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Worst live band you have ever seen

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Owari

Member
Saw My Chemical Romance at a festival while I was waiting for the Foo Fighters. MCR was pretty bad. Seemed like they were bored the entire time.
MCR was amazing from the Black Parade to beginning of Danger Days era. After that they jus didn't feel it anymore.


ITT: people who have seen bands way past their prime and say they suck live with no research what so ever 😕

Next you'll tell me Rolling Stones are awful live because you saw their animated corpses at some random festival somewhere last year.
 

hawk2025

Member
Relatively modern Modest Mouse and Smashing Pumpkins were both completely awful.

Only two concerts I've ever walked out of.
 

Owari

Member
You wanna know a band that sucks live? Gorillaz. They refuse to play 19/2000, arguably their best song.
 

FStop7

Banned
Soundgarden mid 90s hoooo boy Chris Cornell was so far off key. Not a good live band, at least not back then.

bonus, from worst to best: Faith No More. Patton's singing was pretty bad when they first broke big with Epic but within about 2 years they were absolutely killing it live.
 

caffeware

Banned
Marilyn Manson... that lazy bum just striking a few poses, while his "Band" is just pretending to play (hell you could see the roadies behind the amps actually playing the songs)
.

Does this actually happen?

I hear of bands going in the studio drunk to record an album. Apparently, when they leave some genius sound-engineer/roadie re-records the songs and the the band thinks they did the work.
 
It's probably some unknown underground band, but from those with a higher reputation, Kreator was a pretty big letdown. They just did not have the energy necessary for a thrash metal show. I've heard they are pretty hit and miss when it comes to their live performances though, but haven't seen them since.

Another one was Rotten Sound when I saw them for the first time. Every other grind band was amazing but they were rather bland. Saw them another time a couple of years later and they were awesome, so they don't qualify anymore.
 

NullMoon

Neo Member
Gotta be FATA (From Autumn to Ashes) saw them back in 05'? I think. Don't really remember, all I know they showed up almost an hour late and played like 8 songs and wouldn't do a encore. Oh, and they were the headlining band. They had little energy and seemed like they didn't want to be there.
 

TAJ

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
White Zombie.
Imagine playing a CD underwater and rerecording it through underwater mics, then playing back the results through blown out speakers strapped to running industrial paint mixers. That's what they sounded like.

Oh, shit... I forgot that I walked by Spin Doctors playing at a street festival. It was like listening to a newly deaf person try to sing while in the final stages of trying to keep from shitting themself.
Deadpool was right on the money.
 

jay

Member
MCR was amazing from the Black Parade to beginning of Danger Days era. After that they jus didn't feel it anymore.


ITT: people who have seen bands way past their prime and say they suck live with no research what so ever ��

Next you'll tell me Rolling Stones are awful live because you saw their animated corpses at some random festival somewhere last year.

It's not an audiences fault a band didn't call it quits when they lost their passion, so I see nothing wrong with letting other people know a show sucked.

Soundgarden mid 90s hoooo boy Chris Cornell was so far off key. Not a good live band, at least not back then.

bonus, from worst to best: Faith No More. Patton's singing was pretty bad when they first broke big with Epic but within about 2 years they were absolutely killing it live.

Their last tour was good, but the show I saw was significantly worse than when I saw them after Album of the Year (which was probably worse than after either of the album tours before it).
 

aBarreras

Member
You wanna know a band that sucks live? Gorillaz. They refuse to play 19/2000, arguably their best song.

lol no, i love gorillaz but i cant listen to 19/2000 if it is not the soulchild remix

ontopic: im from mexico so my availables international bands are very limited (i dont live on mexico city) but i had the fortune that the majority of the bands have made a kick-ass show, except megadeth, they sucke
 

Durden77

Member
The show wasn't horrible, but the worst exp I had with a live band was Health in Atlanta.

My girlfriend has been a big fan of their music for a long time, but did not recognize one of them by their face. She went up to the merch booth and supported them by buying a vinyl and a shirt. She was a little drunk and happy, so she was saying stuff like "I've been waiting to see Health live for years! I can't wait!!" ect.

Well apparently the dude that was selling the merch was a member of Health and she didn't realize it. He said nothing reffering to him being in the band when she was buying this stuff and saying these things. When she walked away, people came up to her and talked to her like a loser and kept telling her "you know that guy's in Health right?".

She was embarrassed and went back up to him to meet him, and he shrugged her off. Giving off this obvious "you're not a real fan" vibe after she had just dropped 50 bucks at their booth. She is blonde, beautiful, and has a style that's like a mixture between pretty girl and punkish that's kind of her own, and they were obviously judging her by her appearance. It didn't matter that she was a fan anymore.

She spent the rest of the night kind of sad holding on to her record but still tried to enjoyed the show, and I spent the rest of the night angry. It broke my heart.

Fucking assholes.
 

jstevenson

Sailor Stevenson
I've only seen Taking Back Sunday once, but they were great the time I saw them.

There's several bands I've seen multiple times that have been great one time, and mediocre the next - so it doesn't surprise me some are up and down. It's tough to stay on the road and keep that energy up night after night.
 
Was very disappointed in Wu Tang Clan, Serena Maneesh, early Tame Impala shows, and Animal Collective.

Bob Dylan is pretty awful. His voice and the arrangements for his music are both unrecognizable. It sounds like a guy with throat cancer leading a nufolk band that attaches Bob Dylan lyrics to their own compositions. He also has such bad arthritis he can't play guitar anymore, so he either stands there fairly motionless or tinkles on the piano. No effort to connect with the audience, heavy reliance on newer songs and very little stuff from his heyday in the 60s/early 70s. Meh.
 

Gigarator

Member
Soundgarden mid 90s hoooo boy Chris Cornell was so far off key. Not a good live band, at least not back then.

bonus, from worst to best: Faith No More. Patton's singing was pretty bad when they first broke big with Epic but within about 2 years they were absolutely killing it live.

Good job I re-read your post before I replied because I was about to say some choice words to you for disrespecting FNM.

But you're a fine human being afterall, bravo.
 

Myriadis

Member
I don't even remember the name of the band, but they opened for the Virgins, and that was just pure boring wannabe punk with some singer who couldn't sing at all.

My brother once went to a concert of some mathrock band. They recently kicked out their singer and the guitarist sang instead. They played their instruments really well - thing is the guitarist couldn't sing at all. After three or four songs, they got into a really loud dispute and actually split up while at the stage.
 

Fury451

Banned
I saw Newsboys once too. I was dragged to a weekend long religious retreat and they played during it. It was the worst weekend of my life.

Was it bad because it was a religious retreat and you didn't like it, or was the music actually bad? Because the Newsboys have always been great live. Well with the old lineup anyway, I'm not sure what they're like now.

I'm actually pretty fortunate in that I've never been to a bad concert, but I haven't been to that many overall so that's probably why.
 

Darkgran

Member
Guns and Roses back in 91. Absolutely terrible. It made me stop listening to their music.

Axl Rose was also a dick to the crowd.
 
It's probably some unknown underground band, but from those with a higher reputation, Kreator was a pretty big letdown. They just did not have the energy necessary for a thrash metal show. I've heard they are pretty hit and miss when it comes to their live performances though, but haven't seen them since.

Another one was Rotten Sound when I saw them for the first time. Every other grind band was amazing but they were rather bland. Saw them another time a couple of years later and they were awesome, so they don't qualify anymore.

I'm surprised to hear that, I've seen Kreator a ton of times and they've never been less than awesome.

For me it's Manson and Sum 41 both a couple of times at festivals and also Manson supporting Maiden, they were both utterly shite.
 
Marilyn Manson.

Dumbass was out of tune and his band was playing songs with the wrong effects on. Just stumbled around on stage forgetting lyrics and obviously stoned or something. Easily the worst live performance I've ever seen.

Luckily I didn't go to the music festival just for him.
 

Owari

Member
It's not an audiences fault a band didn't call it quits when they lost their passion, so I see nothing wrong with letting other people know a show sucked.

A show sucked =/= a band sucks live
http://youtube.com/watch?v=NpBdDkiwKg4
MCR was incredible live.

Just because you didn't listen to the band actively enough to see a show in their prime doesn't mean you can go around saying they suck live.

99% of bands always suck live. Like Weezer, for example. Zero energy performance. Going through the motions. Every time. Other bands are known for amazing performances (MCR) .. Just because they toured a little bit without feeling it doesn't negate all of the amazing experiences they created. Smh
 

Lothars

Member
Mars Volta was one of the worst sounding bands I have ever been to, They were opening for Red Hot Chilli Peppers so at least the concert wasn't a bust but they were terrible.
 

16BitNova

Member
Buckcherry.

They opened for Avenged Sevenfold and were horrible. The lead singer had a long speech before one of his songs talking about "Have you ever had a bitch snort coke off your cock, thats rock and roll babayyy" and similar shit. Then proceeded to look like a cracked out Mick Jagger on stage. Everyone in the crowd wanted them to leave.
 

jay

Member
Bob Dylan is pretty awful. His voice and the arrangements for his music are both unrecognizable. It sounds like a guy with throat cancer leading a nufolk band that attaches Bob Dylan lyrics to their own compositions. He also has such bad arthritis he can't play guitar anymore, so he either stands there fairly motionless or tinkles on the piano. No effort to connect with the audience, heavy reliance on newer songs and very little stuff from his heyday in the 60s/early 70s. Meh.

I saw Dylan a few years ago with my 70 year old father. He was incredibly bored by the lack of energy. I was comatose.
 

ahoyhoy

Unconfirmed Member
MGMT were terrible performers live.

Second.

They basically just try to play their records live with some trippy graphics playing behind them. No energy or improvisation at all.

Relatively modern Modest Mouse and Smashing Pumpkins were both completely awful.

Only two concerts I've ever walked out of.

Where/when did you see MM? I saw them last year in DC and they're much better now that Isaac has sobered up a bit (relatively at least).

Love seeing the huge band and they had a ton of energy.
 
I'm surprised to hear that, I've seen Kreator a ton of times and they've never been less than awesome.

For me it's Manson and Sum 41 both a couple of times at festivals and also Manson supporting Maiden, they were both utterly shite.
Could be that playing during the day on an open air festival is not ideal, but on the other hand, Dying Fetus did the same on the following day and it was the best gig of that weekend.
 

Owari

Member
lol no, i love gorillaz but i cant listen to 19/2000 if it is not the soulchild remix
Gorillaz not playing 19/2000 is like Daft Punk not playing One More Time. Arrogant and ridiculous. Damon Albarn thinks he shits ice cream. Half the concert was him just bitching about the Iraq war. No one payed to hear you bitch, Damon, we paid to hear 19/2000.
 

faridmon

Member
No Joy were awful. Their guitar play is incoherent and their singer didn't seem to like what she was doing. Too much Feedback an Reverb made the whole experience even more painful.
 

SecretDan

A mudslide of fun!
Saw Blink when they played with Weezer. Weezer played first and were incredible.

Then Blink came out. Holy fuck they were terrible. Tom can't sing live or play guitar.

Was very disappointed in Wu Tang Clan, Serena Maneesh, early Tame Impala shows, and Animal Collective.

Bob Dylan is pretty awful. His voice and the arrangements for his music are both unrecognizable. It sounds like a guy with throat cancer leading a nufolk band that attaches Bob Dylan lyrics to their own compositions. He also has such bad arthritis he can't play guitar anymore, so he either stands there fairly motionless or tinkles on the piano. No effort to connect with the audience, heavy reliance on newer songs and very little stuff from his heyday in the 60s/early 70s. Meh.

Eh, I think his newer material works better with what he has (a shot voice and piano).

Does anyone want to see him try and do Like a Rolling Stone with it's original arrangement and his shot voice?

He has also been playing those songs for 50 years. Can't blame the guy for having moved on from his early materials.
 
Every band that opened for GWAR from like 98-04 or so. There was a nu-metal band called Redrum who particularly stick out which is saying something

Adema was awful too
 

Amory

Member
Hawthorne Heights. They were opening for a band called A Static Lullaby that I liked at the time.

I mean, I had heard a few Hawthorne Heights songs before and frankly I went in expecting them to suck, but they were WAY worse than I thought they would be. Just awful.
 

RoboPlato

I'd be in the dick
50 Cent was the worst live act I've seen. He was opening for Fall Out Boy for some reason and refused to even come out on stage for half the set. He would just slowly walk out when it was time for the verses on his songs, mumble through them while looking half asleep, then leave the stage while his hypemen danced around for a bit until it was time for the next song.
 
A show sucked =/= a band sucks live
http://youtube.com/watch?v=NpBdDkiwKg4
MCR was incredible live.

Just because you didn't listen to the band actively enough to see a show in their prime doesn't mean you can go around saying they suck live.

99% of bands always suck live. Like Weezer, for example. Zero energy performance. Going through the motions. Every time. Other bands are known for amazing performances (MCR) .. Just because they toured a little bit without feeling it doesn't negate all of the amazing experiences they created. Smh
If a band consistently has bad shows then they're bad live.

It doesn't matter if they were fucking amazing live five to ten years ago. If that hasn't carried on to the present and they still go out and play then people have every right to think they suck live.

By your logic this thread shouldn't have anyone posting unless they've seen a band numerous times over the course of the bands existence.
 

hawk2025

Member
Second.

They basically just try to play their records live with some trippy graphics playing behind them. No energy or improvisation at all.



Where/when did you see MM? I saw them last year in DC and they're much better now that Isaac has sobered up a bit (relatively at least).

Love seeing the huge band and they had a ton of energy.

Pitchfork Music Festival back in... 2011 I think?
 

Hydrus

Member
Hawthorne Heights. They were opening for a band called A Static Lullaby that I liked at the time.

I mean, I had heard a few Hawthorne Heights songs before and frankly I went in expecting them to suck, but they were WAY worse than I thought they would be. Just awful.

Damn, I havent heard this name in years!
 
Does this actually happen?

I hear of bands going in the studio drunk to record an album. Apparently, when they leave some genius sound-engineer/roadie re-records the songs and the the band thinks they did the work.

Off stage musicians are pretty common. The guys in the band were probably playing but off stage guys are there to fill in stuff. Ozzy has a keyboard guy in the back along with 1 or 2 back up vocalist that are doubling his sound. Iron Maiden has a guitar backup and keyboard player offstage too.

Better than playing to backing tracks like Van Halen:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_ZZI0ZX82M
 

Owari

Member
If a band consistently has bad shows then they're bad live.

It doesn't matter if they were fucking amazing live five to ten years ago. If that hasn't carried on to the present and they still go out and play then people have every right to think they suck live.

By your logic this thread shouldn't have anyone posting unless they've seen a band numerous times over the course of the bands existence.
But MCR only sub-par toured for a few years before breaking up. Most bands when they stop feeling it will keep going forever (falloutboy, blink182) forever making crap albums and bad tours. You have to respect MCR for pulling out when they did, legacy in tact. If 15% out of 100% of shows are bad, guess what, they're still amazing live. Especially considering most bands are more like 50/50, or even worse.
 

jstevenson

Sailor Stevenson
Mars Volta was one of the worst sounding bands I have ever been to, They were opening for Red Hot Chilli Peppers so at least the concert wasn't a bust but they were terrible.

yes! I saw them open for the Peppers too and they were awful
 
Not exactly a band per se, but I did security for an Icona Pop concert at my college and I've seen student DJs that gave better performances. Mindnumbingly dull.
 

jay

Member
But MCR only sub-par toured for a few years before breaking up. Most bands when they stop feeling it will keep going forever (falloutboy, blink182) forever making crap albums and bad tours. You have to respect MCR for pulling out when they did, legacy in tact. If 15% out of 100% of shows are bad, guess what, they're still amazing live. Especially considering most bands are more like 50/50, or even worse.

Since you have done the research we refuse to do, please reply to every post in the thread explaining whether or not the band was simply bad once or is bad live.
 
But MCR only sub-par toured for a few years before breaking up. Most bands when they stop feeling it will keep going forever (falloutboy, blink182) forever making crap albums and bad tours. You have to respect MCR for pulling out when they did, legacy in tact. If 15% out of 100% of shows are bad, guess what, they're still amazing live. Especially considering most bands are more like 50/50, or even worse.
None of what you said changes the fact that if you were to go see that band on one of the nights they were bad, you would be perfectly logical in calling them "The worst band you've ever seen live." Which is what the thread is about.
 
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