Live Performances that seemed to suck at the time.

[steve(thelil)]

SInce some of my least favorite shows were so long ago, I phrased the topic in language that suggests that maybe I would see it differently today.

Buzzy Linhart and band at Union College, 1972 or 1973. I know he hung with many cool NYC rockers in the day (like Jimi, I believe) and was alleged to have some talent, but I thought his performance sounded incredibly lame.

I do have positive feelings for "Buzzy Linhart" though, because my college girlfriend had a Buzzy Linhart T shirt from high school. The girl was well endowed and the words "Buzzy" and the "Linhart" were strategically placed in a way that led to her chestal parts being nicknamed Buzzy and Linhart (dis)respectfully.

The other show that comes to mind, was also at Union College. On parents weekend one year they had a Charles Lloyd concert. It's entirely possible that his band was a good "out" jazz group and that I didn't get it at the time. At the time the show sounded to me like a group tuning up for an hour.

[Blue Train]

Cecil Taylor, Tony Oxley and Bill Dixon @ Victoriaville. First time they had performed together. They were the headline act. First and last time I have seen anything involving Cecil Taylor, or Oxley bomb. First time and last time I ever saw Dixon perform. I don't think a single person in the audience liked it. I have heard rumors Cecil wasn't too pleased with Dixon @ the time.

But on record it's a different story. It's not a masterpiece, but you actually wonder if they went and did a secret performance and were passing it as the original one.

[Blue Train]

Rod Stewart. Though there was no "seemed" to it.

Come on. Don't you know he's a God?

http://www.mirror.co.uk/lifestyle/going ... ck-2026800

[steve(thelil)]

Rod Stewart. Though there was no "seemed" to it.

I'm on to you Scotty....You just want to see if the Enforcer is lurking.

[steve(thelil)]

I like a lot of his early material, but the concert was a disaster from the moment the curtains were supposed to drop, but one decided not to. Though it was fun watching the roadies out in the middle of the stage yanking away at it while Rod try to keep singing as though nothing was happening.

It went down hill from there in almost every way.

It gets hard to remember that at the time of Every Picture Tells A Story he was deservedly known for raw type of excellence. Now he seems the personification of slick.

[BFrank]

I saw the FZ show that was later released as "Another Band from LA".

It was at Pauley Pavilion at UCLA which was a basketball arena. We had lousy seats and the sound was bad in there. Also, the friend that I went with hated it, and made the experience pretty unpleasant.

After the album was released I realized that it was actually a pretty good show.

[John L]

Cecil Taylor, Tony Oxley and Bill Dixon @ Victoriaville. First time they had performed together. They were the headline act. First and last time I have seen anything involving Cecil Taylor, or Oxley bomb. First time and last time I ever saw Dixon perform. I don't think a single person in the audience liked it. I have heard rumors Cecil wasn't too pleased with Dixon @ the time.

But on record it's a different story. It's not a masterpiece, but you actually wonder if they went and did a secret performance and were passing it as the original one.

On the subject of Cecil Taylor, I was at one of the first (if not THE first) concert of Cecil Taylor with the Italian Instable Orchestra in Paris. It sounded very intriguing on paper, but I came away with the impression of a complete failure. I didn't even stay until the end. There seemed to be no connect between what Cecil was doing and the Orchestra.

After that, I avoided the record when it was released I just heard it for the first time a few years ago and, low and behold, it didn't sound bad at all. I don't know if the album reflects a progression that hadn't happened yet, or if I just didn't get it the first time in Paris.

[LennyH]

Rod Stewart. Though there was no "seemed" to it.

I saw him in the late 80s and he had the fucking gall to pull a piece of paper out of his pocket in case he needed to glance at the lyrics as he sang "Every Picture Tells A Story". What a dick.

[Gentle Giant]

The group currently billed as War is not worthy of the name. I caught them a couple of summers ago, but they only have the original keyboardist on board, and they've become a second-rate jam band that took 10 minutes just to introduce the members of the band.

[tippy]

I defended Public Enemy at The Fillmore once but my brother said it wasn't good. Good **** will save almost any concert methinks.

[Mike Schwartz]

The band NRBQ fronting a symphony orchestra at Carnegie Hall [ late 60's back in HS], which I didn't think at the time was very good, which I think was spot on to this day.

Later found out they were a pretty decent band.

[HenryMc]

Dylan - Brisbane 1978 .......can remember the muddy sound of the old Festival Hall and his bobness playing with the melody, tempo and even lyrics of his songs....some were reduced to dirges and some galloping waltzes....and this despite the shithot band he had on that tour including rob stoner on bass. I recently came across a boot of the performance. I judge it less harshly now given bob's ongoing neverending tour and reinvention of his playbook but it still sounds like shit.

[Dickran (ran)]

Having gone to countless jazz performances , I never really held it against the artist or band for being less then engaging. Depending on the venue and such , there was always , at least for me an expectation and truth be told , an excuse or a reason I could relate to it , happy or not. But I've punished my self by going to a few Van Morrison concerts. And he has never let me down as being the worst Live performance. Understanding that everyone has an off night every now and again. Van , has had a lifetime full of fucked up performances

Back in the early and mid-90's , I was always put-off by the so called young turks of the time. But that was at a small club and it was the de rigueur of the those artists and times. They all thought that they were Miles.


BTW: It's good to here , almost like being home again. Thank you.


EDIT: But allow me to expound outside the world of jazz and relate to just the performances that sucked: Not that Van was jazz but the worst at least for me are these.

1974 - Long Beach Arena , Deep Purple. Uriah Heep was the opening act and they were okay. ELO , was making their US debut and they rocked the house down. They closed out with Roll Over Beethoven and worked us all up. By the time D.P. came on they were toast.

1975-76 . Led Zeppelin: Okay I admit , I popped a lude , but a 45 minute drum solo on Moby Dick , just fucked up the whole night.

1978-79 . I really can't remember who opened up for who. But it was ZZ-Top and Aerosmith on a double bill at the Fabulous Forum. I'm pretty sure I was on something , but that concert , both of them SUCKED.

[Ron Thorne]

BTW: It's good to here , almost like being home again. Thank you.

Nice to see you here and joining in the discussion, Dickran! You're welcome.

[Mike Schwartz]

Having gone to countless jazz performances , I never really held it against the artist or band for being less then engaging. Depending on the venue and such , there was always , at least for me an expectation and truth be told , an excuse or a reason I could relate to it , happy or not. But I've punished my self by going to a few Van Morrison concerts. And he has never let me down as being the worst Live performance. Understanding that everyone has an off night every now and again. Van , has had a lifetime full of fucked up performances

New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Fest roughly 25 years ago, Van was the only terrible act we saw.....on top of that came with a set of instruction to the audience of all the stuff we could not do that might bother him