Music: Worst concert experiences?

[S E P H]

OT: Do not get the love for Guns 'n' Roses, very predictable and really annoying sounding songs with a lead singer whose balls haven't dropped. I would dispute that Geoff Tate would sing Axl off of any stage at any time anywhere.


Definitely Korn or Blink back in the day. Korn's problem is they went on tour right after they released "Untouchables" and Jonathan Davis somehow didn't practice or something, as he was stuck in one spot bent over the entire concert and singing all the lyrics off of the teleprompter at his feet that some bands have. I lost a lot of respect for him that day or bands that require teleprompters for lyrics (just put in the bloody effort). Blink 182 was sort of weird because it wasn't that they were like bad...but it was like they had way too much energy. Travis Barker is definitely the most talented of all the band members and I would give him 100/10, but the other two played and sang like they just did a skiing lesson right before coming on. It was all over the place with constant running around the entire venue with no purpose. I didn't lose respect for them, but sometimes you gotta lose some energy to at least perform at a passable rate lol.

Since Covid, I've been watching a lot of concerts lately instead of going to them and from what I've seen Sabaton normally has pretty horrible concerts. Their studio albums have a ton of background vocals to capture the energy and power of the chorus, which they never have replicated live. Cool band and music videos, but a hard pass for me live. Dragonforce when they started off were pretty terrible and that's due to all their unique weird sounds in their wall of sound songs. They've really turned the corner though and put a lot of practice into their live performances (very good now).

On the other hand, this is one of the best concerts I have seen, not in person though sadly as it was in London.

 

[Behn Wilson]

I saw Korn years ago, they were an exes favorite band and I am not that big a fan of theirs but thought they were phenomenal live

ALways thought they should tour with Hole and you can have the Korn Hole tour.

 

[MetalheadPenguinsFan]

View attachment 631469

“Grills, Grills, Grills”

 

[rik schau]

First time seeing the Cars at an arena. It was a full moon,you know what they say,overindulgent. Sat first row above where players would go through to get on the ice and fans going to the floor. Terrible sound,no lighting practically and boring as it gets. Never saw so many people vomiting at a show,all over the area where people come and go on the incline and pools of vomit were going down the incline,nasty doesn't begin to describe it.lol.

 

[blueandgoldguy]

I went to a Motley Crue concert in 2005 when I was 15 years old. Tommy Lee pulled out a camera and got multiple woman to show their breasts. As a gay man I was absolutely disgusted.

I saw them the same year. When Tommy Lee got out the camera and panned from one topless girl to the next in the audience, he said," oh, they are like Lays potato chips! One's not enough!"

 

[Pizza!Pizza!]

Rob Zombie

Was super hyped to finally see him (wifey won free tix from the radio station) and he was so bad I almost walked out. He was drunk/high and keep rambling on and yelling at the crowd about cell phones. All his songs were low effort and terrible. Only track he put any effort into was his cover of "American Band".

Honorable Mention - Iron Maiden

Maiden was awesome, but it was like 98* with high humidity and there was overhead cover at the outdoor venue which was of course filled to capacity. People were dropping left and right from heat stroke, medics were giving IVs and there was a non-stop parade of ambulances. one of my friends and the kid sitting next to him were both under 6 ft tall so they couldnt even see the stage and just sat in their seats the entire show trying not to die of dehydration. Bruce Dickinson was sweating so much running around the stage I thought I was going to witness him collapse and die - it was not a fun concert.

 

[kihei]

My younger daughter and I were on the way to a Radiohead concert in north Toronto when we received word that a huge piece of stage scaffolding had fallen, killing a member of the road crew.

With that notable exception, I seem to have lived a charmed life. I have been to a couple of hundred concerts and struggle to think of anything bad happening beyond the odd lousy sound system.

 

[The Marquis]

3 come to mind, all from the mid-late 90s.

1 - I saw Cake when they were at the height of their popularity. I guess the act just didn't translate to a live, outdoor format. But they were really really bad. They were opening for Bush, so it wasn't quite an ideal pairing of acts and the crowd was kind of thin to begin with... I've never been to a show where a name band just outright bored everyone into silence. It was a rough set.

2 - Hilarious moment that I know happened in 1996 because it was the week of the Panthers/Packers playoff game. C&C Music Factory was playing a stage at a festival and my friend convinced me to go for the cheese appeal. Midway into the one song everyone knows, their backing vocal tape broke. Like you could actually hear it do the weird sound that a cassette tape makes when it breaks. To their credit, they kept their cool and managed not to get roasted by the crowd. When it became obvious that it would be a long delay, they started up the crowd in a "**** the Packers" chant

3 - Everclear when they were at the top of their fame. The music was fine, but it's the only show that I've ever been to where the lead singer really rubbed me the wrong way with vulgarity. Alexakis spent most of the show yelling obscenities left and right for no reason, telling the women to show their tits, etc. This was not Motley Crue cheekily egging on a crowd, but more like some unfunny guy on the street just yelling at people. Knowing a bit more about him now, it strikes me as less offensive than sad. But at the time I really didn't want to

On the everclear/Alexakis front. Never seen em live, not a fan, but I was his server at an Old Spaghetti factory back around the height of their popularity and the guy was an unrivaled dickhead. Awful guy. There are no excuses for how myself and the other employees involved were treated.

 

[tarheelhockey]

On the everclear/Alexakis front. Never seen em live, not a fan, but I was his server at an Old Spaghetti factory back around the height of their popularity and the guy was an unrivaled dickhead. Awful guy. There are no excuses for how myself and the other employees involved were treated.

Yeah that was the impression I got from his stage presence. It was him being a dickhead, not him being a wild rock and roller.

 

[cupcrazyman2]

Got thrown up on at a Sammy Hagar concert in 1985 at the Cow Palace

Francine Smith:
Roger, you're the most disgusting, out of shape piece of **** I've ever met, and I know Sammy Hagar.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

since you bought the tix she assumed you loved them so for your birthday she got you two tix to them

She knows I’m not a big fan, just she doesn’t know how much I really hate his music.

I had to get up and dance with her to Bon Jovi music at the concert… it was so humiliating.

I kept telling myself “she looks hot, ignore the music, she looks hot, don’t ruin it for her..”

Her: “He’s so amazing! Are you enjoying yourself babe??”

Me: “Ya he’s great hun, I liked that song from Young Guns he just sang and uh… you look really hot tonight!”

Someone up there had mercy on me and Bon Jovi cut the concert about half hour short because he was fighting a cold and starting F-bombing how he was losing his voice.

I pretended to be bummed…

 

[Behn Wilson]

She knows I’m not a big fan, just she doesn’t know how much I really hate his music.

I had to get up and dance with her to Bon Jovi music at the concert… it was so humiliating.

I kept telling myself “she looks hot, ignore the music, she looks hot, don’t ruin it for her..”

Her: “He’s so amazing! Are you enjoying yourself babe??”

Me: “Ya he’s great hun, I liked that song from Young Guns he just sang and uh… you look really hot tonight!”

Someone up there had mercy on me and Bon Jovi cut the concert about half hour short because he was fighting a cold and starting F-bombing how he was losing his voice.

I pretended to be bummed…

Your a good sport, that having to dance to Bon Jovi totally cracks me up.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

Your a good sport, that having to dance to Bon Jovi totally cracks me up.

Well, love makes you do stupid, humiliating things like dance to Bon Jovi.

 

[PBandJ]

I was stoked to see Korpiklaani years back and they were awful. Apparently they've had some bad experiences in Edmonton before, but Jesus. No energy whatsoever.

Seen Kamelot twice, they were good the first time but the second, Sonata Arctica opened and blew them off the stage and I could tell the singer was f***ing pissed about it. Apparently Tommy Karavik is a massive prick, which sucks when you hear that their old singer, Roy Khan is a total sweetheart.

 

[MXD]

I was stoked to see Korpiklaani years back and they were awful. Apparently they've had some bad experiences in Edmonton before, but Jesus. No energy whatsoever.

Seen Kamelot twice, they were good the first time but the second, Sonata Arctica opened and blew them off the stage and I could tell the singer was f***ing pissed about it. Apparently Tommy Karavik is a massive prick, which sucks when you hear that their old singer, Roy Khan is a total sweetheart.

Which is odd, as Sonata Arctica would be amongst the absolute worst bands I've ever witnessed live because Tony Kakko doesn't have much of a voice, or just didn't have much of a voice past... I don't know, Winterheart Guild's? Didn't see them before that. And I saw them at least twice, always with other bands, so it would be a weird coincidence.

While Tommy Karevik has both definitely a better voice (despite being rather corny all things considered) and probably a better backing band, and they always sounded great live (saw them twice, too).

 

[x Tame Impala]

Gorillaz they were just terrible, the only redeeming thing about the show was the de la soul opened

Had a great time at my Gorillaz show. Also, there is no "they" really it's just Damon Albarn and his virtual band. Great show except he butchered my favorite song "Rhinestone Eyes" and skipped over half the lyrics

 

[AlanHUK]

Had a great time at my Gorillaz show. Also, there is no "they" really it's just Damon Albarn and his virtual band. Great show except he butchered my favorite song "Rhinestone Eyes" and skipped over half the lyrics

It's annoying because I know they're capable of great shows, it just seemed like one of those nights where no one on stage gave a f***.

There's time's I can blame a venue for sound etc, but it was at the o2 and that place has incredible acoustics