# Most miserable looking live band **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 12, 2019, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-miserable-looking-live-band/833848 "2019-05-12T06:49:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2019, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-miserable-looking-live-band/833848/21 "2019-05-13T15:08:38Z")
I read the Moody Blues were very boring and pretty much played the songs note for note from the album versions. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2019, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-miserable-looking-live-band/833848/22 "2019-05-13T15:24:37Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > I read the Moody Blues were very boring and pretty much played the songs note for note from the album versions. I had heard that, though I saw them a few years ago, and they were a lot more lively, Graeme Edge, especially. I won’t say they were exciting, but they weren’t boring. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2019, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-miserable-looking-live-band/833848/23 "2019-05-13T15:36:52Z")
> [@nightshadea](#): > > im told the Ramones could be great one night and totally drizziling shitty the next…i mean theyed have to start the songs 2 or 3 times … sometimes playing a totally different song than the one they started … and they could be great at pissing off an audience … like taking a break and then get in a fight with each other backstage and just leave the concert in separate directions with everyone waiting for them to come back … I would love to see a cite for that; it flies in the face of my own experiences and everything I know about the Ramones. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2019, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-miserable-looking-live-band/833848/24 "2019-05-13T15:44:48Z")
Saw several of the groups described above. Cars back in 79-ish, Springfield IL. Yeah, they just stood there and played, basically posing. Basically played their 1st album. Middle-IL crowd didn’t know what to make of them. We were more interested in Jules Shears - their opener. He put on a great show. Saw Pink Floyd Animals in Soldier Field. The entire experience was so over the top, I don’t know that I could fault the individual band-members’ energy. Saw TP in Urbana Champaign around 1984. I was a big fan of his first couple of albums, but lost interest thereafter. More interested in seeing Squeeze open. TP’s set impressed us as entirely scripted - nothing spontaneous. Run to spot A; Raise hands; etc. We left partway thru. Ramones - saw them in a club around 78, and in a 1000 seater a couple years later. Great shows - both. The club show was the loudest show I remember. Most boring show I can recall was Boston - I imagine after their 2d album. High on bombast - zero spontaneity. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2019, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-miserable-looking-live-band/833848/25 "2019-05-13T15:45:45Z")
I saw New Order at Riot Fest 2017 and they seemed just kind of there. They played their songs and it sounded fine but the band didn’t seem to put much energy into them. They were sandwiched between Ministry and Nine Inch Nails and the differences between them and the other two bands were pretty glaring and obvious. I thought it would have worked better if New Order played before Ministry. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2019, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-miserable-looking-live-band/833848/26 "2019-05-13T15:48:52Z")
Dylan was about the worst show I saw, maybe 10 years ago. Unintelligible garble fronting a band cranked up so high that it came out pure noise. The audience wanted to cheer every song he started, but with most they had to sit silent for a while because no one could figure out what song it was. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2019, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-miserable-looking-live-band/833848/27 "2019-05-13T15:52:09Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > Saw several of the groups described above. > > Most boring show I can recall was Boston - I imagine after their 2d album. High on bombast - zero spontaneity. I read that when Boston only had 1 album out they did an encore and then said “sorry we don’t have any more songs to play” ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2019, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-miserable-looking-live-band/833848/28 "2019-05-13T17:09:24Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > Cars back in 79-ish, Springfield IL. Yeah, they just stood there and played, basically posing. Basically played their 1st album. Middle-IL crowd didn’t know what to make of them. We were more interested in Jules Shears - their opener. He put on a great show. Same experience I had in the mid 80s. It really felt like we were watching band practice, I don’t think one Car even acknowledged there was an audience. Their opener was Wang Chung and although their interaction was ok at best, it was head and shoulders above the Cars. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2019, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-miserable-looking-live-band/833848/29 "2019-05-13T18:00:25Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > I have heard that Joe Cocker doesn’t interact at ALL. Plays, and is gone. Cocker has been quite hamstrung in the interaction department the last 4+ years. ---
**Author:** ![Sandwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee59a6/32.png) [@Sandwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sandwood)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2019, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-miserable-looking-live-band/833848/30 "2019-05-13T18:10:08Z")
> [@wolfman](#): > > Not exactly a band, and author of many of my favorite songs,but watching Bob Dylan in a large setting(ie. a pro basketball arena) is basically watching a little man sitting awkwardly on a bar stool from far, far away for two hours I was at a Dylan concert sometime in the mid-90s. I was right in front of the stage, but I guess it wasn’t any better for me than for all the people that were far, far away. And I’m saying this as someone who was a big Dylan fan at the time. He basically didn’t even acknowledge that there was an audience present, he just stared at some point on the horizon for the whole concert and played his music. I’m not even sure if his facial expression changed at all during the whole show. Then again, if people see you as a walking talking legend already, they’re going to cheer and applaud anyways, no matter how unengaging you are. The audience cheered and applauded whenever a song started. They cheered and applauded whenever they actually recognized the song. And to be honest, he probably could have farted into his harmonica on stage, and people would have cheered and applauded. ---
**Author:** ![SpeedwayRyan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@SpeedwayRyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpeedwayRyan)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2019, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-miserable-looking-live-band/833848/31 "2019-05-13T18:25:00Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > It was always a huge treat when Jerry would actually say something. He had a lovely dry sense of humor. I love this Jerry moment at Cal Expo on 6/10/90: Phil: “There’s this rumor been going around that I’m gonna leave the band after the Eugene shows…well it’s a bullshit lie!” Crowd goes wild. Long pause. Jerry: “Yeah, the rest of us are quitting.” ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2019, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-miserable-looking-live-band/833848/32 "2019-05-13T18:32:16Z")
> [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](#): > > I saw New Order at Riot Fest 2017 and they seemed just kind of there. They played their songs and it sounded fine but the band didn’t seem to put much energy into them. They were sandwiched between Ministry and Nine Inch Nails and the differences between them and the other two bands were pretty glaring and obvious. I thought it would have worked better if New Order played before Ministry. i was going to add them too …they did that “live ta the corona cantina online” thing corona beer does a while back and they hardly moved … but that’s been them their whole career … the only one that has any expression most of the time is the keyboardist when she makes an appearance and she’s so bored of their old catalog the does little things to amuse herself … ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2019, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-miserable-looking-live-band/833848/33 "2019-05-13T19:07:55Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > I read that when Boston only had 1 album out they did an encore and then said “sorry we don’t have any more songs to play” They should have had something prepared like the Folksmen had on for their encore on “A Mighty Wind.” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2019, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-miserable-looking-live-band/833848/34 "2019-05-13T20:03:32Z")
Boston is a good choice. Saw them in 78 or 79 touring for their second album. Sammy Hagar opened for them and had the place rocking. Boston came out and sleepwalked through their set. People were walking out halfway through the show. ---
**Author:** ![Teddie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7ab992/32.png) [@Teddie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teddie)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2019, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-miserable-looking-live-band/833848/35 "2019-05-13T22:07:42Z")
Watching The Stone Roses and Oasis live they both seemed pretty miserable but their music was amazing. Not sure if it’s a British indie thing but I’ve also seen Blur and many other UK indie bands who also don’t put on a show and smile/crowd please but their music is what you go to listen to not the happy smiley faces of the band. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2019, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-miserable-looking-live-band/833848/36 "2019-05-13T22:15:17Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Dylan was about the worst show I saw, maybe 10 years ago. Unintelligible garble fronting a band cranked up so high that it came out pure noise. The audience wanted to cheer every song he started, but with most they had to sit silent for a while because no one could figure out what song it was. I agree, Dylan was bad. He stood at the mic with his hand on his hip, as though he was propped up. Every song sounded the same, and the worst part was, most of them were Sinatra covers. What a letdown. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2019, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-miserable-looking-live-band/833848/37 "2019-05-13T22:17:37Z")
I forgot the Mannheim Steamroller Christmas Concert. Musicians enveloped by banks of synthesizers, percussion, and especially speakers. Of course, all the music was synthesized. From where we were setting, I wasn’t sure if it was live, prerecorded, or a Disneyland animatronic jamboree. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2019, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-miserable-looking-live-band/833848/38 "2019-05-13T22:20:21Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Dylan was about the worst show I saw, maybe 10 years ago. Unintelligible garble fronting a band cranked up so high that it came out pure noise. The audience wanted to cheer every song he started, but with most they had to sit silent for a while because no one could figure out what song it was. I was going to say exactly that. We saw Dylan in the 90’s in a joint show with John Prine. Prine was great, but Dylan was a mess. He shuffled out onto the stage, sat on a stool, and proceeded to mumble things we couldn’t understand while his band played unintelligible music. He did that for about 45 minutes, then walked off. We entertained ourselves during the set by playing a game where the first person to identify the song he was singing won. It was a really hard game. More recently we saw The New Pornographers, who we had seen several times and really liked, but this time was awful. They only played songs from their latest two albums which haven’t sold well and were mostly unknown to the audience And their playing was very much by the numbers. ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2019, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-miserable-looking-live-band/833848/39 "2019-05-14T00:58:31Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Dylan was about the worst show I saw, maybe 10 years ago. Unintelligible garble fronting a band cranked up so high that it came out pure noise. The audience wanted to cheer every song he started, but with most they had to sit silent for a while because no one could figure out what song it was. My experience exactly, maybe 12 years ago. We left halfway through his set. ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2019, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-miserable-looking-live-band/833848/40 "2019-05-14T01:09:38Z")
I remember a quote from someone who worked at the Worcester Centrum after the Cars played. He said that so much of the “live” music was pre-recorded that the band members didn’t even have to be onstage for most of the show. > [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Though I never saw them personally, I had several friends who saw The Cars play live, and all of them said it was among the weakest concerts they’d ever attended. The band had no stage presence, looked bored, and didn’t engage with the audience at all (though, I’ve read things that suggest the act was a conscious decision on the band’s part). > > [This discussion thread on a music forum](https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/my-story-of-the-cars-in-concert-1979.684220/) features a number of people pretty much saying the same thing. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-miserable-looking-live-band/833848.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-miserable-looking-live-band/833848.md?page=3)