Live musical performance that either...

[gamecockcat]

left you with a much greater appreciation of the artist OR really dampened your fandom of the artist.

Dampened my enthusiasm:
1) Alice Cooper (Rupp, '78) - grew up with 'Eighteen', 'School's Out' and all those other early hard rockin' hits. While expecting a 'theater' type of performance, I thought AC's stage show was part cheesy House of Horrors and part Broadway musical. Thoroughly disappointed with dancing teeth, costuming, fake blood, etc.
2) Tie: Willie Nelson and BB King (both in San Antonio, 2009-ish) - to be fair, they were both well up into their 70s at the time but both spent way too much time between songs talking and way too little time actually singing and playing. Glad I saw both but came away thinking I wished I'd seen them 10+ years earlier.

Increased my appreciation:
1) Journey (2009, San Diego) - NEVER a fan of this band, but saw them at a corporate event and stood 4' from the stage. All of them are excellent musicians, singing was outstanding. While I still don't LOVE them, I was surprised by how many of the songs they played I recognized - didn't realize how many hits they had. Very solid show that, quite frankly, surprised me.
2) REM (Memorial Coliseum, '84-ish) - didn't really know a lot of their music when I attended but they were a really tight band and plain rocked out.
3) Brian Setzer (and Rockabilly Riot) - one of my favorite guitarists who I greatly admire. But, seeing him in person was eye-opening. There were at least 3 different songs during his show that he was burning up the guitar so damn fast that I laughed out loud. Just dumbfounded me and I've played guitar for 40+ years. He's just jaw-dropping good.

 

[Glenn's Take]

The one time in my life I got to see Eric Clapton was up at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indy or whatever it's called now. I don't know if his dog died that day or what, all I know is Eric Clapton had absolutely no interest in being there. Played for maybe an hour and probably didn't burn 100 calories. The last song he played was Somewhere Over the Rainbow, no encore and got into an argument with someone walking off stage. I really would have preferred he canceled.

Had someone go up to the box office at the UK student center in 1992 to steal Jeff Gibson's Pixies tickets and have been a huge fan ever since. Sorry Jeff, we were drunk and really wanted to see the show.

 

[Kaizer Sosay]

 

[jrpross_rivals]

Weird Al Yankovic gives one of the most surprisingly incredible concerts I’ve ever seen. He and his band are actually awesome musicians.

I’ve always liked Gov’t Mule, but their show made them one if my favorite bands. Same with the Avett Brothers.

 

[BlueRaider22]

I've seen Def Leppard a few times. Their drummer (being 1 handed) always has amazed me.


Weezer - I saw them in Nashville. They apologized and announced that the concert will go on but will be late. It was nearly 90' minutes late. The reason was that the lead singer of Weezer fell and broke his leg. He was in the ER getting a cast........and he still wanted the concert to go on. In fact, he purposely didn't take any pain meds because he wanted to play well. Did the whole concert from a stool.


Dave Matthews Band - Dave said during one of the concerts that I saw that the band goes out of their way to never do the same concert the same way. That they should always try to provide a unique experience every concert and that they should push themselves as artists to be creative and fresh.

 

[Tinker Dan]

Surpassed expectations

Tab Benoit.
I really enjoy his music and he has a good time interacting with the crowd. A but much for some, but I have seen him twice and will go again.

Restless Heart
Tighter than a mouse's ear.

Disappointed

Hank Jr.
Years ago all I heard was how great a concert he put on..... or how bad it could be. I guess I chose a bad night.

 

[Strokin_Bandit]

Growing up, I never cared for U2. They weren’t as fun as the other hair metal bands I saw on MTV so I just dismissed them. During Christmas break after 9/11, my satellite provider showed their Elevation concert from Boston. I was amazed at the show and the depth of their performance. Fast Forward to 2013 and I was able to attend their 360 show in Nashville. Total spectacle. They have an aura about them that’s undeniable.

Jimmy Buffet at the old Starwood Amphitheater (RIP) had the adverse effect on me. An overproduced, forced, corny singalong.

 

[WildcatfaninOhio]

Was truly impressed when I saw The Allman Brothers Band in 06. Derek Trucks and Warren Haynes are both phenomenal, in studio and live.

I saw Black Sabbath twice back in the late 70s, and came away disappointed both times.

 

[Glenn's Take]

I'm assuming the Black Crowes walking off the stage after 1 song at Louisville Gardens doesn't count? Different circumstances.

 

[H. Lecter]

Increased
Old crow medicine show. Just unbelievable talent and energy. Have been to several since my first.
Willie Nelson. To be that old and still sound and play as good amazes me. One of my favorite artists.

Dampened
Dave Mathews. Still love the music but in concert it just ran together and sounded the same to me. Helluva jam band but. Idk

 

[LineSkiCat14]

This one is gonna get me made fun of, but Increased:

Had to go to see Ariana Grande with the lady, and was pretty impressed. She put on a good show. She wasn't like many of the other ****** pop stars. Lot of energy, great vocalist, and the 3 song encore where the finale was like a 10-minute version of her thanking everyone.. Look, don't judge me.

Dampened:

Counting Crows. Not that I particularly liked them.. but man their concert was just bad. I vaguely remember the songs sounds completely changed, musically. I thought it was just me, but I guess this a common theme with them.

 

[420grover]

I had both experiences at one concert. I was about 16 years old and Faith No More was big at the time with "Epic". They were opening for Billy Idol. Me and a few friends went to see FNM, Idol was ok but wouldn't have went without FNM.

FNM sucked, Billy Idol was awesome.

Never was a big Judas Priest fan even though I was a huge metalhead through that era. Saw them at Ozzfest 2003 and they blew all 900 other bands there off the stage. I left there a Judas Priest fan.

Both concerts were at Starwood in Nashville. Well, outside of Nashville in Antioch.

 

[WildcatFan1982]

I saw Bob Dylan live and it was one of the worst things I've ever seen.

 

[UK 82]

As a high school kid in the 70's there was never a more impressive show than the Yes laser light concert. Talented musicians as well.

Crosby, Stills and Nash was a bit of a snoozer at the same time.

 

[funKYcat75]

Ariana Grande with the lady, and was pretty impressed.

She’s a fantastic vocalist.

Seeing the Doobie Brothers and hearing how tight that group of old dudes played almost singlehandedly changed the music I listen to on a daily basis. I just sat there in awe.

I don’t go to a lot of concerts, but I’ve never had a bad experience.

 

[WildcatFan1982]

most surprising was Ed Sheeran. The first time I saw him I only knew one song by him and thought it was fairly meh. His live shows are solo. He doesn't use a backing band

 

[specialkd24_rivals116121]

Dampened:

Counting Crows. Not that I particularly liked them.. but man their concert was just bad. I vaguely remember the songs sounds completely changed, musically. I thought it was just me, but I guess this a common theme with them.

Adam Duritz "talks" the lyrics instead of singing, at least that is what I have seen in the 2-3 times I saw them. Good, great not what I was expecting.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

Adam Duritz "talks" the lyrics instead of singing, at least that is what I have seen in the 2-3 times I saw them. Good, great not what I was expecting.

That's kind of how I remembered it. I know Duritz has a good deal of mental issues. So IDK. Just wasn't for me.

 

[P19978]

Lame and much worse than expected: U2, Prince, Billy Squier, BB King (to be fair he played sitting down and passed soon after that show), Fab Tbirds, Alanis Morisette (dont even ask lol).

Better than expected: George Thorogood, Genesis, Jethro Tull, The Babys (they opened for Journey, who was awesome also... probably the best 1-2 punch I've experienced at a concert), Tom Petty (Im not a big fan but it was a GREAT show), The Rolling Stones (I expected a lot... and they were STILL better than I expected), Joe Walsh, The Knack (that place was INSANE with screaming girls lol), Blue Oyster Cult (was there to see Sabbath... and BOC blew them away),

 

[rick64]

Increased appreciation: Journey on the Raised on Radio tour back in the mid 80s. In particular, Steve Perry's vocals live were amazing. Long before auto-tune and the technology tricks many performers use today to improve the vocal quality. He was tremendous.

 

[Rebelfreedomeagle]

They were at Rupp.


I went.

 

[jrpross_rivals]

They were at Rupp.


I went.

When I was in middle school a couple buddies and I wanted to start a humor/parody band and call ourselves Manila Vanilla. Our first album was going to be called Faker than Fake.

 

[ukgrad83]

I saw Bob Dylan live and it was one of the worst things I've ever seen.

Ditto on Bob Dylan. Saw him at Murray State maybe 4 years ago or so. Just dreadful.

Warren Zevon at the Palace in 82 was phenomenal. One of the best shows I've ever seen.

 

[Nuke99m.]

Yes in 79 showed me how great they really are. The one odd one that I went into with low expectations was Hall and Oates in the late 80's at Louisville Gardens. They did an acoustical set that was out of this world.
Saw Alice In Chains open up for KISS. The whole band must have been hooked on heroin. Worst one ever was REM. I worked for a security company during school and they were opening up their tour in Louisville. I worked a week of them practicing their concert. If I hear "End Of The World" ever again I may snap.

 

[_ukcat]

I saw Bob Dylan live and it was one of the worst things I've ever seen.

/\ This. Saw couple years ago and absolutely the worse concert I ever attended.

 

[Kooky Kats]

Increase:

Fleetwood Mac
Silversun Pickups
Crosby Stills Nash
Editors
Squeeze
New Order
Son Seals


Decrease:

Tom Petty
David Bowie
The Police
Sting (fool me twice)
Bob Dylan
The Who

 

[812scottj]

Increase: Lyle Lovett

Decrease: Marty Stewart

 

[MychalG]

I saw Bob Dylan live and it was one of the worst things I've ever seen.

I agree..I saw him with Willie Nelson and it was one of the worst shows I have ever seen. Willie just mailed it in and Dylan was worse. Dylan mumbled through his songs and stayed behind an electric keyboard the entire time. I had always wanted to see him sing, Like a Rolling Stone and All Along the Watchtower and he played neither song. I was more than pissed as I left the show and my poor wife had to listen to me rant all the way home.

 

[rick64]

I saw Bob Dylan live and it was one of the worst things I've ever seen.

Never seen him live but I gotta think he would be terrible. He never could sing very well even when he was young.

 

[funKYcat75]

Decrease: Marty Stewart

That’s surprising. Why?

 

[HagginHall1999]

Increased:
The Killers- much better than I expected
Tom Petty- sounded like his record 30 years before
Steely Dan- went with Dad and was thoroughly impressed
Foo Fighters- unreal
Coldplay- amazing shows every time
Nora Jones- unbelievable voice
The Used- very underrated singer

Decreased
Counting Crows (someone else said this, saw them about 3 years ago for first time in 20 years and they were awful)

Matchbox Twenty- was same tour with CC, awful

Live- saw them at Pilgrimage last yr, weak compared to when I saw them in HS

 

[WildcatFan1982]

I agree..I saw him with Willie Nelson and it was one of the worst shows I have ever seen. Willie just mailed it in and Dylan was worse. Dylan mumbled through his songs and stayed behind an electric keyboard the entire time. I had always wanted to see him sing, Like a Rolling Stone and All Along the Watchtower and he played neither song. I was more than pissed as I left the show and my poor wife had to listen to me rant all the way home.

he played "All along the watchtower" when I saw him. But his band played it like Hendrix

 

[HagginHall1999]

I'm assuming the Black Crowes walking off the stage after 1 song at Louisville Gardens doesn't count? Different circumstances.

Dave Chapelle did this at Brown Theater in 2003... @Ron Mehico and me were livid

 

[Ukbrassowtipin]

Dave Chapelle did this at Brown Theater in 2003... @Ron Mehico and me were livid

I remember that Chapelle ordeal...why did he do it?

 

[Rebelfreedomeagle]

Decrease: Meatloaf - I had always heard he was fantastic live so I jumped on a couple of small venue tickets while in South Carolina in the nineties. He made a decent effort I guess but it was a short set and had the feel that it was for the money. His music also does not work well with a three piece band .
Increase: Billy Joel - I'm not his biggest fan but he killed it in Rupp during the Stormfront tour.
Increase, small venue - J Roddy Walston and The Business at Headliners in 2017. I've always liked them so I bought tickets to a pop-up show that only had 24 hours notice and started early because there was another event following. They took the stage, thanked everybody and then tore it up. Everyone there was there because they were fans, it was full, and they absolutely "slung some sweat on the crowd".

 

[HagginHall1999]

I remember that Chapelle ordeal...why did he do it?

IIRC some were yelling "I'm Rick James *****" and "OK" and that was about the time he went off the reservation...he just walked off stage.

No refund, no real explanation- just over.

 

[812scottj]

Marty Stewart was playing a free show at a small casino...you could tell he was aggravated and just wanted to get out of there.

I agree with everyone who’s said Bob Dylan...saw him live, and he did nothing to change my opinion of him overall. However, Buddy Guy and Susan Tedesci (sp?) opened for him and both were great

 

[Glenn's Take]

Decrease: Meatloaf - I had always heard he was fantastic live so I jumped on a couple of small venue tickets while in South Carolina in the nineties. He made a decent effort I guess but it was a short set and had the feel that it was for the money. His music also does not work well with a three piece band .
Increase: Billy Joel - I'm not his biggest fan but he killed it in Rupp during the Stormfront tour.

I guess I'll start with Meatloaf. Maybe you just saw him at the wrong time like I did Eric Clapton. Maybe you were just too late seeing him. I saw him in Poughkeepsie, NY in the late 80s and not only was it great, it was BY FAR the loudest concert I ever saw. The kind where you are out in the parking lot 10 minutes after the show screaming at the person 2 feet away from you because your ears were so messed up.
Billy Joel is awesome. This was his closer the first time I saw him in Rochester NY in 1989. IMO, the best closing song I've ever heard. (Oddly enough, off An Innocent Man)

 

[DSmith21]

I'll just give two.

Better than expected. Harry Connick, Jr. was outstanding. Great voice backed by three bus loads of talented backup musitians. Wonderful jazz, dixieland and American standards mix. I had low expectations going in but was very pleasantly surprised.

Worst by far. The Black Crows. Saw them about a decade ago. The band played OK but the lead singer was stoned out of his mind and could not sing a note on key. He spent most of the concert doing barefoot hippie dances on a 6' x 6' prayer rug. The band intentionally played extra loud to drown out Chris Robinson's performance. Just terrible.

 

[JDHoss]

Met and/or passed my already lofty expectations, and in no particular order....

Allman Brothers Band (multiple times)
ZZ Top (multiple times)
Pink Floyd
Government Mule (multiple times)
Prince
Eric Clapton (Nothing But The Blues Tour)
Johnny Winter (multiple times)
Scott Miller and the Commonwealth (multiple times)
Webb Wilder (multiple times)
Kelly Richey (multiple times)
Michael Burkes (RIP big guy)
Buddy Guy (multiple times)
Ben Harper (multiple times)
Robert Randolph
Judas Priest
Ronnie Baker Brooks Band (multiple times)
Jimmy Thackery & the Drivers (multiple times)
Chris Duarte (multiple times)
Big Head Todd & the Monsters
Montrose
Ana Popovic
Page & Plant
Jethro Tull
Elton John
Robin Trower (multiple times)
Bernard Allison (multiple times)
Tommy Castro (multiple times)
North Mississippi All Stars
Richard Johnston
Sonny Landreth
Gary Hoey
Ted Nugent
Joe Bonamassa
Kenny Wayne Sheppard (multiple times)
Black Crowes
Hadden Sayers Band
Marcus King Band
Tedeschi/Trucks (also Trucks and Susan with their own bands)
Tom Principato (multiple times)
Tinsley Ellis (multiple times)
Tab Benoit (multiple times)
Aerosmith
Walter Trout (multiple times)
Screamin' Cheetah Wheelies


Underwhelming.....

Deep Purple (David Coverdale/Tommy Bolin edition)
Foreigner
Bob Dylan (surprise, surprise)
REO Speedwagon
Rod Stewart
Guns & Roses (a train wreck)
Dave Matthews Band (not bad, just kind of meh)


I have to say, I'd rather watch somebody like Chris Duarte or Tab Benoit in a small club or theater that I would a big act in an arena or stadium.