Most disappointing live act you've seen - Bands/artists that should stick to the studio

[Spunt]

For me, the worst by far is Alestorm.

I saw them live for the first time at a festival 2 years ago and they were fucking dreadful. They explained that they hadn't soundchecked because they were too hungover, and they sounded like absolute dogshit - weird sub-bass feedback that hurt the ears, awful instrument balance/EQ (couldn't hear the bass guitar or half the drumkit, guitars sounded like fingernails on a chalkboard), didn't even sound in tune. Their guitar tech only turned up literally halfway through the set so they put him on backing vocals. Worse than the sound was the performance - they looked like they didn't want to be there and wanted to go home. I've never seen such a half-arsed set at a festival.

Until I saw them again the next year and they were somehow even worse. Even though they had (presumably) soundchecked this time their sound was still dogshit, with that weird low frequency feedback setting off the master channel compressors and pumping the entire PA. They seemed even less enthusiastic than before, just going through the motions with no enthusiasm - not what you want from a comedy band. Personally I think that they stopped finding their own shtick funny years ago but are financially trapped into being a dumb pirate metal band forever, and their souls are slowly leaving their body.

Other shit gigs from artists whose records I like:

Joe Satriani - Stood stock still for his entire set and played everything note-for-note from the record.
Marilyn Manson - Turned up late, picked a fight with his own percussionist mid-song, threatened to walk off stage several times, slurred his lines, didn't do an encore.
Deftones - Seemed too high to play properly, error-strewn set with shit sound.
Smashing Pumpkins - Played all the songs way too loud and way too fast because they clearly wanted to go home, no encore.
Bloodbath - No energy or stage presence, ridiculous considering the music they play.
Skindred - Play the same set every gig even down to the inter-song banter, sloppy. Benji Webbe is too fat to do much on stage these days.

Who have you seen who let you down?

 

[Reverend]

BB King: I know the main was ancient when I saw him but he literally sat there on a chair and every 5 minutes let everyone else in the band play, introduce them again, or tell an anecdote instead of...ya know...playing.

 

[GrotesqueBushes]

Tool, ages ago.
There was no sound balance at all, it was basically a wall of noise drowned out by bass, to the point where the song lyrics were barely audible. Aside from that it was the most cookie cutter show I've witnessed, it was barely over an hour long. Play some songs, collect cash, fuck off.

And Alestorm is just Running Wild for twats.

 

[Franjevina]

Well i'm probably gonna get hate for this - but i would say Rammstein is pretty bad live ( and i'v seen them several times ) . Pyrotechnics aside ,their live sound is crappy .

 

[Irrelevant]

Agree that Deftones were shit until I was as drunk as them.

I give bands a break if they sound shit as some venues just aren't good but Deftones couldn't even play their songs properly.

 

[Pargon]

Your mom. Dreadful anal.

 

[Damn Near]

Camera Obscura was pretty lifeless, but I don't know what I was expecting

 

[Slappy McGherkin]

For me, had to be Van Halen back in the day. Close to what the OP cited. Eddie Van Halen was drunk off his ass, slugging a bottle of Jack Daniels on stage. He sucked. The band sucked. And in the middle of trying to play "Jaime's Crying," He just stops and stands there and goes "I forgot the fucking words, man!" REALLY? It's not like there's much to the song other then "Whoa, whoa, whoa...Jaime's crying." Horribly disappointing because up to that point, I had liked their music. The best thing that ever happened to them is Sammy Hagar taking over the lead.

Another one that comes to mind is Oingo Boingo. The music was good and the band was tight, but they were definitely over-amped for the small venue they were playing. I couldn't hear anything for two days after that concert! Nearly shattered my ear drums.

If I had to flip this conversation to the best rather than the worst, it would be a tie between Emerson, Lake and Palmer and Pink Floyd. Incredibly talented professionals.

 

[Mein Garten]

Parov Stelar. The chick just kept pelvic thrusting on the stage and the sound was mediocre. I also wasn't high enough to enjoy it.

 

[Christ Cried]

Every time I've had sex

 

[Megaroad 2012]

Public Enemy
One of my first concerts. They'd rap for anywhere from thirty seconds to minute, then skip to the next track. Concert had to be over in maybe 45 minutes, ended with Chuck D proclaiming they need to go to sleep early to go to Japan in the morning before dropping the mic. Pretty gangsta to go to bed on time.

Ozzfest any
I don't remember if these were the same Ozzfests because they kind of blur together nowadays, but while Iron Maiden was playing, Sharron had their sound fucked with behind the scenes or out right turned off because they made fun of her or something. Kelly Osbourne was in the audiance, chucking eggs at the band. Fucking petty,

Then there was Ozzy joining forces with Black Sabbath again. Was going great! Then his voiced cracked and so he threw the mic down and stormed off stage like a bitch. Rest of the band was professional and kept playing like nothing happened, understandable knowing their history, until Ozzy came back and gave us a sob story that he was sick

Hole
Ex's favorite band so I decide to be nice and get tickets for their Orlando show back in 2010 iirc.

Anyways, great opening acting. A psudo-Queen band with a lot of energy (except for the bass player who thought he was Robert Smith and looked like Eric Wareheim), They get off stage, the techs come out and start setting up Courtney Love's equipment.

For three hours we stood there, looking at her poke her head out of a door every now and then, surrounded by a bunch of smelly gen X's. They finally come out, but I'm already checked out mentally. One of the first songs they play is a lame acoustic cover of Nine Inch Nail's "Closer", with Courtney then insulting Trent Reznor.


Distant Worlds 2018
I don't care how nerdy this is. I was hyped Nobuo Uemetsu was going to be at this show and our city was the first stop. Very first thing out of the Arnie Roth's mouth, "SORRY WE DIDNT SAY ANYTHING, BUT NOBUO HAS BEEN SICK FOR A MONTH AND ISNT HERE". I'm positive the info about him being sick was added during concert.

Of course I'm glad he's recovering, and I do enjoy the Roth clan's professionalism at these concerts, but it was such a buzzkill since these concerts are kind of the same since they never play anything of interest beyond what the general audiance can clap their hands to (New Worlds is awesome tho).

edit: Forgot pretty much any Nine Inch Nails show post Ghosts because half the concert is just a light show with instrumentals playing in the background. Positive the band wasnt even playing last time.

 

[AlexJonesGotMePregnant]

Public Enemy
One of my first concerts. They'd rap for anywhere from thirty seconds to minute, then skip to the next track. Concert had to be over in maybe 45 minutes, ended with Chuck D proclaiming they need to go to sleep early to go to Japan in the morning before dropping the mic. Pretty gangsta to go to bed on time.

Ozzfest any
I don't remember if these were the same Ozzfests because they kind of blur together nowadays, but while Iron Maiden was playing, Sharron had their sound fucked with behind the scenes or out right turned off because they made fun of her or something. Kelly Osbourne was in the audiance, chucking eggs at the band. Fucking petty,

Then there was Ozzy joining forces with Black Sabbath again. Was going great! Then his voiced cracked and so he threw the mic down and stormed off stage like a bitch. Rest of the band was professional and kept playing like nothing happened, understandable knowing their history, until Ozzy came back and gave us a sob story that he was sick

Hole
Ex's favorite band so I decide to be nice and get tickets for their Orlando show back in 2010 iirc.

Anyways, great opening acting. A psudo-Queen band with a lot of energy (except for the bass player who thought he was Robert Smith and looked like Eric Wareheim), They get off stage, the techs come out and start setting up Courtney Love's equipment.

For three hours we stood there, looking at her poke her head out of a door every now and then, surrounded by a bunch of smelly gen X's. They finally come out, but I'm already checked out mentally. One of the first songs they play is a lame acoustic cover of Nine Inch Nail's "Closer", with Courtney then insulting Trent Reznor.


Distant Worlds 2018
I don't care how nerdy this is. I was hyped Nobuo Uemetsu was going to be at this show and our city was the first stop. Very first thing out of the Arnie Roth's mouth, "SORRY WE DIDNT SAY ANYTHING, BUT NOBUO HAS BEEN SICK FOR A MONTH AND ISNT HERE". I'm positive the info about him being sick was added during concert.

Of course I'm glad he's recovering, and I do enjoy the Roth clan's professionalism at these concerts, but it was such a buzzkill since these concerts are kind of the same since they never play anything of interest beyond what the general audiance can clap their hands to (New Worlds is awesome tho).

edit: Forgot pretty much any Nine Inch Nails show post Ghosts because half the concert is just a light show with instrumentals playing in the background. Positive the band wasnt even playing last time.

I remember the distant worlds shit. I had a VIP ticket and no refunds were given, but there was someone else for the meet-and-greet but i didn't bother going. Never bothering with the VIP shit again for anything, what a racket.

 

[MerriedxReldnahc]

I adore Metalachi, but the third time I saw them the sound and venue were just terrible. So the first time I saw them, it was at a local bar/brewery slated to be relocated to a nearby location. Third show was at that new location, and the venue was not prepared at all. The building is this weird L shape with very little crowd room and none of the usual seating had been relocated. Metalachi concerts bring in a motherfucking army of people, venues fight over who gets to host them cause they know their guaranteed to sell out tickets. They really should have known how many people were going to get crammed together that night. Everyone was packed like sardines. There was *supposed* to be a VIP loft for people who bought limited special tickets, my friend and his family spent $60 to sit there only to be kicked out of the area for no reason, so they joined me in the sardine-can.
Usually the band soundchecks a few hours before the show but for some reason they didn't and soundcheck happened after the doors were open and everyone was waiting for the real show to start. The sound was horrible for the rest of the show. I suspect the venue was trying to make the sound go more into the street outside because it was farmer's market night, but inside it was deafeningly loud. Couldn't hear for days afterwards and from that moment I started wearing earplugs at concerts. Even Slayer didn't fuck up my hearing that bad. That might have been the same time their violinist tripped on stage on a cable because the stage itself had been prepped weird.

Next time the band came to that venue, the place was smart enough to relocate all the couches and tables and the sound wasn't utter shit. They've since given up even having concerts at that location and instead have them at their larger concert-specific venue where they have, you know, fucking space. When Metalachi comes to town you need room for the possibility that a mosh pit and conga line break out in the exact same song, which I have personally seen happen.

 

[Fannyscum]

I saw Beastie Boys at a festival a few years ago and they sucked. They brought Rahzel out to do Brass Monkey but his mic wasn't EQ'd properly and it sounded crap. The boys didn't join in, it was awkward.
The lead fell out of MCA's bass during Sabotage so they had to start over. The whole set was just generally bad and they were the headlining act.

 

[BIG_BRAD]

Saw Tool at a festival. Sounded their age, slightly bored. Or maybe that was just me.

Bob Dylan, if you've ever heard anyone joke about his shows consisting of a mummy croaking into a mic, just know that those aren't jokes.

 

[Midlife Sperglord]

Bone Thugs and Harmony. Totally tone deaf on stage.

 

[Cheeseburger Picnic]

Parliament-Funkadelic. I'm still glad that I got to see a slice of music history before they packed it in, but George Clinton is very very old and it was a little depressing watching him arthritically strut around the stage in an oversized crown. Wasn't a big fan of any of the current members. Felt bad for the guitarist playing Maggot Brain, it was difficult to tell if he was mediocre or just not Eddie Hazel.

 

[Observerer]

Metallica

This was in 2015. Lars's drumming was exactly like you think, James's vocals were shit, Kirk was whammin' it and Robert was pretty cool but felt out of place. Sound was bad.

Megadeth

Saw them twice within a year. The new line-up is fantastic, but they messed up the soundcheck. Now Dave Mustaine sounds like a crow getting raped when he sings but it didn't help that his mic volume was completely inaudiable.

 

[Faggot Steve]

Got to be Justin Timberlake. he was at the Fed-ex Forum. He performed mostly his newest album for that year which I already didn't like to much. At the venue tho, I guess the air was broken cause it was miserably hot which made my experience worse.

 

[Dolphin Lundgren]

Pennywise. Their music setup and instrumental setup was sloppy and their performance sucked. Maybe they were having a bad day but they're one of the worst acts I ever watched.
Social Distortion at least made up for it at the show with their good performance.

Not my experience but my husband went to Ozzfest and it had the now infamous performance of Iron Maiden where their entire set was ruined because Sharon Osbourne kept unplugging them on stage and cutting off their music because she was angry at them for "disrespecting her and Ozzy."