Led Zeppelin at the Ally Pally in about '74. Plant couldn't hit the notes and when Page started fannying around with a violin bow on his axe for 25 minutes, with most of the audience creaming themselves I thought, he's mugging you off you brain dead sheep
Saw this, creamed myself, baaaaa.
LOL. Oh well! Probably didn't help that I was stone cold sober and substance free
By a country mile, it has to be Eric Clapton at some castle in Yorkshire. He sent the audience to sleep in a way that was almost embarrassing. He played Layla to finish and just about woke a few people up as we were heading off to the car park. I guess if I am honest I am not a huge Eric fan but my wife thought it was awful.
Doesn't it depend which night you get. Does one night all the hits and other nights just plays load of obscure jazz/blues songs
Lou Reed at the Valley. He was stoned beyond any capacity to perform.
This! Bad Company great though.
In Prague, Deep Purple were a disgrace and Oasis not much better. Caught Neil Young on a bad night, think he had a cold. Madonna, great athlete. Coldplay pretending to mess up songs, and doing them again.
(But on the other hand the Levellers, Page&Plant, Chris Rea, Jeff Beck, Paul Weller to an audience of about 50, all fantastic and made me proud to be British)
Smashing Pumpkins wembley arena for their farewell tour (not sure of the year). Corgan pitched up in a white dress and done ambient versions of their classic tracks...fucking awful.
Brilliant band seen most of their gigs every time they tour uk, they played crystal palace stadium a few years back now and its probably the worse concert they av done probably b cos acoustics where terrible , but every concert since has been brilliant saw them at the O2 earlier this year and they where superb, and must say after all these years still going strong unlike most of the new bands.
Not a music gig but I went to the comedy club in Greenwich a few months ago. Chris Donald ( creator of Viz ) was one of the acts and was terrible. Never seen anyone die like that on stage and the more he stayed on the less funny he got. The audience were really laying into him until it eventually ended with everyone in unison telling him to get off. Still makes me cringe now.
Brilliant band seen most of their gigs every time they tour uk, they played crystal palace stadium a few years back now and its probably the worse concert they av done probably b cos acoustics where terrible , but every concert since has been brilliant saw them at the O2 earlier this year and they where superb, and must say after all these years still going strong unlike most of the new bands.
To be honest, I don't know any of their stuff, at all. My wife's favourite band, and it's a birthday treat for her.
I keep winding her up by referring to them as OMG, and singing Enola Gay.
Brilliant band seen most of their gigs every time they tour uk, they played crystal palace stadium a few years back now and its probably the worse concert they av done probably b cos acoustics where terrible , but every concert since has been brilliant saw them at the O2 earlier this year and they where superb, and must say after all these years still going strong unlike most of the new bands.
To be honest, I don't know any of their stuff, at all. My wife's favourite band, and it's a birthday treat for her.
I keep winding her up by referring to them as OMG, and singing Enola Gay.
:-)
I dont know them well either but they are absolutely massive out here. People like my colleague who dont go anywhere near gigs, are all over it when they come to Prague and play the biggest venue available.
Brilliant band seen most of their gigs every time they tour uk, they played crystal palace stadium a few years back now and its probably the worse concert they av done probably b cos acoustics where terrible , but every concert since has been brilliant saw them at the O2 earlier this year and they where superb, and must say after all these years still going strong unlike most of the new bands.
To be honest, I don't know any of their stuff, at all. My wife's favourite band, and it's a birthday treat for her.
I keep winding her up by referring to them as OMG, and singing Enola Gay.
:-)
I dont know them well either but they are absolutely massive out here. People like my colleague who dont go anywhere near gigs, are all over it when they come to Prague and play the biggest venue available.
Good to hear - maybe I'll enjoy it after all. Thanks.
Led Zeppelin at the Ally Pally in about '74. Plant couldn't hit the notes and when Page started fannying around with a violin bow on his axe for 25 minutes, with most of the audience creaming themselves I thought, he's mugging you off you brain dead sheep
Saw this, creamed myself, baaaaa.
I guess this just shows how views differ in music. For me Page fannying around for 25 minutes would have been the highlight of the evening, interesting that most guitarists could not play for 5 minutes without repeating themselves today. And yes Plant did have trouble with his voice around that time, amazing that nearly every rock band singer has based there stage on his act ever since? Paul Rodgers is personally my favourite singer, and I think 'Koss' is the most under appreciated of guitarist's, not by fellow musicians though in my experience.
BTW that Pistols gig at Ravensbourne art College was ticket only as far as I can remember, Pistols contract to play was £400.
They shouldn't have been paid 40 pence to be honest (tickets were 50p, I think). It was mostly covers, which they could barely play. They may have done some of their own songs, I really can't remember and they all sounded the same, anyway. It was one of their first gigs and they hadn't yet come up with Anarchy or God Save The Queen. My brother was working the bar and we got a few free beers, which I seem to remember was the only good thing about the evening. Saw them a few months later at the 100 Club and they were better, but still crap.
Also saw The Jam's first 100 Club gig, when they stood in at the last minute for Roogalator because Danny Adler had been taken ill. That was probably the second worst gig I ever saw!
I was the drummer in the support band for the Sex Pistols at the 100 Club on 25 May 1976, and shared the dressing room with John Lydon and the rest. All a bit of a shambles, but rather good fun.
First time I saw Elvis Costello back in 1979 on the Armed Forces tour. About a 45 minute set and no interaction with the audience. It can't have put me off as I've now seen him about 30 times
Thats around the first time I saw him, I think his manager Jake Riviera had told him to be as hostile as possible in those days - I think the Yanks got it worse than us.
The only time I've felt let down by Costello was when he toured the Kojak Variety album. He came on with the Attractions, did a couple of numbers then pushed them to the back of the stage, and started fawning over a bunch of session men who had played on the album who had come on. They were all good technical players but it was about 5% as good as a regular Attractions or Impostors gig. It didn't help that the album itself was a load of old R&B covers, it was like bad pub rock gone wrong. It kinda stuck out because he usually does a really good show.
I guess this just shows how views differ in music. For me Page fannying around for 25 minutes would have been the highlight of the evening
I found it boring, self indulgent and ultimately annoying - but then I'm not really into long solo's anyway. Get in, embellish the song and get out is my preference! The only guitarist I can bear to listen to "fannying around" is Hendrix - charismatic, visually stunning and always interesting. So, Hendrix's teeth win out over the session mans violin bow.
Obviously I'm no musician, my preferences tend to come from a crude " I know what I like" viewpoint, but aside from Hendrix I like Page's work when he uses his fingers and keeps it succinct; love Peter Green; Jeff Beck's solo on "Evil Hearted You"; Robert Fripp and loads that would probably be considered crude and sloppy by the guitar snobs aesthetes! :-)
Yep, Keith Moon also an ace drummer. Interesting comparison as they both came to the kit with different musical styles and influences. I love Bonham tho,
Lou Reed at the Valley. He was stoned beyond any capacity to perform.
Lou Reed .. the man was rubbish .. but his backing band, Alice Cooper's 'men' were terrific
It was never going to work was it. Boiling hot July day in the height of English summer - on comes Lou in leathers with bleach blonde skinhead bonce mumbling about needles, junkies, dealers, domestic violence , perverted sex and all manner of dark alley nightlife. Oh look, there's a butterfly :-)
Jimmy Page is clearly a great guitarist if for no other reason than for some of those riffs. But for me Hendrix was a class apart from any other guitarist and still is. He could get noises and raw emotion out of an electric guitar like no one else. Love watching him and listening to him. He was a great blues player too. IMHO 40 years on his music still sounds out on its own.
Jimmy Page is clearly a great guitarist if for no other reason than for some of those riffs. But for me Hendrix was a class apart from any other guitarist and still is. He could get noises and raw emotion out of an electric guitar like no one else. Love watching him and listening to him. He was a great blues player too. IMHO 40 years on his music still sounds out on its own.
I love em all but Hendrix experimented with non guitar instruments kazoo etc Clapton with out doubt the greatest player of all time bar none imho notable mentions to Billy Gibbons (who Hendrix said will be great one day) I love John Mayer too!
Terrible gigs - the great Rush at wembley arena mainly down to sound. ZZTop again wembley 85 ish they did less than an hour and pissed off seen em a couple if times since and they were blinding and Hendrix was right! )
Another gig I remember being majorly disappointed was Jethro Tull at Southampton Guildhall about 6 years ago. I love the band and always regretted never seeing them in their heyday. Unfortunately on this occasion they had some young violin virtuoso who I assumed would be just the warm-up act - but no, they kept wheeling her out during their set for solo spots, as a result of which the gig never really got going. She even had the affrontery to maul Zeppelin's Kashmir (maybe she should have tried using her bow on a guitar ;-)
Depeche Mode at Hammersmith Odeón on the Blasphemous Rumours tour. Dirge, and monotonous drivel. Never bought another álbum by them (though I quite liked the Enjoy the Silence single. I think I paid a fiver from a tout, which turned out to be about five pounds over priced.
Lou Reed at the Valley. He was stoned beyond any capacity to perform.
Lou Reed .. the man was rubbish .. but his backing band, Alice Cooper's 'men' were terrific
It was never going to work was it. Boiling hot July day in the height of English summer - on comes Lou in leathers with bleach blonde skinhead bonce mumbling about needles, junkies, dealers, domestic violence , perverted sex and all manner of dark alley nightlife. Oh look, there's a butterfly :-)
LOL, great post.
I think this one really was the biggest letdown of all for me, because Sweet Jane on the live album was so electrifying, and I expected to get that, but you remind me that I always listened to that album in semi darkness, under the influence of something and/or trying to get my leg over :-)
actually king crimson, probably almost my favourite band of the prog rockers, at the royal albert hall about seven years ago. it wasn't so much a bad gig, it's just that i turned up expecting to hear all my favourites and probably an encore of 21st century schizoid man and they didn't play any of them, and i only recognised one song, which i think was on the album " red "
Comments
Oh well!
Probably didn't help that I was stone cold sober and substance free
In Prague, Deep Purple were a disgrace and Oasis not much better. Caught Neil Young on a bad night, think he had a cold. Madonna, great athlete. Coldplay pretending to mess up songs, and doing them again.
(But on the other hand the Levellers, Page&Plant, Chris Rea, Jeff Beck, Paul Weller to an audience of about 50, all fantastic and made me proud to be British)
I keep winding her up by referring to them as OMG, and singing Enola Gay.
I dont know them well either but they are absolutely massive out here. People like my colleague who dont go anywhere near gigs, are all over it when they come to Prague and play the biggest venue available.
Paul Rodgers is personally my favourite singer, and I think 'Koss' is the most under appreciated of guitarist's, not by fellow musicians though in my experience.
The only time I've felt let down by Costello was when he toured the Kojak Variety album. He came on with the Attractions, did a couple of numbers then pushed them to the back of the stage, and started fawning over a bunch of session men who had played on the album who had come on. They were all good technical players but it was about 5% as good as a regular Attractions or Impostors gig. It didn't help that the album itself was a load of old R&B covers, it was like bad pub rock gone wrong. It kinda stuck out because he usually does a really good show.
Get in, embellish the song and get out is my preference!
The only guitarist I can bear to listen to "fannying around" is Hendrix - charismatic, visually stunning and always interesting.
So, Hendrix's teeth win out over the session mans violin bow.
Obviously I'm no musician, my preferences tend to come from a crude " I know what I like" viewpoint, but aside from Hendrix I like Page's work when he uses his fingers and keeps it succinct; love Peter Green; Jeff Beck's solo on "Evil Hearted You"; Robert Fripp and loads that would probably be considered crude and sloppy by the
guitar snobsaesthetes! :-)I love Bonham tho,
Boiling hot July day in the height of English summer - on comes Lou in leathers with bleach blonde skinhead bonce mumbling about needles, junkies, dealers, domestic violence , perverted sex and all manner of dark alley nightlife.
Oh look, there's a butterfly :-)
But for me Hendrix was a class apart from any other guitarist and still is. He could get noises and raw emotion out of an electric guitar like no one else. Love watching him and listening to him. He was a great blues player too. IMHO 40 years on his music still sounds out on its own.
Clapton with out doubt the greatest player of all time bar none imho notable mentions to Billy Gibbons (who Hendrix said will be great one day) I love John Mayer too!
Terrible gigs - the great Rush at wembley arena mainly down to sound.
ZZTop again wembley 85 ish they did less than an hour and pissed off seen em a couple if times since and they were blinding and Hendrix was right!
I love the band and always regretted never seeing them in their heyday.
Unfortunately on this occasion they had some young violin virtuoso who I assumed would be just the warm-up act - but no, they kept wheeling her out during their set for solo spots, as a result of which the gig never really got going.
She even had the affrontery to maul Zeppelin's Kashmir (maybe she should have tried using her bow on a guitar ;-)
I think this one really was the biggest letdown of all for me, because Sweet Jane on the live album was so electrifying, and I expected to get that, but you remind me that I always listened to that album in semi darkness, under the influence of something and/or trying to get my leg over :-)