed to think, “Well that’s us told”. They make Mark E Smith look like Ken Dodd.
Little Richard, Miami Beach, 1996. A big deal to celebrate Miami’s 100th anniversary.
It was bad beyond description and on par with his repartee, his wig and his make-up.
A rock and roll God, reportedly.
He was indeed, but this was forty years after his pomp(adour).
The Wonderstuff – 1993/94 (Construction Of The Modern Idiot album tour thingy).
Seen them before a couple of times – full of life and energy.
Dull performance, no real interest from the band, terrible sound, and Miles Hunt disappearing up his own fundament (do you really need to use the word “fucking” as a comma?).
The fact they split up soon after may have been a factor, but it was not a great night out.
Miles Hunt was such a miserable…. type.
They were such a fixture in the music press back then (“The Stuffies!”), but I bet nobody under 45 has even heard of them.
Yet Miles Hunt and Erica Knockalls is an enjoyable night out. I think they were support for GP& the Rumours latter day renaissance
He was great on a recent Word in Your Ear or whatever it’s called now.
And terrific in Twin Peaks.
… tried so hard not to say that.
I think he performed “The Size of a Log”
Bob Dylan, at UCI (University of California) in Irvine, October 20, 2004 I just looked it up). I bought myself a ticket as a 45th birthday present to myself. Why did I choose to Dylan in concert when I’m not even that big a Dylan fan? Truth be told, I thought this might be the one and only time the opportunity would arise, and I’d rather go and be disappointed than not go and regret it forever.
Bob played the keyboards the entire time. He was set up so that he was positioned stage left, facing the wings stage right. He didn’t say a word during the entire show. The lights went down after every song and as they came up again, the band began a new “tune.” Those “tunes” were unrecognizable from the originals. It was almost as if they had been deliberately re-arranged to be as different from the originals as possible out of sheer bloody mindedness. Every song was now in the “Americana” or “New Country” mould. The band was perfectly good, very competent, but every song sounded like the last. And with no interaction at all, it was all very impersonal, very cold. Was Bob having a bad night or is this the norm for a Dylan show? I don’t know, I’d never seen him before. And I probably won’t see him in concert again.
I left before the end, very disappointed with Bob. But at least I had a nice, though short, chat with Don Was outside before the show.
Oh! I just remembered Gary Glitter at Cheltenham racecourse, July 1st, 1985. But I think I’ve already told that story.