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Came in to see how soon we got Ian Brown. 2nd post.
For what it's worth, at least two Stone Roses gigs are in my top 10 gigs of all time, they definitely have good days and bad days (mainly variable being how much they hate each other on the day). Even at the good ones his vocals are always questionable, but you tend not to be able to hear them over the audience signing anyway.
Motörhead at Wolverhampton Civic Hall. Around 1990. The loudest gig I’ve ever witnessed. It was that loud people were streaming out to get away from the noise, because it was just noise. In the bar it was still too loud to hear anything. It was just about bare able outside, except when the doors opened and the noise bled out. It made me physically ill.
Also Kings of Leon. Saw them at V in 2010 or 11.
A great live band on paper but absolutely crap in reality.
Seen lots of unexpectedly great bands at Gladsto but Don McLean was unexpectedly grim - boring and morose.
Saw Van Morrison at IOW and he had zero audience interaction but his voice was good, songs were great and the band were as tight as. I heard later that’s just what Van’s like and we were lucky he sang facing the audience.
Late season Vince Neil. You'd think he'd know the words by now.
The Libertines – just felt like they were posing and playing at being rock stars.
Pete Doherty shared a set with of all people Elton John at the Live 8 concert that was at Hyde Park in 2005. Doherty was very obviously off his face, You could feel the hate coming from Elton John from as far back as I was stood. Eventually (it was a couple of songs I think) Doherty gave up trying to remember any of the lyrics or the tune and just stood next to Elton at the piano while Elton sang and played, and shot him dirty looks.
The "highlight" was supposed to be a Pink Floyd reunion, The stage was pretty big, Dave Gilmour stood stock still on one side, Roger waters stood stock still at the other. They did 4 tracks I think. It was utterly forgettable which is a shame as it was the last time the original line up played (ex Syd, obvs)
Pogues in 1990ish. Manchester Apollo. Shane McGowan totally arseholed, as you'd expect, vaguely remember other band members taking over lead vocal duties for part of the gig.
Still decent, overall. 🙂
Saw Van Morrison
My brother is a massive Van fan and has reported that at many gigs he's very clearly full of hate at the whole "having to do a gig, and pretend to care about his fans; Thing". One time he tells that he was on stage for maybe 2 songs when in a pause in the performance, someone from the audience shouted "Brown Eyed Girl" and he just walked...And that was the end of that performance. There was much eye rolling from the band like they'd seen it all before
Late season Vince Neil.
Vince is looking well. Looks like he enjoyed Pie Week even more than me 😀
Ramones at the Barrowlands sometime in the mid-80s. There was an announcement at the beginning about audience ‘conduct’. There were so stoned they could barely play and got a bit huffy when the beer starting flying - they were dreadful.
Ironically, the support act, a local band called Jonny Melita and the Percolators were awesome and even got an encore.
The Fall about that time were bad too.
Motörhead played the student union - they brought a big sound system into a tiny venue, some folks had temporary deafness. Spear of Destiny did the same - you could feel all the organs in your body reverberate.
Can I just say that in a weird sort of way the Motorhead stories are sort of impressive.
Neil Young has politics I can cope with, has some good songs, so it seemed like a good punt to see him (in Italy a few years back). He didn't introduce the songs and it took quite some time for the audience to recognise them, upon which they started cheering, a little hesitantly and then properly when they were sure which song it was. He sat down and didn't move at all for the first half a dozen numbers, only the fact he'd shuffled on stage and his hand moving proved he wasn't a dummy. Communication with the audience? Well I know most were Italian but I'm sure enough spoke English to make it worth speaking to them a bit, y'know, just a few words... . I left early.
Aqua singing Barbie girl live at a gig put me off gigs forever!
He used to live down the road from me and drank in the same pub. He’s generally regarded as a total **** by pretty much everyone who’s met him."
Can concur, miserable tw£t.. @binners we must have lived very close to each other at one point... near the green?
@stingmered - thats the one. We used to drink (a lot) in the Trevor, the Beech or the Bowling Green.
Smashing Pumpkins - some smallish London venue a good few years back. It was just a wall of noise. Very disappointing.
At the Drive in a couple of years ago was verging on the same. That was in Alexandra Palace - which isn't a great venue.
And Radiohead, many years ago in some huge soulless venue - I was right at the back, up in the Gods and they were just tiny shapes in the distance.
(I guess none were bad performances - just poor acoustics/venue)
I'm sure I'll get savaged for this but here goes:
Jesus and Mary Chain ICA London 1984 or 5 - I think it was supposed to be art. It was just a pile of ****
Joy Division and Dexy's Midnight Runners, The Romulus B'ham 1979 - Hard to tell which was worse but both were beyond awful
Wolverhampton Civic Hall, and I was so bored I left.
Thing is, I was so bored that I've forgotten if it was Primal Scream or Jamiroquai.
One of them.
Theme developing. Stone Roses so bad at the Cambridge corn exchange me any my mates walked out of the auditorium and went to the bar instead.
Dogs d'amour at Camrbidge Corn Exchange circa 1989 maybe, completely pissed out of their heads, singer staggering around the stage with a bottle of Jack Daniels just pouring it all over himself. I seem to recall the audience just started shouting 'get off' at them....
Aqua singing Barbie girl live at a gig put me off gigs forever!
A transexual performing to Barbie Girl in a live sex club put me off stag nights forever :O
Nirvana at Newcastle Mayfair just before Nevermind went ballistic. The venue held about 1200, if everyone who said they were there actually was it would have been about 10000 through the doors. You can tell who was really there by asking how shit they were, the correct answer is ‘Utterly’
Meatloaf at Knebworth in 85, appalling, ended up with him storming off stage amid a sea of bottles after announcing something along the lines of "any more bottles land on this stage and we're off"
Pouges at Scunny Baths in 84ish, McGowan was battered but everybody had a great time.
Cher(I know..) at the nec was utter Garbage,sing a song then off for ten minutes to change costume while playing videos on the big screen.
Soft cell supporting her were ace.
The “highlight” was supposed to be a Pink Floyd reunion, The stage was pretty big, Dave Gilmour stood stock still on one side, Roger waters stood stock still at the other. They did 4 tracks I think. It was utterly forgettable which is a shame as it was the last time the original line up played (ex Syd, obvs)
Strange how people see things differently. I watched that on the TV, and thought thye were excellent.
My brother is a massive Van fan and has reported that at many gigs he’s very clearly full of hate at the whole “having to do a gig, and pretend to care about his fans; Thing”. One time he tells that he was on stage for maybe 2 songs when in a pause in the performance, someone from the audience shouted “Brown Eyed Girl” and he just walked…And that was the end of that performance. There was much eye rolling from the band like they’d seen it all before
Yep. Have been a fan since the 70's when I first saw him, when he's feeling it then it will feel like a transcendental experience. It can't be replicated every time unfortunately. For this reason have only seen him on one further occasion, thankfully have one or two of his albums.
You Will Know Us By The Trail Of The Dead, I think at the Brixton Academy supporting the Foo Fighters. They got booed off stage after breaking all their instruments not far into the set.
Nirvana at Newcastle Mayfair just before Nevermind went ballistic. The venue held about 1200, if everyone who said they were there actually was it would have been about 10000 through the doors. You can tell who was really there by asking how shit they were, the correct answer is ‘Utterly’
I always thought it looked like a classic Nirvana gig to be fair.
Badly Drawn Boy at the Manchester Academy was unbelievably bad.
Evan Dando at Fibbers/The Duchess in York in 2004/05ish. No stage presence, no chat, no movement, just mumbling through a couple of albums in track order with nothing interesting or imaginative in it.
Made worse by the fact a rapidly-rising Frank Turner had been his support, and he had everything that Dando didn't, mainly charisma and a personality...
The “highlight” was supposed to be a Pink Floyd reunion,
Incidentally, I saw Pink Floyd at Earl's Court in 1994 and it's something I'll never forget. Absolutely incredible.
Incidentally, I saw Pink Floyd at Earl’s Court in 1994 and it’s something I’ll never forget. Absolutely incredible.
Ditto.
I wasn't a huge fan, figured it was one of those things where I'd regret it forever more if I didn't go when I had the chance. Incredible is the right word.
My brother is a massive Van fan and has reported that at many gigs he’s very clearly full of hate at the whole “having to do a gig, and pretend to care about his fans; Thing”. One time he tells that he was on stage for maybe 2 songs when in a pause in the performance, someone from the audience shouted “Brown Eyed Girl” and he just walked…And that was the end of that performance. There was much eye rolling from the band like they’d seen it all before
Someone I know toured with Van for two years* listening to the stories he has, I amazed no-one has stabbed him
*he reckons the only reason he lasted that long is because Van didn't know who he was
Saw Chaka Khan at MCR Apollo half a lifetime ago, she was pissed.
Saw Chaka Khan at MCR Apollo half a lifetime ago, she was pissed.
I feel for you.
Ufo in Manchester about 2000.
They got heckled off stage
Bob Dylan / Van Morrison - the Fleadh in London in the 90s. Van Morrison was just a cantankerous arsehole - and Bob Dylan just couldn't actually remember how any of his own tunes went.
Stone Roses at the Eithad. The band were absolutely brilliant - esp Remi. Ian Brown , having done nothing for years other than get jailed, had one job to do - sing in tune. It evaded him completely.
Can we include DJ sets?
Afrika Bambaataa Norwich Waterfront.
Hip Hop legend playing who let the dogs out & other chart sh1te he thought we wanted to hear. Turns out no-one wanted to hear any of it.. You could see the incredulous conversations in the crowd going 'is this him? Yup. What is he playing? Sh1te. Pint? Or shall we go....?'
I've seen the Roses 3 times , originally back in glasgow 1990 then Heaton Park and Etihad. I actually thought Heaton park they were musically better than in 1990. For bands not being remotely interested Oasis in the corn Exchange Edinburgh and Chilis at Hampden were both gash. Happy Mondays at the SECC was probably the worst I've seen but I was out ma tits so still had a blast.
Devo at knebworth about 78/79 just crap..still,managed to get to sleep for a bit
Van Morrisson in Cardiff sometime in the mid-90s.
He turned up about 2 hours late, played unfamiliar arrangements of most songs, sang every song badly, said barely a word to the crowd and just wandered off at the end of the gig.
Black Crowes, Sheffield City Hall – way back when they were touring Southern Harmony is still the best gig I’ve been too.
I saw them on the same tour - The High As The Moon Tour in autumn ‘92 at Aston Villa Leisure Centre. They were amazingly good.
Seen Primal Scream many times, only one time they were disappointing.
Anyone else expecting a thread about Mick Jones and Don Letts? Just me then, and memories of a festival on Clapham Common in the Eighties.
B A D. Harlequin Rooms, Fulham Broadway - fantastic.
Van the man. Hampton Court Palace - fantastic, went way past his countdown clock.
Pink Floyd. Live 8 - Nick, your memory’s playing you tricks 😉
Edit: bad . . . Aztec Camera Dominion Theatre, Counting Crows Shepherds Bush Empire.
At the Drive-In on Jools Holland
It's got a good beat.
The gold standard
At the Drive-In on Jools Holland
So bad it’s good
Posted 8 hours ago
I hold that as the best performance ever on Jools Holland.