The Dominion Theatre, Tottenham Court Road, London around 1986.

It was the final night of the tour. The band had been augmented with extra musicians. It was a showcase for vocalist Juliet Roberts. However with her egotistical grandstanding and the minimal amount of straightforward singing she did, the band got booed off stage.

They still came back for an encore.

Can`t remember the group but they were goddawful. When the singer started berating the crowd for the lack of enthusiasm by saying " Come you filthy *****s , we`re worth it , you know", my Spanish friends turned to me, I translated, and a shower of bottles rained upon the stage, bringing the whole show to a merciful end

... at Knebworth - can't remember the name of the event but there were loads of big names on - Macca, Clapton, Phil Collins, Elton etc. Anyway, Floyd were the last act on and some bloke in front of me isn't feeling too well and decides he needs a shit (he's with his girlfriend) - he just pulls his keks down, crouches down and does it. I say "it" but it was much worse than that - it was a river of stinking diarrhoea - and his girlfriend, bless her, kept saying to him "are you alright?".

Spoilt the whole event for me.

Hammersmith Odeon 1984. Lazy, arrogant twaddle (and I was a fan).

In 35 years of gig going I've never walked out. Maybe left before the end but never actually left in the first third or so.

Late 80's, Pavilion Theatre, Glasgow. Me and two mates with very broad tastes between us. John Martin live.

He was just awful. (I'm not a huge fan at best). It was just tuneless rambling jazzy noodly pish.

The three of us agreed on the nod to scarper before 20 minutes was up.

I know he's revered and all that. You can't like everything.

I'm Serious...They had a black guy(who started out with a british accent and eventually had a Southern American one) as "Frankie".. they said he was sick and couldn't make it...everyone was looking around saying "what the hell is this" After a few FGTH songs they did a Hootie and The Blowfish Cover!...it was actually pretty hysterical the nerve they had...the whole audience just kind of slowly left the club. If you Google it there is a bit of info on this "notorious" case of fraud.

The gig began exceedingly badly and only got worse when Jed and co. came on.*

* I was bought a ticket by a friend who swore that I'd enjoy it. I didn't.

at the Albert Hall some time during the mid nineties. Accompanied GLW who was a big fan of Japan. Fripp spent the entire show in complete darkness, and may actually have been eleswhere. Despite being of taller dimensions and struggling for leg room I couldn't help but snooze for a while. I can only imagine my snorings added life to the event.

Sometime in the early - mid 80's was absolute murder. To put it into perspective, he was blown off the stage by the support act - Chas and Dave!!!
I also saw the Buggles version of Yes, again at the Apollo. Actually quite good until the singing bits.

To be fair me and my mates were there to see the support band Beltane Fire but we stayed on and hated it.
Brixton mid 80's I reckon. Think it ended in a fight. Singer wore trackie bottoms and a bandana.. I guess it was the Olivia Newton John fitness video look popular at the time.

I did walk out on Simply Red when they were supporting James Brown at the Ham Odeon early 80's.
Dreadful.

Where's Robert Wyatt? Play something off the albums.

Oh shit, this is just a DJ set of obscure dance club tracks.

£15.

*fumes*

Deep Purple, Wembley Empire Pool 1976 - the Tommy Bolin era. An embarrassing end to a once great band

Todd Rundgren - Festival Hall 2004 - The Liars tour. Fine, play the album but don't then insult us by leaving the stage for 10 minutes while the band plays a cheesy cover of Peter Gunn. And if you haven't played here for 10 years, would it hurt to play some of your 'hits'?

Apart from a spectacular beginning with flying saucer and flashing lights, the gig was awful. Just tedious drivel with every song sounding the same as the one before (and after). Didn't walk out but should have. I just over optimistically hoped it would improve - it didn't. It did eventually end, however (sigh of relief).

Good Friday, a few years ago at the atrocious Western Springs outdoor venue in Auckland. The very expensive ticket gave me the right to stand still for two hours in a field with about 30,000 other people. If you moved at all, the crowd took over the empty space your feet left behind. Lots of grumpiness in the crowd as toes were stood on and pushing. No drunks though, because selling beer on Good Friday is against the law in NZ.

They played competently but with very little interraction with each other or the audience. It was exciting to see them in the beginning, but after about 20 minutes I was willing it to end. It was so unengaging that towards the end, the previously respectful audience were openly chatting and having conversations. Support band was Nickleback.

But should have known better than to go an see Menswe@r, supported by Northern Uproar.

It was probably 10 years ago (I've tried to block out the memory) that Joe Cocker graced Cardiff for some sort of free/charity festival. He was topping the very poor bill, and I think it's fairly safe to say he might have sampled the backstage refreshments while awaiting his turn.

He was awful, awful, awful. Missed cues, missed notes, verses from one song while the band played another, etc. I hope he was drunk, because the only other explanation for the random, confused utterances that spouted forth at odd moments was that he had suffered some serious head trauma.

I left because the didn't just phone it in, they pre recorded themselves phoning it in and then phoned that in. I went because I thought I ought to see them once. They were blown away by support Kasabian and second support The Enemy. I really don't belong here do I?

20 years ago in Germany. He actually did have a good band capable of playing well-organised but still exciting improvised music. Not then, though, approaching the end of his career, as the old buffoon ran through some sloppy and simplistic electric funk (= grandad frugging) with himself on "vocals". Just embarrassing and a sad end to a distinguished career.

My mate and I left at the interval.

A drunk, drooling (literally), bug-eyed wreck. His band shuffled through some pedestrian boogie but the idea that this guy was once an inconoclastic threat seemed a bloody long way off.

The theme in this thread is "Useless old c**ts coasting on their reputation". [Obviously I don't mean Chas'n'Dave]

Spiritualised - Whitehaven 2003, dreadful, by the 5th song, the venue went from packed to half empty.

Dreadful, dull & boring. No atmosphere whatsoever.

supporting Beefheart at the Glasgow Apollo in '74. I was seated in the middle of the second row and drink (cheap wine) had been, and was (surreptitiously) continuing to be taken. After suffering yet another balls-achingly, tedious noodle which climaxed(!) in some clown dragging what appeared to be seaweed over the cymbals, the stunned silence was broken by an audience member shouting 'Fck off you pretentious cnts.' I rather admired his percipience until I realised the haeckler was me. The weedy bass player came to the front of the stage and gave me a withering look. Undaunted, I shouted "yeah, it was me and you're still a pretentious cnt'. Unfortunately, the bouncers then came over and relieved me of the remainder of my bottle of vintage Hirondelle.
I agree with HJH George - 'avant-garde is French for bullshit'.

Melanie - a couple of years ago in Leamington. She was unwell and had NO VOICE AT ALL. It was toe curling. She should have just cancelled.

Both at Manchester Apollo. Both about three years ago.

Manic Street Preachers. I had seen them before when they clearly meant it. This time it was just karaoke.

The Mars Volta. Over two hours of relentless assault with no way of distinguishing between 'songs'. No breather. No contrast of light and shade. Just on and on and on.

Back in about 2003, I went to see young Damo Rice. My ticket was free, courtesy of the young lady I was seeing at the time. I'd already had a few sniffs of the barmaid's apron before I'd gone in, and, two songs in, I decided that going back to the pub and listening to the busker playing outside would be preferable to Damo's gentle moaning.

The young lady was not impressed (by me, not Damo - she loved him).

Shepherd's Bush Empire, 2009(?)

They wandered on to the stage as though they were lost not too long before ten pm on a school night. We had been waiting for over an hour and rather than get us back on side with a blistering set starter they arsed about with something from their new album, barely looking at anything other than the floor. Ad infinitum.

Twenty minutes later and I was aout of there. Tossers.

The only two I've walked away from without needing to rush for a last train etc...

Sleeper - Brixton Academy - It Girl Tour 1996. Appalling, truly appalling and I say this as someone who loved Sleeper (underrated and subjected to some awful condescesion in the inkies at the time). The sound was awful. Sounded like everything had been refracted through a series of pillows and fed out again through a discombobulated flanger sat in a bucket of water. Louise wasn't into it, the band played off key and clearly had the arse with each other.

Red Hot Chili Peppers at Earls Court on the Stadium Arcadium tour - Was dragged along by a group of friends - RHCP just transported their stadium PA into Earls Court. Didn't work. Drums just echoed around the hall bouncing everywhere - Kiedis was in full on screaming mode and after 3 numbers Flea turned in a bass solo. We lasted 5 songs and made our way back to the Three Kings. We were by no means the only ones. £57.50 for the pleasure too...

Never has an entire tube-train full of Bowie fans on their way home from a gig ever been so silent: No one could even look each other in the eyes.

and I saw Simple Minds at MK Bowl in 1986 and they were terrible - the Waterboys won my heart that day (and The Cult weren't bad either!)

Mentioned this before....

http://www.wordmagazine.co.uk/content/ever-been-long-changed-a-band#comm...

Went with my brother and two girls from my work. Boiling hot day, and I remember it being dreadful - Jim Kerr would end a song, milk the applause and then do another false ending for a couple of minutes...

Anway, I found this on a bootleg website which shows the tracklisting and more importantly the times....how many 8 minute versions of songs can a band perform... 169 mins 26 secs. Never got the girl either...

1 When Spirits Rise 1:55
2 Street Fighting Years 8:09
3 Wall Of Love 6:40
4 Mandela Day 9:38
5 This Is Your Land 8:34
6 Soul Crying Out 8:09
7 Waterfront 5:23
8 Ghost Dancing 11:13
9 The Book Of Brilliant Things 5:17
10 Dont You (Forget About Me) 9:33
11 Gaelic Melody 1:14
11 Gaelic Melody2 4:33
12 Once Upon A Time 6:17
13 Oh Jungleland 7:53
14 Big Sleep 7:58
15 Someone Somewhere In Summertime 5:28
16 Kick It In 6:59
17 Let It All Come Down 5:39
18 Belfast Child 10:36
19 Sun City 8:33
20 Biko 9:02
21 Sanctify Yourself 6:55
22 East At Easter 6:12
23 Alive And Kicking 7:36

but I'll name Spiritualized at Glastonbury 2002. Was really looking forward to seeing them but turned out to be very dull and unengaging. Now carving out a career based on writing songtitles using only the following words: "Soul" "Heart" "Fire" "Slow" "Hurt" "Lord" etc.
(They do usually make a nice sound though.)

Tom McRae Hotel Cafe Tour. The Hotel Cafe acts were billed as the support, but it turned out to be a whole evening of people taking turns. I wouldn't have minded this concept, it was a refreshing idea, but Tom only did about 4 songs and the evening reeked of self-congratulation. A shame as he's written some great songs.

A few spring to mind:
First of all Sugar at Cambridge Corn Exchange in support of the Copper Blue album (mid 90's?). Dreadful sound, half empty venue, absolutely not a word between songs form (Boring) Bob Mould. Miserable
See also Dogs D'Amour at same venue (no I don't know why I went either!) Must rank as the ugliest band ever too.

Killing Joke at Hammersmith Palais early 80's. Played entirely new numbers. Very dull. Jaz Coleman: "Hope you're enjoying these new songs" Er not really Jaz, we'd like some old. Supported by Aztec Camera who did a great albeit brief set, but were clearly on the wrong bill. I remember poor Roddy's guitar being covered in gob by an angry front row. Ironically KJ would also feature in my best gigs list at the Subterrania early 90's just after Youth rejoined the band.

And the inevitable Simple Minds gig - Milton Keynes Bowl 85. Overblown nonsense, although probably not as bad the set list further up this thread. The Waterboys and The Cult saved the day for me.
I am however now a Simple Minds convert and will going to the Roundhouse to see their 5 from 5 show in March. They are now very much a good example of a band who has listened to their audience and give them what they want.

Bristol Colston Hall. Fashion supported by Kajagoogoo. We had no idea who Kajagoogoo were; then the following week "too shy" was on TOTP. That was quite bad, but I was young; I hate wasting time and money now, but in those days those two things were my main hobbies.

The most disappoining one for me has to be Van Morrison outdoors at Battle a few years ago. I think it was his "Contractual Obligations" tour. He went through the motions for about an hour, apparently not realising that there was an audience there. I had seen him at Glastonbury in the mid 1980s when he was just as boring/bored. As a fan of his music I so wanted these gigs to be better. As a result I now find his recorded music less enoyable than before.

Honourable mention goes to Miles Davis who sat down for about two hours nonchalantly directing his band of jazz rockers. I think he may have stood up twice and done some small trumpet parps but I was probably asleep. Maybe the parps were mine come to think of it.

Glasgow College of Building and printing, roundabout 1991.

The PA broke down within two songs, so whilst it was being fixed the band tried to instigate a stage diving contest. The only problem was, there was about ten people in the audience. Cue an hour spent watching two halfwits diving face first onto the floor.

Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Glasgow Barrowlands, 1993ish
Henry Rollins was the support. He kicked arse, was brilliant in every way, the crowd were hyped up. The Red Hot Chilli Peppers came on, moaned about the weather, played interminable slap bass "jams", made stupid faces and were just rubbish.

The Aphex Twin - Glasgow QMU 1995ish
During his "drum and bass except even worse" phase. It was like having your head stuck underneath a road drill.

The Anson Rooms, Bristol Uni, 1997. Went with nephews and bro-in-law but hadn't consumed any drugs beforehand so my mind was completely unprepared for the relentless racket that took place. After around 40 minutes, I went outside and sat down and tried to listen for a further 10. Still couldn't get it, made my excuses (to myself) and left.

At the Royal Festival Hall. Oh so tasteful and restrained it was painful.

I've seen him play some stinkers (haven't we all) but St Georges Church in Bristol about 1990... ten quid... four songs. Twat.

I care not a jot that he was supporeted by the equally shite Mose Allison, you don't pay to see the support.

Crazyhead at the ULU, 1989-the greebo rockers were briefly the hype of the season, but it was just terrible, boring, pastiche-metal and one of the main reasons I then got into dance music instead.

Most disappointing was Saint Etienne promoting Finisterre in Brighton, 2002. I love the band and that album, but watching Sarah Cracknell sing nervously over backing tracks was not a good night out.

Nice one Ricardo.. Me and my mates were massive Beltane Fire fans and in the small clubs they were excellent, highly original and superb musicians..but it didn't seen to transfer so well to the larger arenas..maybe difficulty in amping a double bass didn't help.. Night Fishing was awesome..still play the album

Glad in wasn't just me..Was Fish the worst ever dressed/named rock star of all time..?

I was very big on the Cocteau Twins. "Treasure" was rarely off the turntable. So I was cock-a-hoop when they announced their Usher Hall Edinburgh date.

Now I've seen some stinkers at festivals and as support bands, and that's OK becuase I've not paid good money specifically to see them. The Cocteau Twins though were absolutely lamentable. Obviously an accomplished studio band but regretably unable to transfer it to a live setting.

I could count on one hand how many times the discs have seen the light of day since.

God, this was terrible. I know they were old and knackered by then, but I had never had the chance to see them before and the albums they put out around then were OK, if not a patch on their glory years. What I didn't expect were the fluffed intros, Rick Danko forgetting the words to The Weight(!) and general all-round lethargy which surrounded most of the show. The Session Guys were the only ones who seemed into it. A couple of years later I was in Dublin talking to a guy who saw them in their hotel before the show and he said the controlled substances were flying about with gay abandon, which would explain a lot. I spotted then-Leyton Orient Manager Frank Clark at the bar though. Which was nice.
And don't slag off Todd on the Liars Tour! He was great.

...Bristol Studio (it was below the "Silver Blades" ice rink, I have no idea what it's called now). They ... were ... ...just ... dull. 1986?7?

I left just before the encore, which, my friend informed me, was "Sweet Child O' Mine", so no great loss.

The *absolute* worst thing I have ever seen on stage (and I've seen the Spinners, and Dogs D'Amor), was a support act to Richard Thompson. I don't know what he was thinking, but she was a howling, yowling performance artist who climaxed (possibly literally) with a feedback-drenched dulcimer solo, whilst the desperately unhip, middle aged-Thommo crowd, gritted their teeth, plugged their ears and clapped politely.

Perth, Australia Day, January 2008.

Things got off to a bad start when the show was transferred to a different venue at the last minute, leading some confused punters to turn up at the original concert hall. With public transport stretched on a sweltering Australia Day bank holiday, many found themselves stranded across town.

This stuff-up prompted an enterprising fan to make one of those ubiquitous Downfall movie spoofs which the band magnanimously screened onstage before the show, so all seemed to be forgiven. Although delayed a little to allow the hot and bothered late-comers to take their seats, proceedings started promisingly enough and looked to be shaping up into a typically unrelenting Dream Theater set when, around an hour in, the band suddenly walked off stage en masse.

They were gone for an age until an announcement eventually informed us that a “technical problem” made it impossible for the show to continue. Turns out the onstage monitors had packed up, so while we, the audience, could still hear everything perfectly the band couldn’t hear themselves. Eventually they came back onstage dressed in (I kid you not) fluffy dressing gowns to offer apologies to the fans and promising to be back (which they did, the following year).

After that, we all shuffled out into the night, feeling a little confused and let down.

Not the worst concert I’ve ever seen, clearly, but one of the most anti-climatic.

Just appalling. I was suckered in by the hype, went along and was unimpressed with everything about it.

One thing I can't understand is why I'm even grumpy that they only played for what I recall was about 30 mins, and yet those 30 mins were so awful that it was a relief when they finished?

Ch-ch-ch-ch- .....check out the pub next door!