Topic: Ruined Gigs. (Read 25094 times)

Rez · « **on:** 03 Mar 2009, 17:53 »

Ever been to a gig that should have been fantastic, then, through some kind of douchebaggery (on the part of the artist or the crowd) is then ruined?

My example- most recent one I can think of is when I saw Born Ruffians last summer- during "Hummingbird" about thirty or so drunk indie lads and ladettes stormed the stage, and started dancing around the band. Two of which, (I remember distinctly wearing those horrible shiny leggings from American Apparel), highjacked the mic from the singer, and started ululating. After this, the band promptly ended their set, looking very pissed.

Admittedly not particularly rock and roll considering the band and the audience, but still! Tell me of your experiences!

TheFuriousWombat · « **Reply #1 on:** 03 Mar 2009, 18:00 »

The second time I saw Xiu Xiu, they played a converted garage here on campus. The event, it seems, was too well advertised for it was far too crowded to be even remotely comfortable. Sound in this venue is never great but when the every inch of space if crammed with people, most of whom don't seem to understand the concept of shutting the fuck up for a second, it gets really bad. Jamie Stewart was basically inaudible. No one seemed to be listening at all to the music and the sound guy must have been stoned or something b/c he was failing miserably at making the band sound even somewhat decent. They had 12 songs on their playlists and only played 6 before ending with 6 incredibly noisy, "hardcore" micro-songs where they all changed instruments and screamed nonsense into the microphones from miscelaneous pamphlets they seemed to have for just such an occasion. They ended by knocking all their instruments over and leaping into the audience. It cleared house quite fast. It's too bad because they usually put on a very good show.

Rez · « **Reply #2 on:** 03 Mar 2009, 18:06 »

Oh yeah, I remember some people tried to start a mosh pit during My Bloody Valentine's reunion gig. Was nowhere near ruined (nothing could have ruined it, really), but in my opinion was a bit unnecessary.

Ballard · « **Reply #3 on:** 03 Mar 2009, 18:43 »

Haha the only thing resembling a moshpit at the MBV reunion show I went to was the small crowd that all tried to simultaneously fellate J Mascis when they noticed him at the bar during the opening act's set.

Catacombs · « **Reply #4 on:** 03 Mar 2009, 19:34 »

I saw the Stone Temple Pilots at the PNC Arts Center (yea, commercial music at a commercial venue, sue me) last summer on their reunion tour. They decided to take the stage about an hour and a half or so after the opening act left stage. I think everyone kind of figured Scott Weiland was passed out back stage, but people were pretty pissed. Now this venue is an open air, amphitheater type kind of place, where the stage and maybe 40 rows of seats are covered, and then above that there's a big lawn that they pack people on to. I was kind of lucky and we got there early enough to be right up close to the fence, but when the band wasn't coming on more and more people were pushing up as close as they could, chanting "ASSHOLE" "BULLSHIT" "SCOTT SUCKS" and what not. Eventually, some people started leaving and we were almost at riot status. Finally, the band came on and played an excellent, albeit short set and everyone was a little bit happier.

Dazed · « **Reply #5 on:** 03 Mar 2009, 20:25 »

http://thegrip.wordpress.com/2008/06/17/kanye-west-disappoints-bonnaroo-2008/

EDIT: I wasn't actually there for this, but 2 of my good friends were, and recounted that "Fuck Kanye!" chanting was pretty much the only cool part of the show.

valley_parade · « **Reply #6 on:** 04 Mar 2009, 05:03 »

A bunch of bros at a Dropkick Murphys show mercilessly heckling Ted Leo and the Pharmacists (who were opening) and me (because I <3 Ted Leo and the Pharmacists).

Actually, towards the end of the set, Ted started yelling back at them.

october1983 · « **Reply #7 on:** 04 Mar 2009, 05:11 »

The only show I've been to that was ruined was a New Pornographers gig that was absolutely sabotaged by the god awful sound. Just guitar guitar guitar, a little vocal and nothing else. Then I found out they'd played an excellent show the day before at one of my favourite venues in the city. Fuck.

el_loco_avs · « **Reply #8 on:** 04 Mar 2009, 05:35 »

Ben Christophers was opening for The Frames.

Too many drunk and loud british and/or irish people there.

pulpfiction21 · « **Reply #9 on:** 04 Mar 2009, 06:19 »

i once went to a concert and Steel Train opened up. The whole day was ruined.

KickThatBathProf · « **Reply #10 on:** 04 Mar 2009, 06:25 »

Quote from: pulpfiction21 on 04 Mar 2009, 06:19

i once went to a concert and a band called Krak Attack opened up. The whole day was ruined.

Except then Girl Talk showed up and all was good

michaelicious · « **Reply #11 on:** 04 Mar 2009, 06:31 »

Quote from: valley_parade on 04 Mar 2009, 05:03

A bunch of bros at a Dropkick Murphys show mercilessly heckling Ted Leo and the Pharmacists (who were opening) and me (because I <3 Ted Leo and the Pharmacists).

Actually, towards the end of the set, Ted started yelling back at them.

This happened to me when I went to see Wintersleep a couple years ago. A bunch of jerks heckled the two opening acts, which were Woolly Leaves and the Paramedics. Dudes kept just yelling "WINTERSLEEEEEEP" through what were two mostly acoustic sets. The part that is most sad is that both of the opening bands are side projects by members of the fucking Constantines - who are from my city - and these dicks didn't even know who they were.

Cadeonehalf · « **Reply #12 on:** 04 Mar 2009, 08:04 »

I don't know if this counts as being ruined, but at one of my first concerts (Black Keys) the idiot college kids leaning on the rail above us were being complete asshats. They were throwing stuff at the stage, booing Dan Auerbach and the like until my Dad, when throwing up the horns, "accidentally" jabbed a finger in the biggest drunk's eye. He fell back, the girls around him freaked, and his friend (Who was obviously the DD) couldn't stop laughing. They left early and Dan Auerbach said something like "Thanks to the guy who got rid of those assholes" or something like that.

KickThatBathProf · « **Reply #13 on:** 04 Mar 2009, 09:09 »

Your dad is a cool dude

Miniluv · « **Reply #14 on:** 04 Mar 2009, 15:06 »

Isaac Brock almost punched a girl at a MM show here in Eugene. Pretty funny shit.

Inlander · « **Reply #15 on:** 04 Mar 2009, 16:07 »

Care to provide a little more context before we decide whether that really was "pretty funny" or not?

Miniluv · « **Reply #16 on:** 04 Mar 2009, 23:19 »

Gladly.

Near the end of their set, Modest Mouse was doing a fair bit of rockin'. In the midst, a wayward fan jumps onto the stage and grabs Isaac's arm. In a moment of reflex, he rears his arm back. He stops himself, explaining after the song that he "Almost punched that girl."

Moment of circumstance, but still 100% Pretty Funny.

Inlander · « **Reply #17 on:** 05 Mar 2009, 00:43 »

Okay, I'm prepared to concede that that could have been pretty funny if, as you imply, he raised his fist before realising that the person he was about to punch was a girl.

Johnny C · « **Reply #18 on:** 05 Mar 2009, 00:57 »

ITT Isaac Brock joins Duane Denison in the hallowed pantheon of artists who punch fans on instinct.

Inlander · « **Reply #19 on:** 05 Mar 2009, 01:09 »

Whoa whoa whoa, rushing to judge a bit there aren't you, Johnny? Maybe he punches everyone on instinct.

Spluff · « **Reply #20 on:** 05 Mar 2009, 01:11 »

If Henry Rollins does it, it's okay by me.

Inlander · « **Reply #21 on:** 05 Mar 2009, 01:18 »

Are you saying it's okay to be associated with the film Johnny Mnemonic?

BeoPuppy · « **Reply #22 on:** 05 Mar 2009, 04:02 »

Hey ... I liked Johhny Mnemonic. Keanu Reeves almost managed an expression in there. Also: dolfin.

Dazed · « **Reply #23 on:** 05 Mar 2009, 05:12 »

There are people who liked Johnny Mnemonic.... My god

BeoPuppy · « **Reply #24 on:** 05 Mar 2009, 06:03 »

And proud of it.

rynne · « **Reply #25 on:** 05 Mar 2009, 06:17 »

This was about ten years ago: my university had a free concert with Black Star, Orgy and Sugar Ray. Obviously, Black Star was the only good act but all the meathead fratboys were yelling for Sugar Ray through their entire set. It got so bad that Mos Def stopped in the middle of a song to yell back at them.

Then later, one of my friends got jumped by a bunch of drunken underclassmen after he told them to stop groping a girl we were with. But seeing the same guys in handcuffs when the cops arrested them later that afternoon was nice.

Jace · « **Reply #26 on:** 05 Mar 2009, 06:55 »

That guy at every ska show who doesn't understand that there is an intricate dance happening in the pit, it is not just a place to walk around drunkenly with your shirt off and push kids around. Please stop being at every ska show.

Miniluv · « **Reply #27 on:** 05 Mar 2009, 09:18 »

Quote from: Inlander on 05 Mar 2009, 00:43

Okay, I'm prepared to concede that that could have been pretty funny if, as you imply, he raised his fist before realising that the person he was about to punch was a girl.

Gender was irrelevant.

eddie · « **Reply #28 on:** 05 Mar 2009, 09:59 »

I slipped over at a Bomb the music industry show and got loads of broken glass stuck in my legs and back. The show still ruled though.

Orbert · « **Reply #29 on:** 05 Mar 2009, 10:18 »

Frank Zappa at the Masonic Theater in Royal Oak, Michigan. Some asshole threw a whiskey bottle on stage. Frank stopped the show and called for the house lights, which revealed said asshole being pummeled, and Security got him out of there as much for his own protection as anything else. Frank took the opportunity to lecture us about proper concert etiquette and how you rarely see rock concerts in such nice places, and this is why. He was pissed, obviously.

After the last song finished, the house lights came up almost before the reverb had stopped. No encores for you! We screamed and yelled for a while, but it was pretty obvious what was going on; the lights were up already. It put a serious damper on an otherwise amazing show.

iamiam · « **Reply #30 on:** 05 Mar 2009, 19:21 »

I was living in a city with absolutely no good venues. Okkervil River came to one of those shitty venues which was pretty exciting, but I got there late and had to stand in the back and couldn't see the stage at all because of the mass of people packed in there. I was squished between two tall people who apparently hadn't heard of deodorant yet.

From the little bit I could see and hear I think Okkervil River put on a pretty good show, though...

valley_parade · « **Reply #31 on:** 06 Mar 2009, 05:20 »

Quote from: PantsFTW on 05 Mar 2009, 06:55

That guy at every ska show. Please stop being at every ska show.

FYP.

KeepACoolin · « **Reply #32 on:** 07 Mar 2009, 16:52 »

Police concert this July at the Tweeter Center- two drunk middle-aged women in front of me and my friends who kept dancing spastically to every song and completely obstructing our view, which was bad because we had a bad view anyway from the grass lot up at the top. Eventually one of them fall backward after slipping on the tarp they had laid out and her head landed a few inches from my foot. I'm glad she didn't land on me, because I think she weighed around three hundred pounds.

Trollstormur · « **Reply #33 on:** 07 Mar 2009, 20:13 »

I went to see a six band metal set, featuring Destruction, Kataklysm, Graveworm and Vader as well as two other bands that I don't even know the names of.

We waited for a good three hours after doors only to find out the bus upon which Graveworm and the two other bands is broken down somewhere outta town and they won't be playing that night. Sucked for me, because I basically only came for Graveworm. Not having to sit through two other bands before the good bands was giving me some solace.

First up were Destruction, and they put on a really kick ass show. apparently, there was a guy in the audience who'd been at one of their shows in the 80s in germany. small world. the vocalist's showmanship really made me realize what a professional musical entertainer really is, and made the show a lot of fun after standing around for 3 hours in a shitty club.

Next up were Vader. Vader was an interesting set. They played pretty normally, but about three songs in, my friend and I notice that the guitarist looks kinda out of it. Staring at the ground, his guitar, sometimes keeping his eyes closed for lengthy periods of time. About this time, it appears that the guitarist just only realized that there was an audience and it was a horrible many headed beast. He stares at us in wild-eyed horror for the remainder of the song, after which the vocalist called a short recess and the entire band surround him and dragged him backstage. After a period of about 20 minutes, they come back out to finish the set, he doesn't take his eyes off his shoes.

Finally, Kataklysm played. The lead guy's stage presence paled in comparison to Destruction, and made the whole set unenjoyable. Perhaps it was the 5 hours of standing on my feet and just wanting to go home and sleep at 2am

All in all, not exactly a "ruined" set as it sits in my mind as the most memorable show I've ever been to, save for Mortiis.(lol!) But definitely the most not-according-to-plan show I've seen.

Jace · « **Reply #34 on:** 08 Mar 2009, 03:56 »

I think my least favorite thing that happens at gigs is when there is a technical issue or one band plays too long or something and just cuts all the good bands after them short. I don't think there has been a time that I have thought "man, that first band that played was totally excellent, I'm glad they decided to play an extra song after they had 15 minutes of in-jokes"

valley_parade · « **Reply #35 on:** 08 Mar 2009, 08:26 »

Quote from: KeepACoolin on 07 Mar 2009, 16:52

Police concert this July at the Tweeter Center- two drunk middle-aged women in front of me and my friends who kept dancing spastically to every song and completely obstructing our view, which was bad because we had a bad view anyway from the grass lot up at the top. Eventually one of them fall backward after slipping on the tarp they had laid out and her head landed a few inches from my foot. I'm glad she didn't land on me, because I think she weighed around three hundred pounds.

Yeah, eff the Tweeter Center. I went there for Warped Tour in '07. Having punk bands play in an amphitheater is not a good idea. Plus some fucking dudebro bit me.

Caspian · « **Reply #36 on:** 08 Mar 2009, 08:31 »

Quote from: Inlander on 05 Mar 2009, 00:43

Okay, I'm prepared to concede that that could have been pretty funny if, as you imply, he raised his fist before realising that the person he was about to punch was a girl.

sexist.

Dazed · « **Reply #37 on:** 08 Mar 2009, 10:29 »

Man, I dig the tweeter center. I saw Rush there and it was bitchin'.

The Joker · « **Reply #38 on:** 08 Mar 2009, 11:02 »

My dad once went to see Black Sabbath (probably in Miami, I don't know). They came on about an hour too late (if not more) and about a minute into "War Pigs" (which was the second song so far) Ozzy's voice cracked, he slammed the mike down on the stage, and walked off. That was it; there was no refund or anything. Brutal.

David_Dovey · « **Reply #39 on:** 08 Mar 2009, 12:02 »

St. Jerome's Laneway Festival '09: After having my face rocked off in definitive fashion by The Hold Steady I decamped towards the main stage in order to be entertained and awestruck by Girl Talk.

Upon commencement of his set it immediately struck me that it all seemed rather quiet. "That's cool," I thought to myself "I guess I am standing a fair way back from the stage, and I can still basically hear what is going on and it is a good set he is throwing down so far." Cue gut-churning clipping from the PA. "Aw jeez," says I, "that was a bit off, sure hope that was an isolated incident." Of course it was not. Every couple of minutes the very soft sounds of the mash-ups was interrupted by the incredibly loud sounds of the PA shitting itself for reasons unknown. Eventually the music had to stop so the incompetent unprepared fucks who were running FOH- already the source of many a veiled and not-so-veiled grumble from artists throughout the day- could attempt to sort out the royal shitfucking they were delivering to the festival's headline act.

During the forced intermission Gillis attempted to keep the crowd going with several shout-outs and such. At some point he grew tired of this and allowed some doucheshit from the crowd to get his furry paws onto the mic, whereupon he fulfilled his juvenile dreams of stardom by hollering several nigh-incomprehensible catchphrases he had lifted from his burnt copies of Nelly CD's down at the increasingly shiftless audience. It didn't help.

Upon resumption of the set there was perhaps a slight decrease in the instances of earfucking distortion, but the result was hardly enough to warrant sticking around. And yet, I did, in the hopes that the mouth-breathers who were employed to run the sound could find a way to make the incredibly complicated setup of one fucking laptop get signal through the speakers without causing massive surges of clipping every minute and because from what I could tell, the set continued to be pretty fuckin' tasty and the knowledge that tickets cost about $100 motherfucker.

As if to reward me for my persistence, the set was then brusquely interrupted by some hairy tool with a t-shirt struggling valiantly to cover the expanse of his fuzzy paunch. The guys must've been an organiser of the festival, because he had a microphone and he obviously believed he had the authority to stop the FUCKING MAIN FUCKING ACT OF THE FUCKING NIGHT to yell at some people who had climbed up in a tree. Quoth the fatty; "Get down from that tree! You're ruining the show for everybody!" Yes, as it turns out it was people in a tree that were ruining this show, not the meatsacks that were running the sound, and definitely not the blowjob who shut down a music festival for what amounted to a "get off my damn lawn" lecture.

It was at this point that my threshold for tolerating punishment was shattered and I collected The Lady, turned my back and exited to Girl Talk restarting for the third time with a mashup of what I think might've been Beyoncé, Nirvana and BRRRRRAWWWWWGGGHNNNNARRRRRGHHHAAARRROHGODWHATTHEFUCK

Patrick · « **Reply #40 on:** 08 Mar 2009, 13:41 »

Quote from: valley_parade on 04 Mar 2009, 05:03

A bunch of bros at a Dropkick Murphys show mercilessly heckling Ted Leo and the Pharmacists (who were opening) and me (because I <3 Ted Leo and the Pharmacists).

Actually, towards the end of the set, Ted started yelling back at them.

God I would've loved to see Ted Leo yelling at hecklers. The guy's got an absolute talent for the English language and he can get really creative if he is inspired enough.

valley_parade · « **Reply #41 on:** 08 Mar 2009, 15:25 »

The guy just kept yelling "SHUT THE FUCK UP, YOU SUCK!". Ted's retort was something to the extent of "Shut the fuck up? Man, that's what I get paid NOT to do. I get paid NOT to shut the fuck up. Why don't you try it sometime? *awesome Stiff Little Fingers cover*"

altered_carbon · « **Reply #42 on:** 08 Mar 2009, 16:00 »

I missed the Yeah Yeah Yeah's playing a small stage at a festival because I was taking my dipshit friend to the medical office for spraining his ankle in an obnoxious attempt to crowdsurf earlier. Next time I saw them they were on a main stage (prematurely imo), and it wasn't nearly as good as the five minutes of the set I saw the first time. Oh well.

Jimor · « **Reply #43 on:** 08 Mar 2009, 17:35 »

Years ago, Steel Pulse opening for INXS, outdoor arena. Before the show, standing with my friend on the lawn in the middle of the crowd, all of sudden people start scattering around us. I feel something bump my leg, look down to see something glowing about 6 inches from my foot. Fuck, that's a FUSE! Close my eyes just in time to avoid being flash blinded by what I'm guessing was an M-80.

No damage except some powder burns on my pants. But my ears were blown before the fucking concert, so the whole thing was muffled. And it took about 2 weeks for that to go away. I was just lucky that it hadn't settled right against my foot because I had no time to move.

Ballard · « **Reply #44 on:** 08 Mar 2009, 21:59 »

Who the fuck threw a fuse?

Jimor · « **Reply #45 on:** 08 Mar 2009, 23:12 »

The glowing fuse was all I could see in the twilight gloom before the show. As soon as I recognized it wasn't just a cigarette butt, it didn't take long for my brain to figure out that there just might be something nasty at the end of it. All I had time for was to close my eyes, and even so the flash left an afterglow in my vision for a few minutes. I can still feel the concussion of that damn thing going off.

Patrick · « **Reply #46 on:** 09 Mar 2009, 00:23 »

So that begs another question: "Who the fuck would set off an M-80 in a crowded venue where it could possibly permanently maim somebody?"

valley_parade · « **Reply #47 on:** 09 Mar 2009, 05:05 »

Quote from: altered_carbon on 08 Mar 2009, 16:00

I missed the Yeah Yeah Yeah's playing a small stage at a festival because I was taking my dipshit friend to the medical office for spraining his ankle in an obnoxious attempt to crowdsurf earlier. Next time I saw them they were on a main stage (prematurely imo), and it wasn't nearly as good as the five minutes of the set I saw the first time. Oh well.

This worked out in my favor once. I was at Warped Tour, and my friend was kinda wicked dehydrated. So while I brought her to the medical tent to get some fluids (located right next to the main stage), I got a really good view of Helmet.

Christophe · « **Reply #48 on:** 09 Mar 2009, 07:27 »

Once I was at a hip-hop show in the back room of a Mexican restaurant, and some douche took the microphone from the guy rapping at that point, saying a line or so of gibberish before some other guys forced him off. It was pretty lame, but it didn't fully fuck the gig.

ghostworld · « **Reply #49 on:** 09 Mar 2009, 19:23 »

here are some of the ones which most recently come to mind but i do know there's plenty more

asobi seksu - just a boring crowd all stood their either drunk or completely stony faced with their arms crossed. even during some of the most upbeat and danceable songs people would barely even tap their feet, so while the band were amazing it felt like there was nothing great happening because the crowd may as well have not been there.

the academy is - during the support me and my friends were nodding our heads along as we checked them out as we didn't know them and these girls behind me decided to shove us because we weren't dancing about like drunken loonatics like them. they punched me in the small of my back once i told them to sod off, and i had not long since hurt my back on holiday and so i almost crumpled under the pain. however once i had regained my composure i turned around and got in a bit of a fight with them, not my finest moment but they really angered me and it put me in a bad mood for the rest of the gig.

a day to remember - just a really bizzare crowd. really really young crowd who were trying to be very "hxc" even the band were looking in dismay at them. no form of a mosh pit, just lots of "hxc dancing" and "two stepping" and arm flailing, which the band will be used to but not in a form which was as pathetic as this. zero respect for anyone around them and it really took the tone down a few notches for a band that i've seen previously and have been great with a good crowd.

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Author Topic: Ruined Gigs. (Read 25094 times)

Rez

Rez

ghostworld