I want a refund!

[jimmie ray]

i went to the bathroom and had to walk past a whole row of very masculine women who i thought were waiting in line...nope, they said, go right ahead...i had to walk past all of them and into a stall where i then had to force myself to pee while they all listened. in the stall...my brain was in a panic... i have to walk past them all again to exit!...survived, but very indimidating!

So they were more interesting in tinkling noises than the show? What if you had to poop?!?!?!?

[marolyn]

So they were more interesting in tinkling noises than the show?

i was wondering the same thing at the time and it wasn't until i was safe in the stall that the lightbulbs went off in my head upon which the sheer terror set in as to how to make my great escape!!!

[Jahfin]

My wife recently likes Josh Groban and Sarah McGlocklin, and the instrumentals aren't so bad, I've noticed...

Do you mean "Sarah McLachlan"? If so, I don't have a problem with her music at all.

As for worst concerts, I guess I've had pretty good luck there as I've only been witness to a few. One was the Raisin Band, the opening act for Kiss on their Rock n' Roll Over tour, though I kind of got the idea they were bad on purpose. Then there was the Spin Doctors on the H.O.R.D.E. tour, truly horrendous. Finally, a group called Head of Femur from Chicago that opened for Wilco at the House of Blues in Myrtle Beach a couple of summers ago. For the most part I've had good experiences with the various headliners I've seen over the years (including Rush and Dylan).

Edited June 16, 2008 by Jahfin

[jimmie ray]

Do you mean "Sarah McLachlan"? If so, I don't have a problem with her music at all.

I don't think either of us has it spelled right? But you know who I'm talking about. I really don't care for just about any of today's singers' voices - how people are drawn to these vocal styles is beyond me...

[Jahfin]

I don't think either of us has it spelled right?

It's spelled "McLachlan", at least according to her website. I haven't followed her that closely in recent years but I became a fan with her Solace record back in '91. What's bothersome is her I Will Remember You song that plays nearly constantly on TV but I'm not put off by her voice itself.

But you know who I'm talking about. I really don't care for just about any of today's singers' voices - how people are drawn to these vocal styles is beyond me...

I don't really listen to that much commercial radio anymore but I have no problem with McLachlan's voice or the majority of newer artists I listen to (Ryan Adams, Tift Merritt, Rhett Miller, Patterson Hood, Patti Griffin, etc. Then again, most of the folks I just listed aren't exactly "household" names but they've all been around for a good ten years or more. If you're referring to artists that regularly make the Top Ten (or even Top 40), I'm pretty much completely out of touch with those lists these days. I actively began to lose interest in commercial radio circa the mid to late 90s when I retreated to a regular diet of CDs and NPR. This gave way in the mid 00s to satellite radio as commercial radio has pretty much gone down the tubes (with the very notable exceptions of progressive and college radio stations).

[JethroTull]

I actually did get a refund once.....about two years ago Garland Jeffreys was playing a show at Jammin' Java in Vienna, VA with his long time guitar player. Another show I was really looking forward to....at the start he announced that he lost his voice a day or two ago and has been battling a cold....I thought he sounded okay. They played about 35 minutes and left. Somehow I obtained the email address for his management company and sent them an email telling them how disappointed I was and next time they would be better off canceling the show. I asked for and received my $20.00 back. (not so on my wife's ticket)

[bigzepfan]

I fell asleep at Bob Dylan. And I was right up front. The worst part is...I wasn't tired.

Gary US Bonds warmed up Eric Clapton in 81 I think. He was booed off the stage.

They never actually played the show but guns and roses cancelled a tour in the eighties..and nobody got their money back. that really really sucked big time.

Rob Zombie played only a 45 minute show at The Chance in Poughkeepsie. He didn't have the full getup on, just jeans and he basically insulted the crowd all nite. F him.

[tyedye]

Judas Priest

The opening band was far better.

Slayer.

[Dancin'Days]

I saw Black Sabbath in Sept. 1975 W/Ozzy, at the San Diego Sports Arena and they really sucked. It was to laud! Nothing but distortion.

[Jahfin]

Gary US Bonds warmed up Eric Clapton in 81 I think. He was booed off the stage.

Not surprising especially considering what method he used to warm him up, that definitely could have led to the booing.

[Swede]

^^^ ROTFLOL!!!

[Footsteps of Dawn]

I saw Black Sabbath in Sept. 1975 W/Ozzy, at the San Diego Sports Arena and they really sucked. It was to laud! Nothing but distortion.

Oh man, that sucks. The Sports Arena has notoriously horrible acoustics (although I guess they've made some improvements in the last couple years...I haven't been there in quite a while), and couple that with the loudness...yeah, I bet that wasn't exactly thrilling.

[Virginia]

AC/DC with some Japanese metal band opening in Roanoke VA in the mid 80s (85 or so). They sounded horrible; the songs were practically unrecognizeable. Not sure if it was the band or the arena's acoustics (or both).

The Cars in Richmond, VA on their "Panorama" tour (81'ish) were disappointing; they stood there motionless, except for strumming their guitars, and sang word for word from the albums. No interaction with the audience at all.

And if opening acts count, definitely the Hives from Oct '07 was the worst ever. The most white-knuckled musical experience ever. There was no beat; yet the beat was everywhere. It was totally freaking my blood pressure out. That plus the FREAKY LIGHT SHOW with those lights that rise up and outward until you can't see your feet, like Close Encounters of the Third Kind, while you are balancing on the top row in the nosebleed section and trying not to tumble down the skinny stairs (free radio station tickets). I could not WAIT until they were gone. I know I'm "old", but my teen daughter didn't like them either.

[Jahfin]

I'm sure eveyone has a band that made it real big that they just don't like or understand why they are so big? To me that would be Springsteen. Never liked his music at all. Don't get it how he is so big. Never saw him live but couldn't find a thread on this.

A thread on Springsteen? If so, I imagine there's been several. I'm also not a fan but I do understand why he's so popular. Along with the Beatles, Zep, Dylan, R.E.M., the Grateful Dead and a handful of others, he's among the most bootlegged artists out there. There's a reason for that. I'd have to say first and foremost, it's the strength of his live show. Then there's the lyrics that speak to most working class Americans.

I've come around to Springsteen some over the years but I've yet to see him in concert or buy any of his records. Early on, he was championed by some local (NC) radio announcers but I just didn't get it. Nor could I get past his voice (even though I'm a Dylan fan so it's not like I'm opposed to "gruff" sounding singers).

[Jahfin]

I guess I know what you mean with the lyrics. I never liked his voice. Of course Dylan never made it big for his voice but I love him and I always thought he just kind of grew on you. The fist time I heard Neil Young many many years ago, I didn't like his voice but now I love him as well as Dylan. I have had lots of time to stomach Springsteen and it just isn't going to happen.

Strange as it may seem the little tolerance I've developed for Springsteen over the years seems to come from nostalgia from when those early songs were first forced upon me by the local radio station. I also have liked a song or two along the way (particularly some of the stuff from his Tunnel of Love album) but not enough to compel me to fork over the big bucks to see him in concert or buy any of his records. The biggest obstacle remains his voice. I recall an article in the year end issue of Life magazine back in '85 (when Born In the U.S.A. was inescapable) from his high school vocal coach who likened his voice to that of a "dying buffalo in heat". I'd say that's about right.

[chef free]

Believe or not Aerosmith in 1977, maybe this was their drug induced era, because they sucked big time! good thing I only paid $10 for the damn ticket.

ME TOO! The worst rock show I ever saw was Aerosmith at the Cow Palace in '77 or '78. They sounded crappy, played crappy and looked really crappy! I was so disapointed, they should have been great but I guess heroin and coke were taking their toll on many rockers in those years.

[docron]

Barry Manilow sang all show tunes, then asked who would like to join him for a duet at the piano. All the young women there screamed and threw bouquets of roses at him, hoping to get picked. We had good seats, front and center, but my wife shyly sank down in hers. So I jumped up and down, waving my arms at him. He looked right at me - like WTF, dude??? I've never been dragged to another show, since...

lmao. Perfectly executed man-tactics my friend.

[docron]

Double post in order to agree with someone above who absolutely does not understand Springsteen.

I just cannot play one of his songs all the way through.

Dylan tho? Anyday.

[dazedcat]

I saw The Clash on their Combat Rock tour. I've never been so disappointed in my life, maybe it was the acoustics of the place I saw them at (which was brutally bad).......no it wasn't. They really sucked on every level imaginable.

Shame really, I had been a huge fan up to that point........not a good memory at all.

Regards;