# Bands that just can't perform well live. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 4, 2013, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-just-cant-perform-well-live/660139 "2013-06-04T18:49:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-just-cant-perform-well-live/660139/41 "2013-06-06T02:45:20Z")
> [@Accidental\_Martyr](#): > > You may have been one of the last people to see XTC perform live. šŸ™‚ I was close. I was at the Hollywood Palladium in '82, less than a month after the breakdown (which I was unaware aboutā€¦no internet then), waiting to see them. Cancelled :mad:. ---
**Author:** ![azraiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@azraiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/azraiel)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-just-cant-perform-well-live/660139/42 "2013-06-06T05:07:09Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > Bob Dylan Bullshit. Iā€™ve been to 5-6 Dylan concerts in my life, and they rank as both the best and the worst. Iā€™ve seen him in Belfast (with Van Morrison) and Kansas City (Starlight) and the shows were inspired. The band was on, Dylan was in fine form, and it was a tremendous experience. I took my (now 19-year old) daughter to the Starlight show, and she (who works part-time at the largest music venue in town) was enthralled. Said it was the best concert sheā€™d ever seen (and sheā€™s seen a lot more than I have). On the other hand, Iā€™ve been at Dylan concerts that sucked. Sucked worse than any other show Iā€™ve seenā€¦ Itā€™s become clear to me that Dylan feeds off the crowd. If the crowd is reactive and engaged, magic happens. The version of Hollis Brown I heard still haunts me. But when heā€™s off and the crowd doesnā€™t respond, itā€™s a terrible show. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-just-cant-perform-well-live/660139/43 "2013-06-06T12:35:56Z")
I saw the Cowboy Junkies, and Iā€™m still not sure that they didnā€™t just have a poster of the band on stage while the sound system played songs off of the album. But it was kind of an unfair situation, as they followed John Prine (who can and does tell a ten minute story between songs and have the audience wishing heā€™d keep talking) ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-just-cant-perform-well-live/660139/44 "2013-06-06T16:50:31Z")
I donā€™t go to enough concerts or listen to enough popular music to make an informed judgment myself, but Iā€™ve recently heard two people who donā€™t even know each other say that _The Killers_ sounded nowhere near as good in person as in the studio. ---
**Author:** ![NineToTheSky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5a626/32.png) [@NineToTheSky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NineToTheSky)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-just-cant-perform-well-live/660139/45 "2013-06-06T17:32:49Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > I donā€™t go to enough concerts or listen to enough popular music to make an informed judgment myself, but Iā€™ve recently heard two people who donā€™t even know each other say that _The Killers_ sounded nowhere near as good in person as in the studio. They were amazing at Glastonbury. ---
**Author:** ![Eugene\_of\_Sandwich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c37758/32.png) [@Eugene\_of\_Sandwich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eugene_of_Sandwich)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-just-cant-perform-well-live/660139/46 "2013-06-06T19:54:13Z")
> [@california\_jobcase](#): > > Aerosmith in Indianapolis, Market Square Arena, sometime around late '78 or early '79, was the worst concert I ever saw. Joe Perry fell on stage, bashed his guitar into the drums, and ran off stage. When Steven Tyler heard the crowd chanting Dream On, Dream On, he said ā€œDream On? yeah, go ahead- dream on!ā€ > > He had the gall to say ā€œGood night- I hope we passed the audition!ā€ when he left the stage. This was the only big-name concert I ever saw that was booed by thousands. Yeah, I saw them the exact same time frame and they were definitely out of it. Sound crew, erebody. Buncha staggering drunks. Iā€™m not sure they even turned the lights down. Then they broke up and went to rehab and then they came back but I never saw them live again. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-just-cant-perform-well-live/660139/47 "2013-06-06T20:16:19Z")
> [@Quercus](#): > > I saw the Cowboy Junkies, and Iā€™m still not sure that they didnā€™t just have a poster of the band on stage while the sound system played songs off of the album. I saw them a couple times and thought they put on a pretty solid show both times. Margo Timmins did some chatter, once about being up at 1am in the hotel room the weekend before and ordering some late night infomercial gadget in a sleepless delirium. Another time she joked about how any time sheā€™s requested to play a ā€œhappy songā€ dedication at a show, sheā€™s almost forced to play ā€œAnniversary Songā€ for lack of other options no matter if itā€™s for a marriage, graduation, buying a new cat, getting a new job or anything else. Other chatter too but thatā€™s what stuck with me. So they seem capable of putting on a real show but I canā€™t speak for your occasion. ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2013, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-just-cant-perform-well-live/660139/48 "2013-06-07T17:42:18Z")
Black Crowes were among the worst live bands Iā€™ve seen. So listless that they were draining the energy out of me! ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2013, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-just-cant-perform-well-live/660139/49 "2013-06-08T17:36:45Z")
> [@August\_West](#): > > Black Crowes were among the worst live bands Iā€™ve seen. So listless that they were draining the energy out of me! When did you see them? Saw them at Pink Pop, Netherlands in 1993. At the beginning of their show, mid-song the stage power collapsed, no sound and light for about 15 minutes. When the power came back, they returned with a looong cooking jam to get themselves and the audience back in the groove. It was a terrific moment, the crowd went crazy, and the rest of their show was a killer. Saw them again that year at another festival, and they were great too. But they went through many personal changes and some rough times during the years, so maybe you caught them in a bad moment. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2013, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-just-cant-perform-well-live/660139/50 "2013-06-08T18:56:56Z")
I saw Poison at the Country Club just before they broke out. Awful. Very animated and full of themselvesā€¦but awful. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2013, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-just-cant-perform-well-live/660139/51 "2013-06-09T04:05:00Z")
I always found **R.E.M.** to be a disappointment as a live band. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2013, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-just-cant-perform-well-live/660139/52 "2013-06-09T05:37:44Z")
Can someone point me at a clip of the Stones nailing it - _nailing it!_ - live? Otherwise thatā€™s my answer. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2013, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-just-cant-perform-well-live/660139/53 "2013-06-09T05:42:40Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > Can someone point me at a clip of the Stones nailing it - _nailing it!_ - live? Otherwise thatā€™s my answer. https://www.youtube.com/embed/F6Saa01yzo0?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2013, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-just-cant-perform-well-live/660139/54 "2013-06-09T06:11:14Z")
> [@Spoke](#): > > I always found **R.E.M.** to be a disappointment as a live band. I saw them four times between 1986 and 2003 and they were great every time. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2013, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-just-cant-perform-well-live/660139/55 "2013-06-09T08:37:14Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > Can someone point me at a clip of the Stones nailing it - _nailing it!_ - live? Otherwise thatā€™s my answer. Oh come on! _The Stones_ of which decade? They may not have it now. They may not have had it for quite a while (I donā€™t know), but they certainly had it once. I saw them in '71 and they were great. Again in '76 and they were still fine, but they were young then. Now they are old men playing their hits of many years ago. Itā€™s hardly the same. I donā€™t know about clips, but listen to their live album _Get Yer Ya-Yaā€™s Out!_ from 1970. The songs on there are better than the studio versions. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2013, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-just-cant-perform-well-live/660139/56 "2013-06-09T11:56:22Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > Can someone point me at a clip of the Stones nailing it - _nailing it!_ - live? Otherwise thatā€™s my answer. Thereā€™s a live recording from ā€˜73 intended for release so high quality but only around as a bootles for decades - I think it is out as The Brussels Affair. The first four tracks are Brown Sugar, Gimme Shelter, Happy, and Tumblinā€™ Dice. Some of the best stuff ever - that version of TD is definitive - Keithā€™s rhythm work in Open G tuning is standout amazing and Mick Taylorā€™s lead fills and full leads blow me away, with their tone, fluidity and out and out kick-ass-ness. They arenā€™t what they were, but when they were, they were amazingā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![DonLogan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/51bf81/32.png) [@DonLogan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DonLogan)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2013, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-just-cant-perform-well-live/660139/57 "2013-06-09T13:02:10Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > Can someone point me at a clip of the Stones nailing it - _nailing it!_ - live? Otherwise thatā€™s my answer. YouTube ā€œRolling Stones Steel Wheelsā€ I recorded the pay-per-view of the show (at Trump in Atlantic City) on VHS and transferred it to DVD; people always ask me to play it when I throw a bash. Sure, the arrangements are a little, letā€™s say, ā€œnon-edgyā€, but I donā€™t really know what you mean by ā€œnailing itā€. It seems to imply either boring or incompetent. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2013, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-just-cant-perform-well-live/660139/58 "2013-06-09T18:59:56Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > Bob Dylan +1. I saw him in 1991 (I think, during the first Gulf War definitely) and instead of performing he ranted about the war most of the time. Actually ranted is not the right word, because it was incoherent mumbling. Long before the term was in common use, people were yelling, ā€œShut up and sing!ā€ ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2013, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-just-cant-perform-well-live/660139/59 "2013-06-09T19:46:59Z")
Thanks for all the Stones, guys! Iā€™ve tried googling up decent tubes of them before and always been disappoint to find a poorly performed letdown. I figured they must have been good sometimes at least, thanks for sharing a couple of them. ---
**Author:** ![SykoSkotty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c0e974/32.png) [@SykoSkotty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SykoSkotty)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2013, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-just-cant-perform-well-live/660139/60 "2013-06-09T20:14:17Z")
I think every band has bad nights, and unfortunately there are people in the seats when this happens. Just to clarify, are we saying the band is bad live because they donā€™t sound like what you hear on the record? Or is it because theyā€™re out of sync, loose and sloppy or off key? That being said, I saw Smashing Pumpkins when they headlined Lollapalooza - and I thought they were terrible. I was never a big fan of theirs, but I could tell that the songs on the record were mixed together with little bits and pieces of other recordings. They were out of sync and looked like they had no clue how the songs were arranged. They were the headliners, onstage after Beastie Boysā€¦and the B-Boys blew them away. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-just-cant-perform-well-live/660139.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-just-cant-perform-well-live/660139.md?page=4)