What is the worst concert you have ever attended?

[Dread Pirate Phayde]

ZZ Top a little over 2 years ago. I'd seen them before and they were amazing. We had great seats, but that was part of the problem, the sound system wasn't tuned right for the front seats, so if you didn't know the songs, you'd have no idea what Billy Gibbons or Dusty Hill were even singing.

We also had some really obnoxious drunk people around us, and they played for less than an hour, with a two song encore if I remember right, granted they are quite a bit older now, I still expected a longer show.

I told a friend after it was over, that will probably be the last concert I ever attend. It was just too loud, and the other people were beyond annoying. It just wasn't worth the various headaches afterwards.

[StillMcfuu]

System of a Down: they weren't bad, they were just playing their music, it was boring. It was also in giants stadium, which I'm already not a fan of big venues, but I've seen good shows in them before. SoaD was boring sad to say.

Honorable (dishonorable?) Mention:
HIM: I already classify them as music to kill yourself to, I'm surprised the venue didn't turn into Jones Town.

[Egomaniac]

Went to see Ghost a few years back and the opening band was Macabre.

Between the Buried and Me opening for Devin Townsend was also total fucking garbage. Fuck you.

I'm not sure if opening acts sucking really qualifies as "The worst concert you have ever attended". Garbage opening acts is a rite of passage.

Opening acts often suck...but they aren't the reason that you're there. As long as the Band you are there to see puts on a good show...I don't think it can qualify as a bad concert. (but bonus points for seeing Hevy Devy)

For me, the worst concert I attended would have been Tool back in 2009. I'm a Tool fan...but this concert sucked. Everything was off. The sound was terrible, The Band just seemed to be uninterested in even playing, and the "stage performance", if you can call it that, basically consisted of them playing videos on a giant monitor. Felt really let down that one of my favourite bands put on such a dismal performance.

[Littleraven]

Haven't been to too many but I remember disliking Warped Tour 2006 quite a bit. And it honestly was to no fault of the show itself. it was just the year before was way better for me and my group lol

[select20]

I used to work security at big events in Seattle so I have seen a large number of concerts and other events back then.

Red Hot Chili Peppers in 2003 were so bad live. You couldn't even tell what they were singing because the lead singer was so out of tune the entire time. That was when I learned how much technology plays into music and making people sound good.

Alice in Chains was awesome live for how old he was.

Avril Lavigne was really good live.

Garth Brooks, whom I was a big fan of, wasn't that good. A lot of pitch problems and he just seemed uncomfortable.

Nickleback was okay.

Sheryl Crow was really good.

There were a lot more but Red Hot Chilli Peppers I always remember for being just terrible. And Avril Lavigne for being amazing.

[Fencers]

I'm not sure if opening acts sucking really qualifies as "The worst concert you have ever attended".

Opening acts often suck...but they aren't the reason that you're there. As long as the Band you are there to see puts on a good show...I don't think it can qualify as a bad concert. (but bonus points for seeing Hevy Devy)

I don't really agree. Two reasons; often some of the opening acts are quite good and I did buy a ticket to see those bands. A show I saw a few years ago had Toxic Holocaust and Nails 1/2 before Carach Angren. And I definitely bought my tickets for TH and Nails. I think CA performed When Crows Tick On Windows and then I left early.

The second rationality I go by is the sum total of performances in a night to me is a 'show'. The individual performances are that artist/band's concert. For example, I went to see the Art Ensemble of Chicago and they definitely gave a concert (in the sense of playing various pieces/a set) whereas I did not give a fuck to even the opener to that show.

But that's just the framework I worked with when I made my post.

[Egomaniac]

I don't really agree. Two reasons; often some of the opening acts are quite good and I did buy a ticket to see those bands. A show I saw a few years ago had Toxic Holocaust and Nails 1/2 before Carach Angren. And I definitely bought my tickets for TH and Nails. I think CA performed When Crows Tick On Windows and then I left early.

The second rationality I go by is the sum total of performances in a night to me is a 'show'. The individual performances are that artist/band's concert. For example, I went to see the Art Ensemble of Chicago and they definitely gave a concert (in the sense of playing various pieces/a set) whereas I did not give a fuck to even the opener to that show.

But that's just the framework I worked with when I made my post.

That's fair, but I still maintain if the band you went to see performed well...then it's hard to write off the experience as "the worst concert". I would say that if the worst thing that has ever happened at a concert was that a band you didn't really care about wasn't very good...you've been very fortunate with your concert experiences.

I've seen lots of opening bands that sucked....but I was there for the headliner...so I considered my experience worthwhile. I've seen headliners that sucked...but I was there for the opening act...so I considered the experience worthwhile. I've gone to Festivals where many of the bands were no damn good...but I wasn't there to see those bands...so it didn't phase me.

Only rarely have I gone to see a concert and the band that I paid to see sucked. Those are the experiences I feel were less than worthwhile.

[callipygoustp]

The only concert to come to mind with regards to this topic was the Earth Day 1990 open air concert on Crissy Field in San Francisco. I went specifically to see Devo but when Devo took the stage it began to poor. I was about 100 people back from the stage and could see sparks from some electrical equipment. The stage crew tried to get things under control but ultimately the show, the rest of the shows for the day, were cancelled. "Worst" because it was disappointing.

[Azaile-]

Frenzal Rhomb, on the gold coast a few years ago, the drummer chucked a tantrum about something 2 songs in, walked off stage in a huff rest of the band followed suit until 1 guitarist came out and played acoustic songs.

[draynay]

Another one for the Smashing Pumpkins pile, saw them at the Great Western Forum, partway through they started yelling at the audience to make sure they were awake, many were not.

[Queen of Hamsters]

A Queen cover band.

Nobody can sing and perform those songs like Freddie did, but my brother dragged me along because apparently the guy singing was "emulating Freddie" according to critics...

He. Was. Not. He was doing a parody, at best.

[HateTrain]

White Zombie jusssstttt as it was becoming just "Rob Zombie". Just dude wheezingly singing out of breath from running around.

"Mohhhuuhhh hummmueehhhh thaehhh huuuhuhhh mehhhhh"

[Zantera]

In general it's pretty rare since usually you know what you're in for and you're going to something you like, however 2 that kinda stand out in my memory:

*Cult of Luna at a festival in 2006. Now I was 15 at the time and my music listening was pretty much only nu metal, melodeath and bands like Maiden and Metallica. I had some time to kill between bands and wandered into the tent where Cult of Luna were gonna play. I was not ready for post-metal and I thought they were soundchecking when suddenly someone started screaming and the experience was a pretty big 'wtf'. Fast forward 14 years and I'm a big fan of the band and the genre. But at that time it was just so weird and painful, though if I could time travel back I would probably have loved it.

*Okkyung Lee opening for Swans in 2014/2015. I love Swans and would say they are a top5 band for me. And they are quite experimental and I know from experience that they are a challenging band that not many people around me would like. However, despite my higher tolerance for weirdness, I wasn't quite ready for the opening act that night - female artist Okkyung Lee. I don't like to mock things I just don't understand but she came out with a violin or cello (i have forgotten this detail) and she started playing it quite furiously and that was pretty much all there was to her music. No drums, no guitars, there might have been some singing (i forget) but it was notes being played on this violin that pretty much all made my neck hair stand up. I won't say she was a bad player but it felt almost intentional that she would hit sounds that would make me feel unease and I was happy when that finished.

[schwarzkopf]

Fleetwood Mac 2000 Brisbane Concert

Was abysmal.. they didn't play well, nor did they entertain well.

[Ayirasi]

"Rock on." - in the most EXCITED voice EVER.

Are you ready to get PUMPED, @Ayirasi?!!?!?!

It was so bad. They took three things I normally enjoy (Pumpkins, Manson, and acoustic sets), and created an abomination that not even an emergency joint could fix.

[Nihilist74]

Never went to a really bad concert but I went to see the smashing pumpkins at this small venue that is about as big as a movie theater. The first few songs were great. After that Billy Corgan played a bunch of songs on the acoustic guitar. That was boring as hell. I left when that started. Seen the smashing pumpkins at red rocks about 1 year prior to that and they were great. They played most of their heavy songs. Before this, they were playing the heavier songs with the whole band. That is when I left. I remember getting off work. Took the train downtown. Had to run across the street during the Christmas parade of lights to catch the bus to the Ogden to see it.

Denver Ogden 12/05/2008


Red Rocks 09/30/2007


Another concert that was kind of disappointing was cradle of filth on tour for the Bitter suites to succubi tour. They played really well but half way through dani filth walked off the stage throwing a fit about the sound quality he said. They sounded pretty clear.

1990 Death was on tour for their spiritual healing album which I really liked. Pestilence was opening for them on tour for their consuming impulse album. Carcass was the first band playing on tour for their Symphonies of Sickness album which was also a great album. Carcass's drummer could not play the show because he had to go home to take college exams in England. They got the drummer from this band called devastation to play for them temporarily. He could play some of their songs but not really well. Was really looking forward to seeing them. Death and pestilence were really great.

[Nutri]

Faithless, somewhere around... 2008? Can't remember.

Truth be told it wasn't that the concert was bad, but we just made a big judgment error on what to expect. It was a football stadium and we went to see them because we grew up with their classics such as Salva Mea, Insomnia, We Come One etc, but since this was a 'band performance' none of the songs where their actual electronic version. Instead every song was perform by a band with drums, guitar and keys. Needless to say, the songs we wanted to hear where much different than we expected them to be and it was quite a bummer. We left half an hour before they where done since all the songs we wanted to hear had been played and we where very disappointing.

[Arainie]

Honorable (dishonorable?) Mention:
HIM: I already classify them as music to kill yourself to, I'm surprised the venue didn't turn into Jones Town.

Saw HIM open up for Metallica in like '07 and they were booed so badly that Ville Valo left the stage with a "fuck this shit" or smtn along those lines half way through their supposedly last song. Almost felt a bit bad for them as there was nothing wrong with their performance, they just didn't have any fans beyond the stage.

[ItsRainingMetal]

The worst concert I attended was definitely an AC/DC concert. Those guys are burned the F out and it shows, what a shitshow lol.

[StillMcfuu]

Saw HIM open up for Metallica in like '07 and they were booed so badly that Ville Valo left the stage with a "fuck this shit" or smtn along those lines half way through their supposedly last song. Almost felt a bit bad for them as there was nothing wrong with their performance, they just didn't have any fans beyond the stage.

Yeah they aren't bad, I'd actually say they are good musicians for the most part. Their music just isn't concert music, definitely not opening for Metallica concert music.
I just can't take them live at all, it's too much moody music, but there aren't any real breaks from the mood. It's not like they are Bullet for My Valentine where they make moody emo music, but then hit you with a break so you can mosh around and air punch your sadness away.