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Top 3 most underwhelming bands/artists you've ever seen


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My Morning Jacket ... i was shocked how boring they were. ya can't get by on energy alone

 

Golden Smog ... got blown off the stage by marah and i think they were scared to play. really good records, but they sucked beyond belief. maybe the only show i've ever left early

 

Richie Blackmore ... blown off the stage by opener Uriah Heep. rock!

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Jay Farrar (love his recorded work, but his show -- solo acoustic w/ 1 guitarist accompanying -- was terrible)

Chick Corea

 

 

oddly ... two of the best shows i've ever seen are jay farrar acoustic with mark spencer at maxwell's + chick corea with herbie hancock on two grand pianos at carnegie hall

 

have never seen farrar in any incarnation - with uncle tupelo, son volt or solo - where he hasn't been amazing

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TV On The Radio is very underwhelming. I haven't seen them live since Dear Science's release.

 

i've seen them every tour since the EP and they've gotten progressively better with each. i wouldn't say they're an amazing live band yet, but they are way better than they were on the Cookie tour

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That's too bad, because they can be great live. I haven't seen them with Neko yet, but I have really enjoyed the two shows I saw them play (both pre-Challengers).

 

Yeah, I saw them open for Belle and Sebastian after Twin Cinemas came out and it was very solid, although still missing something since Neko wasn't there. However, the show at Berklee was pretty atrocious in that it was organized poorly and the setlist was lacking (I like Challengers a lot, but come on...). Neko and Dan not being there was just the icing.

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Really? I've heard his stuff with Bela Fleck and I would imagine that even solo he'd still be awesome. Granted, this is in the "I like to see bass solos the whole time" sort of way, so I can see it, but if you listen to his solo on the "Live at the Quick" album his Improv/Amazing Grace bit is solid gold.

 

Yeah, I would've liked the show if it was bass solos I think, but I'm not even that wild about his playing in general. The worst part was that it was in support of his album Soul Circus which is basically really bad R&B with lots of lame vocals and lamer lyrics. Check out the song "Victa" if you don't believe me.

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Flaming Lips....I know a lot of you will disagree, but it was more of a show than a concert. I am there for the music, i could do without all the other bullshit that comes with a flaming lips concert, i was not digging it.

 

Phish...Phish is okay, but I just can't sit through 30 minute long jams, and the concert I went to had a couple of really dragged out jams...I was bored as hell while all these dirty hippies were noodle dancing.

 

I also went to Big SUmmer Classic one year and almost killed myself.

I disagree more with the first than the second. I am huge fan of both bands and I never felt like the FLips "show" detracted from the music. Maybe you saw an off show; maybe it's just not your thing.

 

But really the main reason i replied to your post is Phish. I think most here know I am a big fan, but I can totally relate. I thought they were a much better band when they were playing tight jams that didn't mess around. I thought the later years jams were often lazy with quantity (time) making up for lack of quality. (NOTE: others will argue you need to give these jams time in order to GET to the quality, but I disagree). Anyway, I know you're relatively young (you said so in the other thread), so you probably never saw them when they were practicing. I would give them another chance if you can, because they are SUPPOSED to be practicing a lot again.

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Van Halen - Women and Children First tour. They were drunk and not finishing songs not singing the words and the drum solo & guitar solo lasted a good 45 minutes total...I hate solo's done for the sake of soloing.

 

Webb Wilder - So bad we walked out, but no loss, we were there to see Kevin Kinnney as the opening act.

 

Sweet & Uriah Heep - bad bad bad good thing Rush was he headliner for the Fairwell to Kings tour.

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Details?

 

RE: Brian Jonestown Massacre: I guess I should have expected it based on reputation but it was one good song followed by 20 minutes of making stupid comments and fighting with people in the crowd, followed by another good song, followed by 20 more minutes of jawing with the crowd. And instead of tuning at the same time he would argue with people, say inane stuff for 20 minutes, then proceed to start tuning his guitar. Then there was an interminable (felt like an hour) of them just making feedback noises with their amps until many of us left. Never again.

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I disagree more with the first than the second. I am huge fan of both bands and I never felt like the FLips "show" detracted from the music. Maybe you saw an off show; maybe it's just not your thing.

 

But really the main reason i replied to your post is Phish. I think most here know I am a big fan, but I can totally relate. I thought they were a much better band when they were playing tight jams that didn't mess around. I thought the later years jams were often lazy with quantity (time) making up for lack of quality. (NOTE: others will argue you need to give these jams time in order to GET to the quality, but I disagree). Anyway, I know you're relatively young (you said so in the other thread), so you probably never saw them when they were practicing. I would give them another chance if you can, because they are SUPPOSED to be practicing a lot again.

 

 

Ok, i am going to come clean and say that the Flaming Lips were not that bad, I was just really pissed off because I saw them with Ween, and I was having such a good time when ween got cut short...it was such a freakin buzz kill, by the time Flaming Lips came on i wasnt even looking forward to them anymore. Nobody can stand up to ween in my opinion. So that is the case for that one...

 

For Phish, i respect them a lot, and i really like a lot of their live shit, it was an ambient 'birds of a feather' jam that really killed me. Hopefully that doesn't bother you too much as a big phish fan. Sorry if it does. I know most of their catalog. It is more of the ambient shit that kills me...I really like Harry Hood and Divided SKy..... I love the studio version of YEM, but sometimes even that song gets too much for me live...I have a certain time threshold where I cannot tolerate anymore of the same song. Music ADD. I will give them another chance and at some point, i will see them again.

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Ok, i am going to come clean and say that the Flaming Lips were not that bad, I was just really pissed off because I saw them with Ween, and I was having such a good time when ween got cut short...it was such a freakin buzz kill, by the time Flaming Lips came on i wasnt even looking forward to them anymore. Nobody can stand up to ween in my opinion. So that is the case for that one...

 

For Phish, i respect them a lot, and i really like a lot of their live shit, it was an ambient 'birds of a feather' jam that really killed me. Hopefully that doesn't bother you too much as a big phish fan. Sorry if it does. I know most of their catalog. It is more of the ambient shit that kills me...I really like Harry Hood and Divided SKy..... I love the studio version of YEM, but sometimes even that song gets too much for me live...I have a certain time threshold where I cannot tolerate anymore of the same song. Music ADD. I will give them another chance and at some point, i will see them again.

No, I can totally relate.. on both points.

 

You're talking about the Red Rocks Ween/Flips show right? I was there and I concur. Not the best show for the FLips. On the other hand, it was a rockin' Ween show and the flipped bill the week prior was exactly the opposite: great Flaming Lips show and somewhat weak Ween show. So there you go...

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I love the RHCP, especially in the Hillel period, but man they had some really suckass openers for them on the tours I saw.

 

'86 - Thelonious Monster - with a doubt the most unprofessional piece of shit band I ever saw for money. seriously, me and my alcoholic friends in the garage late on a Saturday night sound more together than these dudes did.

 

'88 - Faith No More - the singer was so drunk he just berated the crowd most of the night, and eventually got so pissed he left the stage. Thank god they finished up with a near letter-perfect take of "War Pigs" or it would have been a total loss.

 

And then I'd have to say Nazareth. Very underwheming. Both opening bands blew them away. I think this was around '80 or '81.

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No, I can totally relate.. on both points.

 

You're talking about the Red Rocks Ween/Flips show right? I was there and I concur. Not the best show for the FLips. On the other hand, it was a rockin' Ween show and the flipped bill the week prior was exactly the opposite: great Flaming Lips show and somewhat weak Ween show. So there you go...

 

 

I am actually talking about the one in syracuse, FLips headlined...

Also I have a little pet peeve about a lead singer yelling for you to sing along...and at one point he told us to yell 'FUCK YOU' or something so DC could hear us, i thought that was totally lame.

 

Ween pulled out Don't Sweat it...sounded great

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RE: Brian Jonestown Massacre: I guess I should have expected it based on reputation but it was one good song followed by 20 minutes of making stupid comments and fighting with people in the crowd, followed by another good song, followed by 20 more minutes of jawing with the crowd. And instead of tuning at the same time he would argue with people, say inane stuff for 20 minutes, then proceed to start tuning his guitar. Then there was an interminable (felt like an hour) of them just making feedback noises with their amps until many of us left. Never again.

 

LOL :lol That's exactly the reason why I am never, ever gonna attend a BJM show. My husband is a big fan, thinks they are totally brilliant live :huh and showed me a live DVD as an appetizer :stunned . I watched the first 20 mins of it, which consisted of Anton holding a monologue that consisted of "f*ck", "f*cking", "f*cker" and took YES exactly 20 mins. I honestly can't understand why anyone still goes to their shows. People should be paid smart money for it.

 

My "bottom" 3 acts:

Bruce Springsteen w/the Seeger Session Band in Cologne, 2006 - I was literally bored to tears and completely nerve-wrecked by the worst acoustic ever and Bruce not being able to connect with the audience one single bit

R.E.M. in Dublin, 2007 - I was expecting a never-seen-before type of gig, what with "rehearsing the new material live on stage" etc, but I kept checking my watch like every 2 mins until it was finally over. The new material was just as underwhelming as I thought it would be, the only things that kept me in the venue were actually some old gems they played. I haven't gotten myself to attend another REM gig ever since. :no

Starsailor in Birmingham/UK, 2005 - I really like most of their recorded stuff and was quite looking forward to this gig, always having in mind "why did this awesome band never really make the breakthrough?".......................until I listened to the first songs live. Their singer unfortunately can't match the quality of the studio recordings at all, and I went out about 2/3 through the set.

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LOL :lol That's exactly the reason why I am never, ever gonna attend a BJM show. My husband is a big fan, thinks they are totally brilliant live :huh and showed me a live DVD as an appetizer :stunned . I watched the first 20 mins of it, which consisted of Anton holding a monologue that consisted of "f*ck", "f*cking", "f*cker" and took YES exactly 20 mins. I honestly can't understand why anyone still goes to their shows. People should be paid smart money for it.

 

My "bottom" 3 acts:

Bruce Springsteen w/the Seeger Session Band in Cologne, 2006 - I was literally bored to tears and completely nerve-wrecked by the worst acoustic ever and Bruce not being able to connect with the audience one single bit

R.E.M. in Dublin, 2007 - I was expecting a never-seen-before type of gig, what with "rehearsing the new material live on stage" etc, but I kept checking my watch like every 2 mins until it was finally over. The new material was just as underwhelming as I thought it would be, the only things that kept me in the venue were actually some old gems they played. I haven't gotten myself to attend another REM gig ever since. :no

Starsailor in Birmingham/UK, 2005 - I really like most of their recorded stuff and was quite looking forward to this gig, always having in mind "why did this awesome band never really make the breakthrough?".......................until I listened to the first songs live. Their singer unfortunately can't match the quality of the studio recordings at all, and I went out about 2/3 through the set.

 

Wow...what I would have given to be at any of those Dublin REM shows. Those gems were played in what a 3,000 capicity club? REM haven't played a place that small in the USA for decades and those setlist were killer! West of the Fields, 1,000,000 , Khoutech, Second Guessing...even if you didn't like accelerate I don't know how you couldn't like that show. Knowing what In know now I would have done whatever I can to go to those shows at whatever expense!

 

Also Springsteen for the Seeger session I enjoyed immesnley. I have seen Springsteen on every tour since Tom Joad and I realized it wasn't the E Street Band but I enjoyed their reworkings of those Nebraska songs he did and I actually enjoy the Seeger Sessions cd from time to time.

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My Morning Jacket (gonna get flamed for that one... B) )

 

Not by me you wont.

They've played one of the, if not best sets I've ever seen in my 30+ years of concert going experiences( they were just getting cranked up on the ISM tour) and one of the most unexceptional performances as of late I can recall (this was this past Fall).

 

The most insipid show I've ever seen was by the Cars, sometime in the early eighties.

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Wow...what I would have given to be at any of those Dublin REM shows. Those gems were played in what a 3,000 capicity club? REM haven't played a place that small in the USA for decades and those setlist were killer! West of the Fields, 1,000,000 , Khoutech, Second Guessing...even if you didn't like accelerate I don't know how you couldn't like that show. Knowing what In know now I would have done whatever I can to go to those shows at whatever expense!

 

Well I 've seen REM in much smaller venues (150 and 800 people) when they played regular shows, and that was just more exciting than them playing songs they had never played before; songs I wasn't too excited about anyway. Plus I hate Dublin with a passion, and after a day of unsuccessfully trying to get any decent public transport in pouring rain, no taxis neither, so we had to walk miles of filthy wet roads, I wasn't exactly in the best mood to be precise.

 

Also Springsteen for the Seeger session I enjoyed immesnley. I have seen Springsteen on every tour since Tom Joad and I realized it wasn't the E Street Band but I enjoyed their reworkings of those Nebraska songs he did and I actually enjoy the Seeger Sessions cd from time to time.

 

Yeah, he literally raped "The River" into something unrecognizeable far from the beautiful mellow song it normally is and should be.

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