Your most disappointing gig?

[SmartinMartin]

Following on from the 'band you'd like to see' thread, what's the one band/act you regretted going to? For me it was Eric Clapton in Malahide castle. The sound was awful, the equipment was faulty, and Clapton arrived late and then just walked off the stage.

[quodec]

Bowie at Slane in '87 on the Glass Spider tour. Huge stage set but in the daylight it just never featured! Lacklustre performance from Mr Jones and little atmosphere in the crowd. I left early, one of the few times I've ever done that!

[Hodors Appletart]

2 spring immediately to mind.

The most recent Stevie Wonder concert in the point. Me and my wife went as we'd been to the previous one and it was amazing, one of the best gigs I'd been at in fact.

But the most recent one - loads of "guest singers" and a bloody DJ playing a set of Wonder songs in the middle of the gig, sound was awful, the crowd responded appropriately.

We also went to see Cat Stevens, it was his first gig in a long time and Dublin was the first date I think - he wasn't performing as Yusuf Islam. Anyway, it started off ok, he played a few lesser known old songs, a few songs from his new album which not many people knew, then an interval. After the interval things took a surreal turn.

He came back on stage, and said he was almost finished writing a musical that was to feature most of his very famous songs. Suddenly, on stage appeared a troupe of actors to perform scenes from the musical, singing the songs. Stevens himself sat off to the side tinkling a piano or something, allowing these singers to sing the songs the vast majority of the crowd had come to see the man himself perform.

There was a near riot - booing, walk-outs, one man approached the stage and the Gardaí escorted him out, aggressive heckling, hissing - all that.

Unfazed, the bauld Cat ended the musical interlude and took to his stool again, and said he'd round out the night with some more songs from his new album.

My abiding memory of that part of the concert was some lag roaring at Mr Stevens "PLAY 'PEACE TRAIN' YOU CÚNT!!"

Oh baby baby it's a wild world...

[Riffmongous]

Opeth in 2008 or something, they'd only played in Dublin recently enough so they decided to take the opportunity to play some of their less popular songs.. but there's a reason they are not popular guys. Boring as fk

[Rhapsody In Blue]

The Jesus & Mary Chain in 2014. There were a lot of sound problems, especially with the guitar, so it was rather disappointing.

Similar thing happened when I saw John Cale a couple of years before that. He was getting frustrated himself and didn't bother to do an encore because of it.

[Norman Breaks]

The Streets in Chicago's Metro Theatre about 2001 or 2002.

I'm sure the gig was great but we got there too late and they had already finished. Usually they gig a doors time and there is 1 to 3 warm up acts and the main act goes of a few hours after doors. Not this time. We got there maybe 90 to 120 minutes after doors and people were already walking out cos The Streets had finished.

[Supercell]

Went to see Sade in The O2 in 2011. Had been a big fan of many years and was so thrilled that she was finally going to play in Dublin. Had watched some videos online of previous concerts in America where there was loads of audience interaction but in Dublin she went though the motions, would have been better off watching a video, gutted.
On the other-hand saw Boyzone there with the missus in the same year and wow, wasn't a fan in particular but boy was there audience participation, made the hairs stand on end listening to the crowd singing along and the band clearly loving playing to an Irish audience, amazing experience.

[Frank]

Smashing Pumpkins some time in the mid 90’s.

[Country Mac]

Deftones in The Ambassador in Dublin (2006 I think). I'm not a huge fan but I love some of their stuff (Digital Bath is one of my favourite songs) but the sound was so muddy I could barely make out what they were playing.

John Fogerty in the Point a couple of years ago. Sooo looking forward to seeing him live but it was like a bizarre cabaret show and, bored senseless, I left before the end.

[nlgbbbblth]

The Pastels in the Mean Fiddler back in 1997. Shambolic & boring.