The worst gigs of your life

[The Modfather]

Grace Jones, Brighton Centre some time in the early 90's. Free tickets from work, she was shite. Straddled a chair in front of the black stage curtain with her backing tracks being played over the tannoy system.

After the first song, which was sung so badly at least half the crowd left, she was only using the downstairs area, I distinctly remember turning round as we left and could see the stage at the front through a very thin crowd.

i had the misfortune to be at that gig in 1990. It was woeful

 

[Brightonfan1983]

Def Leppard, Don Valley, 1993. I bloody love the Lepps but if I'm honest, the first time I saw them live was a huge disappointment. Their sound is unashamedly brilliantly 'produced', and the disparity between that and them live is huge.

Squeeze and Del Amitri - both BETTER live!

 

[The Modfather]

Grace Jones, Brighton Centre some time in the early 90's. Free tickets from work, she was shite. Straddled a chair in front of the black stage curtain with her backing tracks being played over the tannoy system.

After the first song, which was sung so badly at least half the crowd left, she was only using the downstairs area, I distinctly remember turning round as we left and could see the stage at the front through a very thin crowd.

i had the misfortune to be at that gig in 1990. It was woeful

 

[Stat Brother]

[MENTION=15192]The Modfather[/MENTION], did you ever see Grace Jones?

 

[Super Steve Earle]

Wishbone Ash at the Dome whenever Argus was released.

 

[wadhurstseagull]

Dire Straits @ Brighton Centre - can't remember the year but it was sponsored by Philips - something to do with the launch of CD's. Total crap.

 

[Snowy]

Human League at the Dome. Those girls really can't sing & Phil Oakey couldn't sing & play keyboards at the same time. Elvis Costello at the Brighton Centre. The sound was better in the Bar so we stayed in there.

 

[Raleigh Chopper]

Got dragged along to the Dominion in the 80's to see Dead or Alive, ok Pete Burns has a great voice but apart from you spin me round it was 'orrible and full of Pete Burns lookalikes. They were supported by The flowerpotmen or some shit.

 

[DavidinSouthampton]

I saw Focus at the Oxford Poly in about 1973 or 4. They weren't bad, albeit a bit boring, but one complete stack of speakers blew up after about 10 minutes. They were supported by a band called Kokomo, who really blew them off the stage.

 

[aberllefenni]

I was at Rainbow's 'notorious Wembley Arena riot' gig in Feb 1980: The Clock That Went Backwards Again: Rainbow - 1980-02-29 - London

In fact the 'riot' - sparked by Ritchie Blackmore's refusal to come back for an encore, allegedly because he went into a strop after support band Samson did play an encore - was really no more than a bit of seat luzzing.

What made it bad for me wasn't the riot but the show itself, which was f**king dreadful. The sound was absolutely appalling - all echoes and inaudible aural mush - and then the one-hour set of 'tunes' consisted of a 45-minute Cozy Powell drum solo and not much else.

I guess I should have been forewarned by seeing the name 'Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow' on the ticket.

Sounds like I witnessed the same tour, clue was Samson as the support band. This was at Bingley Hall, Stafford which for those of you lucky enough to have been there was (it doesn't exist anymore - thank f***) a corrugated iron shed with a concrete floor. Graham Bonnet started by turning his back to the crowd in a bodybuilder-type pose wearing a pink jacket. Coped by going to the separate bar, getting slaughtered and passing out. Upside is that any gig I've been to since or likely to go to in the future will never be that bad.

 

[The Rattler]

In 2005 I spent £100 on 2 tickets for Coldplay at Crystal Palace, as a gift for my girlfriend.

Now, I hate Coldplay and going to see them there of all places was my idea of hell. I should also say at this point that, at that stage in my life, I was happy living on my own and being able to watch the Albion everywhere I could. Oh and I certainly didn't want kids....

So, anway, on the day itself my girlfriend was rushed to hospital with stomach pains - turns out she was pregnant aaarrrggghhhh. She was fine but not well enough to see the gig. So I decided to go on my own and try to flog the tickets outside.

Best offer I got was £5 from some bleedin scrotey tout. Told him where to go and tore the tickets up in front of him.

Now that was a sh!t day!!!

 

[tinx]

I went to see a band called the band of holy joy supporting Carter at Brixton academy. They were so bad they were getting booed the whole time and then the lead singer stage dived into the crowd but the crowd moved and face planted into the ground. That ended their set.

Thankfully carter were great.

 

[wadhurstseagull]

I saw the Band of Holy Joy in Brighton and they were great. Saw Carter at Tonbridge Sports Centre and they were crap!

 

[brakespear]

The Damned at The Assembly Halls in Worthing. Not one of my favourites anyway (we had free tickets), they were absolutely terrible, most of the audience spent the gig at the bar and when we went back stage to talk to the band after the show they refused to come to Punk Night at The Factory that night.

 

[bassking]

Brian Brain, with P.I.L,s ex drummer 1980 i think.Gig was going well untill right near the end vocalist stopped singing in the middle of the song but the vocals continued the whole gigs vocals were recorded,ever get the feeling you been cheated.

 

[Londoncalling]

New Order, Kingswest, 1981 - arrogant, pretentious tosh. They walked off early due to crowd hostility.
Funnily enough a few months earlier they played the Art College Basement, probably their 2nd or 3rd show ever, and were amazing, probably my fave gig of all time, was anybody else there ?

 

[Justice]

Had to take my sister n law to a Ja Rule concert it was shit.

 

[Bwian]

Soft Cell in Toronto. At one of the best venues in the city where I'd seen many top bands I was looking forward to seeing Soft Cell. Unfortunately, Marc Almond, his sidekick and a bank of 8 or so reel to reel tape decks is not my idea of a live performance. Only the second gig I've left after 30 minutes or so. Self indulgence is fine Mr Almond-if you have an act worth paying good money to see. Fortunately I had some very good connections at the time and my roll-ups took the edge off of a disappointing evening.

 

[West Hoathly Seagull]

Probably Razorlight at the Brighton Centre in November 2006. They came on half an hour late, when I was pushing it for the last train to Haywards Heath anyway, the sound was awful (very loud with loads of feedback; mind you the Brighton Centre's sound has never been that good in my view). Having said that, the Closing Ceremony gig in Hyde Park this year was pretty dire. Blur were quite good, but the Olympic spirit had well and truly gone, with a load of boozed up aggressive people and the enclosure was heavily overcrowded.

 

[Blackadder]

Took my wife, she may have been my girlfriend at the time, to see the Nolans / Bucks Fizz. Take your pick.