Worst Concerts You Have Attended ??

dwmaggie -- did I mention on this website that Steppenwolf played at my high school?  University High in West L.A. They were good. They didn't do The Pusher, probably at the instructions of the Principal.

Allman Brothers -- Yeah, it was during the classic period when Duane Allman and Dickie Betts (was that his name?) were trading licks all night, but Duane only seemed to play one lick -- the whoop-de-doodle-do one. After about three hours of it I decided that if I heard one more whoop-de-doodle-do, I'm leaving.  About fifteen seconds later, presto. I left. It didn't help that the band's attitude never strayed from an "I'm cool and you're not" sneer.  The next morning I heard from my Allman Bros. acolyte/fellow concertgoer/college roomie that they continued boogying for another hour. And, hey man, did I miss something special!

New York Dolls -- loved the record but the performance was all about posing. No trace of conviction or chops. I have to say, though, that I love David Johansen's LP, the one where he does the demented lounge singer.

Vladimir Horowitz at the Ambassador Auditorium in Pasadena, maybe thirty years ago. My buddy's parents had an extra ticket. Was it front row center.? Anyway something to that effect.  It was long past Vlad's prime.  He couldn't get his fingers to work. He couldn't remember the scores.  Of course, this never mattered in his prime because he was famous for taking audacious liberties with the music.  But even Vlad was embarrassed by his performance. The audience, though, was too much in love to give him guff.

And then there was Steve & Edie Gorme with my parents in Vegas.  At one point, Edie jokingly said, "Who needs the Doors?"  It was maybe 1968. Being a Doors fan at the time, I took personal offence...

Not that it was the worst, but I've just remembered a Byrds Concert.  At the Aquarius Theater in Hollywood (where, at the site's previous incarnation, my older sister actually had her sweet sixteen party). Crosby, of course, was long gone but Gene Clark, once more with the band, had just quit that very night. Or was it Crosby who just quit?  In any case, McGuinn, Hillman and drummer Mike Clark bravely soldiered on as a trio. McGuinn sang both lead and back-up vocals and played all the guitar parts.

I saw many of the artists mentioned in this thread, and I'll bet many of the performances I saw were on the same tours where you guys saw them.  I'm in agreement with the assessments a good 80% of the time. 

Clapton, probably my favorite electric guitarist of all time, was a distinct disappointment with Blind Faith. Tasteful to the point of boredom.  James Taylor was, yes, dull. The only reason I saw JT was because the tix got me a date with a girl I was hot for. I saw Dream Syndicate at the Country Club(?) in Northridge simply because one of my punk band mates was somehow connected to them. Echhh. Hated Foghat.  Zappa and his band (not the Mothers) were tight but Frank was pompous, overbearing and one-dimensional.  I also saw Frank paired with Zubie Baby & the L.A. Phil.  Finally, I have to say that I loved the ELP concert I saw at the Santa Monica Civic.  And did I once mention that I saw the CSNY concert at the Hollywood Bowl that Joni Mitchell opened and that started Joni's and Graham's long-running romance?

In any event, this is one of my favorite internet threads...evah!  

@ecolnago -- I gotta ask. Are you honoring Ernesto (who I had the opportunity of meeting once)? Or are you committing an unpardonable sin by contemplating/constructing an electric 'Nag?

The wife has three Colnagos. Two carbon, one aluminum. All Campy. Loves them to distraction. I've had two. An aluminum Dream in Mapei colors, and a steel Master Extra Light. I loved that Mapei dearly but I got rid of it in a fit of downsizing my life.  As for the Master Light, it just weighed too much for this weight weenie and I didn't keep it much more than a  couple years. Now I'm a happy happy camper with a Bianchi Infinito.  Designed specifically for the cobbled classics, it's the perfect racing bicycle for somebody getting on in years.  Soft as a feather bed. Relaxed angles but still precise as hell.