Most dissappointing show vs. the most surprisingly great show!

I came to think about this when I saw a music video by the Norwegian black metal band Satyricon on tv the other minute.

Has there been a show where you had no expectations at all and when you were watching this band you were totally blown away?

Also, have you had the opposite? You're watching this band with great expectations but you're really dissappointed by the performance?

To answer myself, the first it is the already mentioned Satyricon. I hadn't heard to much with them when I saw them last year and they were really great. I guess Mastodon was another experience like that, although I had heard both Leviathan and Remission a couple of times when I saw them. I didn't have high expectations but after seeing them they are one of my favorite bands!

I actually can't think about a show at the moment that really dissappointed me. I guess it would be Converge but that's not the band's fault but the sound engineers.

Please share you're live experiences!

Actually these was the same show, but I went to see KMFDM a couple years back. They had Acumen Nation and Bella Morte opening. I thought Bella Morte was going to be some boring goth-rock drivel, but they came out and kicked fucking ass. They are much better live than on record.

Acumen Nation, on the other hand, was 45 minutes of some guy screeching over guitars so loud that I couldn't even tell what was going on. I thought they were going to be awesome, but they just kind of stood there being loud and obnoxious.

I saw the Eels once and wasn't really expecting much, but live they were amazing and led to me buying most of their albums

(this doesn't really count: as i wrote in my journal earlier today/yesterday/whenever, i THOUGHT it was Tuesday and i was super-stoked to go see Pelican. after i listened to the first band, it dawned on me that they weren't who i was expecting to open.... dammmmmmmmmitttttt, the show was the night before!)

to respond to the topic, Buzzoven surprised the hell outta me when i saw them for the first time at a 4H building way long ago.... blew me away.

i think the most disappointing was actually Iceburn when they shifted to a much noise-ier/free-jazz style.

Ryan Adams & The Cardinals.
So unexpectedly gorgeous.

The one that surprised me the most was Billy Idol headlining the 2nd stage at the Download festival a few years ago. I only watched him cos I got dragged along by the person I was with. He was brilliant.

The most disappointing was Ian Brown (stone roses) I was never a huge fan anyway but I'd always heard good reviews of his shows. It was the worst performance I've ever seen by a BIG BIG margin.
It's the only time in my life I've walked out of a venue because I just couldn't listen to anymore. It was pretty much making my ears bleed

Surprisingly great: - Dragonforce. Heard a grand total of one of their songs before going to review their gig, and was blown away - especially considering all the bad reviews I'd read of their live show. So fast, so evergetic, and so goddamn fun.

Disappointing let-down - Sonic Youth. Went to the venue expecting to see one of the best shows of my life and instead got jammed-out versions of their recent material with no earlier stuff and one of the most annoying crowds ever.

I was surprised by Disturbed at a recent gig as I'd never been a huge fan but they have a good live presence. I was also surprised by Moonspell as I'd never heard much by them and they nearly blew the headliners (Lacuna Coil) off stage. To be honest, a lot of support bands I've seen have done very good jobs and surprised me.

I've been very disappointed by Dream Theater as their live show sounds just like the CD and there's no audience interaction. I also hated Towers of London but that may have been coz I really hate them anyway.

greatness....stone temple pilots, tori amos, animal collective

badness...the opener for animal collective

Best Unexpected:
Went to a Jimmy Kimmel Live taping in Hollywood to see a particular guest, can't remember who now, went to so many, but the musical guest was Swedish group, The Sounds and I was totally blown away. I'd never heard of them before and found myself captivated. Suffice it to say I became an instant fan then went home and sought out everything I could find about them, as good fans do.

Worst Unexpected:
Sadly, was PJ Harvey some years ago at a festival in Australia. In her defense, however, open-air festival performances do tend to be a bit substandard, from my experience (altho Jane's Addiction, right after her, were fucking awesome). She may have even had a cold or something - her whole performance was really lackluster and she didn't at all seem like she wanted to be there. I think she may have even cut the performance short, also making me think she wasn't well. Really a shame. That said, I'd see her again, giving her the benefit of the doubt.

Live/Counting Crows co-headlined a tour probably 10 years ago... one of the first real shows I saw. We went to see Counting Crows, but Live played first. I wasn't really a Live fan, but they were pretty awesome.

Then Counting Crows came out and were pretty meh. They played Mr. Jones halfway though their set, but it was all weird sounding and disappointing. We left soon afterwards.

I idolized this guy, (john fahey0 for years.
hunted his albums, tried to play like him.



When I heard he was playing at the bar down the street, i was real excited.

however, he apparently fucked himself up on drugs so bad, that he was literally useless,
just messing aroundd with feedback on the stage.

someone found him in a hotel, and threw him out on tour to make a buck off his name.
He died a couple of months after that show.

best show ever.
*tear*

The most disappointing show: Lacuna Coil

They were on tour with Inflames and I was looking forward to this show for months. The Sword and The Seamless were two other bands and they were pretty cool. Then Lacuna Coil came out and Christina Scabbia LIP SYNCED THE WHOLE TIME! I saw them again opening for Stone Sour and the band was redeemed in my eyes.

The most suprisingly great: In This Moment at Ozzfest.

Maria Brinks vocals commanded the crowed attention and respect. I look forward to seeing them perform more than 20 minutes.

Most disappointing would be the Neville Brothers at the Warfield in SF on new years eve a while back. It was disappointing, and the tickets were free. lol It just completely lacked energy, and I'd heard their shows were legendary. So, that was disappointing.

First most surprisingly good, probably Michelle Shocked at the Warfield in SF (yaaaay theme!) a looooong while back. I was only marginally a fan, girlfrined at the time was a big fan. It was the last show of her tour and she played for like, 19 hours! Nah, not really. But three and half is probably a good estimate. I never lost intrest even a little bit - the time just flew by. Great show. But I haven't followed her career at all since.

Second most surprisingly good would be Noisettes at Coachella this year. Their set kicked much ass! The entire tent was really into it by the third song or so. In fact, I'd put their set right behind Bjork's as my favorites from this year.

I think my most disappointed ever was probably Beck.
Not because he was bad, he wasn't. He was great. The band was great, the puppets were great. However, I expcted a show with more energy, I guess. It just felt like the crowd was bored, and that's sort of uncool at a festival.

E2K, awesome. In a little theatre with an audience of maybe 80 people... and they played their hearts out. Joyous

Sons Of Freedom (supporting The Pursuit Of Happiness, who were dull), in Toronto; Christmas 1989 (IIRC). They just kept stepping it up; every time you thought they couldn't improve on what they'd just done, they did.

The Passions (supporting The Cure, who were dull). Tight, sharp, and they would go off on these unexpected duo/riff things in the middle of songs.

None of them ever came close to that on record

Unexpected Worst: Autechre. I'll buy their albums, but I'll never go see them live again. If I wanted to watch pasty white guys crouch behind screens in the dark I'd set up a mirror in front of my computer. Please, if you're going to have a live show, do something. Not to mention the music was unintelligible pounding tripe.

Unexpected Best: Th' Legendary Shack Shakers. Totally badass gothic hillbilly punk. Devils and whiskey and preachers and fire. I got called by a friend at 10pm on Memorial day for this and I didn't even want to go. But I'm glad I did because it was the highest energy, most out of control show ever. Their singer is the both the most balls out frontman I've ever seen and the nicest guy, too. If they are playing anywhere near you, do not hesitate, you won't be disappointed.

From recent memory (over the past few years):

BOO!
Kasabian and Pelican (two separate shows) both left me limp. Sad. I had such high expectations.

YAY!
Two Gallants: I had no idea who they were when I met up with friends at 12 Galaxies one night a few years ago. Honestly, I didn't pay too much attention to them when I was there (now I wish I did). Plus, I was drunker than a fish in a lake of beer during last call on payday (what? yup, i know. that's right.). But it's funny how much of their sound and songs seeped into my subconscious then, because now I'm a fan and remember that night as just being perfect. And i think they had a large part to do with that, even though I wasn't consciously aware of it at the time. It was perfect drinking music and they provided the perfect backdrop to the situation, in the same way a great instrumental score serves a movie.

Minipop (local band): @ Blake's. Seriously, this singer is like one of the Sirens. She had me hypnotized with her song, no kidding. I was right up front too. I didn't know them, I didn't really know their tunes all that well, but mesmerized doesn't even begin to explain it. Suffice it to say, I'm now a fan.

^^ pelican? really? i love the albums. oh well.

BOO!

soundgarden - more than once. truly looked like 4 guys who didn't want to be there. i wanted to cry. fuckin' horrible.

YAY!
soundgarden - more than once. truly a life changing experience. the power that came from that stage was enough to put tears in my eyes. fuckin' amazing

BOO

KMFDM Halloween night in Seattle

I was really uspet. Lucia was offkey almost the whole time and Kap just stood at his podium. KMFDM has been doing this since before I first took oxygen. I don't care if the tour bus got in a high speed accident and half the instruments were destroyed and every band member was missing a limb. You have no excuse to suck.

YAY!

Combichrist Halloween night in Seattle.

I had never heard of them before. They rocked me to the point of orgasm. Andy LaPlegua did this little dance that made me laugh and some guy begged him to fuck his girlfreind. It was awesome. Now I can't get enough of them or EBM.

Disappointing

Blind Melon at the Price Center Ballroom at UCSD in '93. Its not that I had any real expectation, but they were so horrible that I can't even explain it. You had to be there.

Surprising

For this I have 2- The Dresden Dolls New Years eve 2005 at 4th and B San Diego. They had just released Coin Operated Boy (a song which I still can't stand), but I was absolutely blown away by their show and I was an instant fan. I catch them whenever they come to SD.

My second is Rocket from the Crypt. I saw them in the early 90's at an all ages club or something. I hadn't heard of them at the time, and they came out in some lame matching outfits and proceeded to melt my face with their awesomeness. I wish they were still around, as I only went to see them one time after that.

RFTC and supersuckers have NEVER disappointed live...ever. they could be missing limbs, dripping blood and have IRS agents and ex-wives sitting on stage and still rock my face off.

Most Dissappointing: Pelican at the Che Cafe in San Diego last year. Just didn't seem to be that into playing an All Ages show where they'd be making nowhere near their guarantee. Just went through the motions and also reminded me that I haven't truly liked them since Australasia.

Most Surprisingly Great: Manu Chau at Coachella. I'd heard the name a few times a couple of years ago from various quasi-hipster friends: the sort that verbally ejaculate over a group for about a month and then never mention/listen to them again. So I had placed Manu Chau in the ignore pile in my brain. I was at Coachella to see Rage Against the Machine and recapture my angry adolescence, and Manu Chau played right before them on the mainstage. Holy shit! Just blew me away with pure bursts of energy, musicianship, and most of all, socio-political content mixed with *gasp* FUN!. What good is a revolution if you can't dance? I smile and do a little dance whenever I think about it.