Greatest live disappointment

questionsneverknown wrote: Well the most recent was just a few months ago. Went to see the combo show of Porcupine Tree opening for Coheed and Cambria.   The Dear Hunter started everything off and I'd only heard of them but hadn't actually heard them yet--I was pleasantly surprised.  So Band One was quite good.   Porcupine Tree were fantastic, though it was sad to see them in an opening slot (especially having seen the whole Incident tour last year).  Band Two good, too. Then Coheed and Cambria came on.  Like the Dear Hunter, I had heard the name but nothing of the music. But this was the big band, the one most people had apparently paid their money to see. Ugh.   The music had that repetitive anthemic quality that reminded of KISS plus one of those pop-punk groups from the 90s that had a number in their name.  Fairly average stuff, I thought.  The experience was worsened by the audience, which seemed quite intelligent up to this point, transforming into a mob of frat boys pounding fists and chanting along with the anthems.   Ah well, they were having a good time, but I thought driving home seemed like a better idea. Not the worst live experience, but the most vivid right now.  More memories will arise.

I rarely agree with moshkito (also TODDLER in this case) but this time I do. The cult of personality is what propelled rock to the limelight but that is what eventually brought it down to its knees and rendered it hollow, superficial and crassy, all the things that rock fans call pop and deride it for it.  And unlike pop, you have a whole bunch of critics who 'validate' the business of attaching more importance to non musical factors like dress, 'attitude' and what not, so it is probably quite deeply entrenched in the psyche of many rock fans that a showman is more worthy of attention than a musician.  However, maybe because I was born too late to witness the rise and decline of rock, I don't really feel the need to lash out at it and, perhaps cynically, feel with the benefit of hindsight that it was sort of inevitable (especially once the musicians are 'sold' to the public on a premise that has to do with things other than the music itself).  

Edited by rogerthat - November 20 2010 at 09:26

richardh wrote: Although someone I know always goes on about the time when Van Halen supported Black Sabbath. Van Halen were a breath of fresh air and then Sabbath came on and plodded there way through War Pigs etc They were shown up by Van Halen. This would have been late seventies I imagine.

biggest disappointment was Dylan with Tom Petty. Bob doesn't say A WORD to the crowd..what a jerk

JS19 wrote: YAY Walter's back. Now go away and take your stupid infantile hate somewhere else and grow up a bit. Other people have opinions, and by the look of it, they all have much more evidence/believability than 'everything post '89 is rubbish' which everyone knows perfectly well to be complete rubbish

Negoba wrote: Saw Bob Dylan in 94. He had a full band but was messing with the arrangements on stage without any cues for the others, had a look of hatred for the audience, his voice was awful. Saw him again about two years ago, he stood behind a cheap keyboard the whole time. Voice was a little better, seemed bored rather than hateful. He was with Merle Haggard who even mentioned on stage how he thought a tour with Dylan would be a party and it was a snoozefest. ...

Worst concerts... Elton John in '83. I was dragged very reluctantly to see an artist "'caus ethe light show the time before was brilliant.." Big deal I thought but went anyway. Fact was it was competent but not my thing. Was bored. Just a mismatch of performer and audient.

David Bowie on SErious Moonlight tour that same year. Hos nic was switched on ONCE to tell the audience not to push 'n' shove. He and his band were miming. Apparently this was not new. Lost a lot of respect for him and his band, down to ELO levels who were sued for that. Now it might be expected / preferred by the audience and promoters. Ensure's consistency. Alos the audience were the worst. It was killing being in that crowd, peopkle passing out and getting crushed. It was dangerous and frightening to some. Afther that Who concert where US fans were crushed to death I thought this sort of arrangemnt is not either life affirming music or even "mere" entertainment. I escaped and sat at the back.

Worst perforamnce. U2 in Sydney in '84. They fell apart all the time (10,000 seater) and I heard they had LPs flown in so they could re-learn their material (later.) Popping out down the road to pick up some copies locally was not enough.

I was wondering if listeners preferred live albums to studio and found this thread. I think there's a difference between concerts you, or I, do not like and ones that are dreadful.

A couple of years later I saw Stevie Ray Vaughn and he played a thunderingly loud set. I had to leave and listen outside as the volume was making me ill. And I had witnessed Motorhead in Sydney with no problems (unlike the venue which was closed down for excessive volume.) The thing was Jimmy Vaughn's Thunderbirds were an enjoyable volume and fantastic performers. I managed to adjust wand watc most of the rest of the gig (which was good but a bit stadium rock in a 2000 seayer Town Hall. The two briothers shared a twin neck guiatr for an encore highlight.

I've seen exceptional concerts (Page and Plant, JPJ, Yes, Rush leap to mind.) Odd concert moment. Jimmy Page played an extended solo on the Pand P tune Heart In Your Hand Londonn 98 second nght at Wembley. He played some music that somehow touched and elevated one. I know that sounds a bit silly but later I heard Zep author Dave Lewis mentioning he experienced that same otherworldly feeling. It was quite unique. No drugs, no booze (me.) He (Page) also hesitated on going from G to F on Night Flight. Not quite a mistake but close and on the same night where he did the unexpected and transcended the tangible. I was totally gobsmacked and even listening to a recording I can't figure out how he did it.

Most gigs have been good but I usually don't bother now. I saw PF in 88. They were fine. (Sax was a bit OTT for me but times changed from head trip PF to let's compete in the video age - it's all about in your face) They had a lead up act. An orchestra performing Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik. I was all set for a plesant listen when two louts spent their time shouting abuse at the orchestra. Nowadays I think I would do somethiing about that ( Ican now... but probably not then.) This was dreadful audience behaviour. Had someone shot them I would be merely sorry if the shots caused someone to block their ears at the sudden noise. ...

Dylan and Petty in 86 I thought was good. I witnessed it from backstage and the side and was comfortable. See what he sees... Dylan was having to put up with a crowd who were drunk, rowdy and out to yell. Times were a changin' indeed. Dylan gets a bad rep but the audience is so often the problem. They were an ACDC crowd there for a headband. All 20,000 of the swine...

Also saw Roy H that year. I missed Dire Straits a week before (seen them once... that was enough) Poor old Roy. He had 20 people, I was so ill with heavy flu and a tempertaure in the high red... and only held together with more meds than a standard pharmacy. His PA wasn't and didn't. The gig was fairly shambolic but nontheless enjoyable. Roy is great and a real trouper. He engaged with the audience (such as we were...) He is a great guitarist, singer, poet and humourist. He said he didn;t realise Dire Straist were 200,000 times better than he was... Ok not really a bad gig but if one had to listen to a recording with all the stops and starts and breakdowns then you's think it was...

Often people say someone was crap... but they don't know why. Thinking of a 1972 Black Sabbath festival concert where years alter people still complained years and years later. What was wrong? Who knew? What are everyone's expecations? Ozzy is no great singer but the voice of Sabbath nonetheless. Iommi has so many guitar tracks on the albums and only one guiatr live... I am guessing that this is the problem. Understanding concert versus studio arrangements.

What do you guys prefer... live albums? Videos? Actual concerts? Studio only? Should rock gigs be up to the tech standard of a symphony orchestra or should it be more ... Sex Pistols...? Audience intrusion. just how appropriate or not?

That reminds me. At a Beethoven gig ten years ago (Makes Jimi look like he's only in his first reincarnation...  a mere boy...) I recall the 3rd cellist was headbanging as the band rattled off the 9th symphony. He was well into it. Great rocker is Ludo....

rogerthat wrote: ... of attaching more importance to non musical factors like dress, 'attitude' and what not, so it is probably quite deeply entrenched in the psyche of many rock fans that a showman is more worthy of attention than a musician. ...

Lozlan do you have something to relate to Lazlan??

moshkito wrote:   The "attitude" is important and I believe it is one of the greatest gifts from rock music to the history of music ... it defines the bery best in music that we love and go after all the time. The world of classical music has gotten staid, boring and lacking some serious attitude, and watching Herbie Flowers making that fat buffoon look like an idiot was a pleasure and then some ... that's when I knew ... what the problem was.