OT: Biggest Concert Disappointment

[10Ducky10]

What was your biggest dissapointment.

For me it was Bob Dylan at the winnipeg Arena in 1988. Didn't address the crowd once. Only played 85 minutes and the opening act was horrible.
Honorable mention to Neil Young in 1984 and Crosby, Still, Nash and Young in 2006.
Huge fan of both of these artists but didn't care for any of these concerts.
Also, Aerosmith was absolutely blown out of the arena by AC/DC in '78 and I was a pretty big Aerosmith fan.

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[nobody imp0rtant]

The Bowie Sound + Vision concert where he got into some kind of snit and vacated the arena without playing an encore. I heard it had something to do with Adrian Belew pissing him off but who knows?

 

[Mud Turtle]

April Wine in 1980. I was such a huge April Wine fan as a teenager. It was one of the first concerts I ever went to and I was so excited.

As the concert went on and they just played their new music without hardly a nod to all the old songs I liked, I couldn’t believe it. I’m pretty sure my friends were sick and tired of my whining by the end of the night.

 

[buggs]

What was your biggest dissapointment.

For me it was Bob Dylan at the winnipeg Arena in 1988. Didn't address the crowd once. Only played 85 minutes and the opening act was horrible.
Honorable mention to Neil Young in 1984 and Crosby, Still, Nash and Young in 2006.
Huge fan of both of these artists but didn't care for any of these concerts.
Also, Aerosmith was absolutely blown out of the arena by AC/DC in '78 and I was a pretty big Aerosmith fan.

If that was the show where he only played his country tunes and none of his classics, that was the one for me. I've hated him ever since, so yeah, I hold very, very long grudges.

Only show I've walked out of was Quiet Riot but to be fair we never went to see them anyway, we were there for the openers - Kick Axe and Whitesnake. We knew the guys in Kick Axe pretty well as we'd been to a ton of their shows at the Zoo and the Rock Exchange (which was the Stock Exchange, then the Rock Exchange, then the Rock Exchange, then the...well you get the idea; used to play basketball with the guys that owned the place, a couple of brothers who went to Glenlawn). Kick Axe was excellent, Whitesnake was incredible (only time I saw them). Quiet Riot was probably pretty good but we stayed two songs and went drinking.

 

[10Ducky10]

If that was the show where he only played his country tunes and none of his classics, that was the one for me. I've hated him ever since, so yeah, I hold very, very long grudges.

Only show I've walked out of was Quiet Riot but to be fair we never went to see them anyway, we were there for the openers - Kick Axe and Whitesnake. We knew the guys in Kick Axe pretty well as we'd been to a ton of their shows at the Zoo and the Rock Exchange (which was the Stock Exchange, then the Rock Exchange, then the Rock Exchange, then the...well you get the idea; used to play basketball with the guys that owned the place, a couple of brothers who went to Glenlawn). Kick Axe was excellent, Whitesnake was incredible (only time I saw them). Quiet Riot was probably pretty good but we stayed two songs and went drinking.

His band was the International Harvesters...the opening act was Johnny Paycheck...

 

[Ducky10]

What was your biggest dissapointment.

For me it was Bob Dylan at the winnipeg Arena in 1988. Didn't address the crowd once. Only played 85 minutes and the opening act was horrible.
Honorable mention to Neil Young in 1984 and Crosby, Still, Nash and Young in 2006.
Huge fan of both of these artists but didn't care for any of these concerts.
Also, Aerosmith was absolutely blown out of the arena by AC/DC in '78 and I was a pretty big Aerosmith fan.

Yeah, I was at that Dylan show. Just an uninspired, jumbled cacophony. He totally mailed it in, totally unprofessional imo.

Saw Kim Wilson and the T-Birds a couple of years back at the Burt during the Blues and BBQ festival. I’m a huuuge Kim Wilson fan but he let me down that night. Sound was awful, arrangements were nonexistent, mostly sounded like a bad jam. Again, mailed it in and acted like he’d rather be anywhere but there.
I expect more out of professional musicians, it shows a lack of respect. Having people pay to come watch you perform is a pretty big privilege, act like it.

 

[10Ducky10]

Yeah, I was at that Dylan show. Just an uninspired, jumbled cacophony. He totally mailed it in, totally unprofessional imo.

Saw Kim Wilson and the T-Birds a couple of years back at the Burt during the Blues and BBQ festival. I’m a huuuge Kim Wilson fan but he let me down that night. Sound was awful, arrangements were nonexistent, mostly sounded like a bad jam. Again, mailed it in and acted like he’d rather be anywhere but there.
I expect more out of professional musicians, it shows a lack of respect. Having people pay to come watch you perform is a pretty big privilege, act like it.

Did Dylan change the lyrics to a bunch of his songs that night?
I brought it up with the guys I was with that night but they said they didn't notice anything.
Also, can you remember the opening act? A guy and a chick with recorded music? I think he played guitar?

 

[Ducky10]

Did Dylan change the lyrics to a bunch of his songs that night?
I brought it up with the guys I was with that night but they said they didn't notice anything.
Also, can you remember the opening act? A guy and a chick with recorded music? I think he played guitar?

Well he’s a bit famous for changing lyrics and arrangements during concerts. I saw him at the Concert Hall a number of years later and while the show was a lot better (for a variety of reasons, not least being G.E. Smith playing guitar and leading the band), he still either changed the lyrics and verses or just flat out forgot them.

Don’t recall the opening act at the Arena show, just remember leaving thinking WTF was that?!

 

[buggs]

His band was the International Harvesters...the opening act was Johnny Paycheck...

Probably the same show. So disappointed. I remember sitting there hoping for the whole show and nope, nothing. While I respect an artist playing what they want that wasn't what I paid for. Some advance notice would have been nice.

As a side note I really hate it when bands get into politics. I understand you might lean one way or the other but I'm not paying hard earned dollars to hear your politics. Quickest way to get me to walk away from you as a fan.

 

[ps241]

Well nobody knows how to jerk off on their fans more than Neil Young.

First time I saw him at the Agradome in Regina on that dreaded “I will never get my money or those two hours back” tour with the international harvesters. Then I saw him with a goofy blues band and that’s all they did all night was kind of shitty blues brothers knock off with all the guys in suits and fedoras. One song that way would have been fine but the entire concert felt like one song and it sucked so bad I left before it was done.

Now I was a huge Neil Young fan and knew he could kick it live since I had heard him do it on live albums.

So last but not least, 3rd times the charm, he was finally touring with his original kick ass group Crazy Horse and I went out to see him in Calgary. That night was mildly better but still hugely disappointing because they did about 8 songs total but each one was 10 to 15 minute long jam sessions. Once again one song that way like Cinnamon Girl would have been awesome but every...........f***ing......song dragged on and on in the identical fashion.

I still love Neil Young’s music still but he will remain the gold standard on my “most selfish, f*** the fans it’s all about me not getting bored, doing whatever I want”, artist on the planet.

 

[Jets 31]

Went to Fargo to see Kiss during the flood of the Century, we had to take a detour and it took 6 hours. The sound was so horrible it took half of a song to figure out what frigging song they were doing .

 

[Jets 31]

If that was the show where he only played his country tunes and none of his classics, that was the one for me. I've hated him ever since, so yeah, I hold very, very long grudges.

Only show I've walked out of was Quiet Riot but to be fair we never went to see them anyway, we were there for the openers - Kick Axe and Whitesnake. We knew the guys in Kick Axe pretty well as we'd been to a ton of their shows at the Zoo and the Rock Exchange (which was the Stock Exchange, then the Rock Exchange, then the Rock Exchange, then the...well you get the idea; used to play basketball with the guys that owned the place, a couple of brothers who went to Glenlawn). Kick Axe was excellent, Whitesnake was incredible (only time I saw them). Quiet Riot was probably pretty good but we stayed two songs and went drinking.

I went to that show, Kick axe and Whitesnake were great. I remember Quiet Riot getting booed . Oh the 80's .

 

[Eyeseeing]

John Cougar Mellencamp last show at the Bell MTS....horribly political.

Tom Cochrane opened great as usual

 

[10Ducky10]

John Cougar Mellencamp last show at the Bell MTS....horribly political.

Tom Cochrane opened great as usual

I had 9th row seats for that show!

 

[Atoyot]

Animal Collective in Montreal was awful. Just a wall of sound, couldn't ever tell what song they were playing.

 

[blueandgoldguy]

Green Day at Winnipeg Arena in 1995. Their concert was a whopping 45 minutes long. Yeah, I know as punk band they had a number of 2 - 2.5 minute songs from their first two albums but that is still an incredibly short concert. And that was with a stoppage in the middle of the concert as they had to remove a person who had hurt themselves in the mosh pit area.

This isn't the only reason it tops my list though. The sound was never particularly good at Winnipeg Arena, but it was especially bad that night as I could barely decipher the singing and individual instruments for many of the songs. It was incredibly muddled. The sound person was really off their game that night.

They made up for it in 2009 though. That was a great concert!

Honourable mentions go to Smashing Pumpkins as the headliner at Summersault at Winnipeg Stadium in 2000 and Van Halen who performed the very last concert at Winnipeg Arena in 2004.

Pumpkins performed a short uninspired set with very few songs from their two most popular albums - Siamese Dreams and Melancholy and the Infinite Sadness. I also remember Billy Corgan making a smart allecky comment to the crowd about Winnipeg losing the Jets with a smirk on his face. This was followed by some well-deserved eff yous and boos from audience members. Way to win over the crowd Billy.

 

[sabremike]

Bon Jovi at MSG a few years back. Got a cheap ticket at the last minute figuring with all his hits that the show would be a can't miss. Welp, it did. Lots of stuff off his crappy recent stuff and his big hits all sounded flat as a pancake with no energy at all and were just boring. Honestly when I saw this topic and thought about it there were very few shows I have ever been that I didn't enjoy.

But as a reverse of the topic and a show I wasn't expecting much out of and ended up enjoying greatly: Kid Rock at Pru Center. Got a really cheap ticket because I just wanted to go out and he had a few songs that were big hits even though I was never a big fan. And he put on like a 90 minute show that just totally kicked ass and was entertaining as all hell from both a music and theatrical standpoint. Seriously he is a great live performer.

 

[Aggie204]

Snoop Dogg in the early 2000’s. Chanted “Snoop Dogg-Snoop Dogg” throughout his set.

Top 3 most entertaining? Steel Panther.

 

[Jets 31]

The last time Van Halen was here, David Lee Roth's voice was terrible and he had a big goofy scarf hanging to the ground around his neck all night . When i saw them at the old arena on the 1984 tour they were great though, David Lee Roth has lost his marbles now.

 

[Buffdog]

Guns n Roses 1993 at the arena. Axel showed up two hours late and sat on an amp the whole concert. Acoustics were terrible in there

 

[LucianoBorsato]

Guns n Roses 1993 at the arena. Axel showed up two hours late and sat on an amp the whole concert. Acoustics were terrible in there

He sat on an amp for maybe half of the concert, he started doing his Axel dancing after awhile

 

[nobody imp0rtant]

The last time Van Halen was here, David Lee Roth's voice was terrible and he had a big goofy scarf hanging to the ground around his neck all night . When i saw them at the old arena on the 1984 tour they were great though, David Lee Roth has lost his marbles now.

Both of them.

 

[LowLefty]

Joe Cocker - mid 70's
So drunk he couldn't stand up - had to drag him off the stage after attempting 2 songs.
The opening act came back out to finish the concert.

BTW, that opening act was Bob Seger - never heard of him at the time and it turned out to be the best opening act I have ever witnessed.
Became a huge fan as many other had during the time (or shortly after) and still am.

Yes, I am old(er).

 

[buggs]

Bon Jovi at MSG a few years back. Got a cheap ticket at the last minute figuring with all his hits that the show would be a can't miss. Welp, it did. Lots of stuff off his crappy recent stuff and his big hits all sounded flat as a pancake with no energy at all and were just boring. Honestly when I saw this topic and thought about it there were very few shows I have ever been that I didn't enjoy.

But as a reverse of the topic and a show I wasn't expecting much out of and ended up enjoying greatly: Kid Rock at Pru Center. Got a really cheap ticket because I just wanted to go out and he had a few songs that were big hits even though I was never a big fan. And he put on like a 90 minute show that just totally kicked ass and was entertaining as all hell from both a music and theatrical standpoint. Seriously he is a great live performer.

I got dragged to a Kid Rock show here in Winnipeg. Didn't think much of him before going to be honest but it was a hell of a show. Turned out I liked a fair bit of his music and he was remarkably inoffensive, total opposite of what I was expecting.

Opening acts are often surprisingly good and on many occasions I've enjoyed them more than the main act.

GnR opened for Black Crowes at one show - had no idea who they were but I didn't forget after the show

Aforementioned Kick Axe/Whitesnake prior to Quiet Riot

Shinedown before Kiss - Kiss was pretty damn pathetic that show, literally going through routine motions. Shinedown blew them out of the water and I knew nothing about them before the show.

Then there were these pair of shows I saw in Minneapolis on back to back nights a few years ago. Went down to see Tom Petty (huge, huge Petty fan). I'd seen the opener previously but they were really good that night. Little band called Pearl Jam? You've probably heard of them. Next night this group called the Heartbreakers opened up for Pearl Jam. Both shows were hugely disappointing.

I also saw Petty on his last tour in Minneapolis. Opening act was Joe Walsh, which was neat because I've never seen the Eagles live. He did about 90 minutes himself and then as was typical with Petty shows, a couple with Petty and the Heartbreakers as well. We pretty much got two full shows that night. Only time I've seen Petty not do a tune or two with the opening act was when Joe Cocker opened for him at Bell MTS back in maybe 2014 or something like that. It was between the Winwood shows.

 

[tntkid]

I agree 100% that the Van Halen show with David Lee Roth at Mts Centre was pure trash.

The show sounded like garbage and Roth was awful live.