"NOT THE EVENING OUT I WAS EXPECTING"

LOOKING BACK AT SOME VERY DISAPPOINTING GIG MOMENTS....AND A
TRULY AWFUL PERFORMANCE BY A BAND THAT WOULD GO ON TO BECOME LEGENDARY !!

SIOUXSIE AND THE BANSHEES -HAMMERSMITH ODEON THURSDAY 24th OCTOBER 1985

Yup......I know....I'd left it far too long to go and see a band who I'd always liked but never got my arse in gear to go and see. After 2 very strong support acts, The Scientists (legendary Aussie noise band) and Fur Bible (featuring Kid Congo Powers - ex Gun Club and Cramps) I was really up for what the Banshees had to offer....however mid way through "Christine" (about the 5th or 6th song) Siouxsie fell to the stage after some of her trademark swirling about. There were some moments of confusion on stage and when the band stopped playing this confusion/surprise/shock spread to the audience. The upshot of it was that she had dislocated her kneecap and would be unable to continue...the cancellation of the gig was announced by a band member as she was carried from the stage to go to hospital. I, like everyone there, was left rather stunned and a little empty inside after the evening had held such promise.  

RAINBOW - FRIDAY 29th FEBRUARY 1980 WEMBLEY ARENA

I was genuinely at this infamous gig......it is fully documented at length on "the net"...here's one such link - Here

I was watching this from up on the side of the Arena towards the front so had a good view of it all.....after about 45 minutes the band left the stage.....a bit short for a main set I and many others thought but they'll be back to do multiple encores and send us all home happy !! Nothing could be further from the truth...Richie Blackmore had one of his infamous hissy fits and refused to go out again to play !! After 10 minutes or so a great disquiet began to brew in the venue.....why hadn't they come back on....the crowd had been shouting for more....it wasn't as if they'd been booed off or anything......I think I recall that it was when all the house lights came on and music was being played that the penny dropped that the gig was over. Sure, I and the people I went with felt cheated and disappointed but there were a great deal of people who took it a lot worse....basically anything that wasn't (initially) nailed down was being hurled with great gusto towards the stage landing on all the bands equipment.....it was a brave roadie who ventured out front that night. The people in the mixing desk appeared to have had to adopt a siege mentality and were trapped in their box as leads etc were no doubt being removed from out side. One of the strongest images of the evening was a number of guys who had uprooted a number of seats linked together and were charging at one of the PA stacks as though they were using a battering ram !! We decided to leave before things escalated but found equal amounts of chaos outside of the arena where there was a lot of noise, shouting and the sound of things breaking.....this sound continued all the way back to the tube station where there was the frequent sound of breaking glass soon to be interspersed by the sound of police sirens. Apparently the show the following evening went off without a hitch...thanks Richie !!

BOB MOULD (ex- HUSKER DU) SOLO SET AT THE UNDERWORLD MON 16th SEPT 1991

I attended this with the creator of this fine site that you are now on and he will no doubt wish to add his own words of disgust after mine !! I was looking forward to seeing Bob Mould as Tony had always gone on about Husker Du and I'd really liked what I'd heard so jumped at the chance to join him at this gig. We were a little disconcerted by the apparent lack of any obvious large bits of amplification on stage and hoped that this would appear when Bob was due on stage.......but NO......all that remained was a small miked up combo and an acoustic guitar.......Hmmm...Oh well....some cracking acoustic versions of Husker Du classics would be interesting to hear....but NO....we were treated to a string of horrible dull songs which left us both truly shocked and underwhelmed. I was thinking to myself "this is shit...but I'll stay here with Tony because I know how much he likes him"....not long after I thought this Tony turned to me and said he'd had enough of this twaddle and that we should leave immediately......I didn't argue !!

THE ENID - HAMMERSMITH ODEON FRIDAY 30th OCTOBER 1987 

I'm struggling to recall exactly why I went to see this lot again......I'd seen them once before and they were ok....I can only assume that a mate had a spare ticket and was driving !! They are not a band I suggest that anyone who normally uses this site checks out under any circumstances as they are the light side of progressive keyboard based pomp rock, very much in the Yes mould....another band to avoid at all costs. The performance was from the very start embarrassing and simply dreadful....I really couldn't believe how bad they were......so....about half way through, the bar beckoned !!...and there I stayed until it had all finished......met back up with whoever and went home.

NIRVANA - THE ASTORIA, LONDON  SUNDAY 3rd DECEMBER 1989 Sub-Pop Lame-Fest Gig

Yes....Kurt Cobain's Nirvana who would become international stars within a year from this gig...Here they were, first on the bill supporting Tad and headliners Mudhoney, who we had gone specifically to see. To put it bluntly Nirvana were absolute crap...a chaotic tuneless racket...that wasn't just my opinion...the area in front of the stage was nowhere near as full as the bar out the back ! They got a very muted response and their set was soon forgotten as Tad set about their business..... they were, I thought, the best band on the night having not being overly impressed by Mudhoney either. Nirvana's set list from the night is available to view Here

So that's why if anyone ever asks if I ever saw Nirvana live that I reply "yes...they were rubbish !!".....ask me if I like the album "Nevermind" and I'm rather more enthusiastic !

DOUG E DOGG