You Thought Their Live Show Would Suck... But It Didn't

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I got a free ticket to see Styx on their reunion tour with Tommy Shaw around 1996. Even know I liked a lot of their songs, I really thought it was going to be one big wimp out. Nope. Even "Babe" kept a stiff upper lip, after the intro anyway.

― ZionTrain, Friday, 25 March 2005 16:40 (twenty-one years ago)

Honestly, I didn't think Tortoise would be able to pull it off live. But they rocked it.

― Hurting (Hurting), Friday, 25 March 2005 16:43 (twenty-one years ago)

I was kinda doubtful about the Kings of Leon, but they put on a great show.

― Yoshinorimike (Yoshinorimike), Friday, 25 March 2005 17:11 (twenty-one years ago)

I've said this before, but Bow Wow Wow completely ripped the roof off the place. In the late '90s. I was dumbstruck.

I was also amazed at how freakishly good Jewel was when I saw her at a big stadium revue. Still don't like her records, though.

― Douglas (Douglas), Friday, 25 March 2005 17:39 (twenty-one years ago)

Flipside of this -- I was all excited to see the Icarus Line about a year and a half ago. They were bore-tastic.

― Je4nne ƒury (Jeanne Fury), Friday, 25 March 2005 17:46 (twenty-one years ago)

Echo & The Bunnymen, 1987 (around "Lips Like Sugar"). Thought they were already over the hill by that point, but they delivered what's still in my top 50 all-time favorite shows.

Blur, 1995 or 1996. Great fun from beginning to end.

― mike a, Friday, 25 March 2005 18:10 (twenty-one years ago)

I totally changed my mind about Skid Row after I saw them, they were excellent

― dave q (listerine), Friday, 25 March 2005 18:34 (twenty-one years ago)

Depeche Mode, Violator tour, Merriweather Post Pavilion.

― Guayaquil, Friday, 25 March 2005 19:38 (twenty-one years ago)

Not so much suck but I had my doubts:

Sonic Youth (ca. Goo) and My Bloody Valentine (ca. Loveless).

― gygax! (gygax!), Friday, 25 March 2005 19:47 (twenty-one years ago)

I saw X on The Landing in St. Louis sometime around 1993. They had recently gotten back together without Billy Zoom. I wasn't expecting much from them, but it became one my top ten greatest live shows that I've seen.

― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Friday, 25 March 2005 19:47 (twenty-one years ago)

The Depeche Mode Singles tour was pretty fucking awesome too. I guess the site of a not-dead Dave Gahan helped.

Stereo Total at Coachella impressed me greatly a couple years ago. Especially towards the end when half the crowd was on the stage and half remained in the audience.

― Dude, are you a 15 year old asian chick? (jingleberries), Friday, 25 March 2005 19:49 (twenty-one years ago)

Saint Etienne had a shitty live rep for years (with good reason). But for the "Good Humour" tour they assembled a full band and it was like St Et Goes Motown Live! Tonight!! My mind was blown.

― MindInRewind (Barry Bruner), Friday, 25 March 2005 19:50 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeh... she sounds much better (stronger) live than on record for some reason.
(Good Humor, Doubledoor, Chicago).

― Bobby Peru (Bobby Peru), Friday, 25 March 2005 19:56 (twenty-one years ago)

Belle and Sebastion (they have an absolutely brilliant touring collective) and, though I loathe to admit it, Bright Eyes (young Conor is also well-buoyed by his diverse and well-chosen accompaniment).

― Steve Gertz (sgertz), Friday, 25 March 2005 20:02 (twenty-one years ago)

A friend of mine had an extra ticket to Depeche Mode's Violator tour way back in the day. I wasn't expecting much of a live show from four metrosexual guys standing up on stage behind their keyboards, but I became a big fan that night and remain one to this day.

― John Hunter, Friday, 25 March 2005 20:27 (twenty-one years ago)

Smashmouth. For reals.

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Friday, 25 March 2005 20:34 (twenty-one years ago)

We would have been happy to simply drink beer to "Melt With You," but Modern English completely blew me and my friends away when I saw them a few years back.

― brilliant young and angsty (thatguy), Friday, 25 March 2005 21:35 (twenty-one years ago)

John Mayer. A lot more rock guitarery than I expected, turned me into a fan.

― Cheek0 (Cheek0), Friday, 25 March 2005 21:41 (twenty-one years ago)

Gong at the House of Blues (L.A.) in 2000. I had recently re-discovered them after liking them in college 20+ years earlier, so I went just to say I had seen them. I was very impressed.

― nickn (nickn), Friday, 25 March 2005 21:44 (twenty-one years ago)

Was taken along to see They Might Be Giants when I was an industrial / EBM snob back in the late 80s. And was kind of shocked how much everyone in the audience was way crazier and danced more energeticly than the kind of shows I was used to. Before that, I used to think slam-dancing at Front 242 was the epitome of rocking out at a show.

― phil jones (interstar), Friday, 25 March 2005 21:46 (twenty-one years ago)

Ditto Belle and Sebastien, Kings of Leon.

...have been listening to some Rush "Live in Rio" CD-set at work lately: pretty great.

Oh, and Will Oldham (sort of): I wasn't expecting a sucky live show, but I also wasn't expecting him to blaze through "Master and Everyone" front to back, all Dylan v. Royal Albert style.

Fucking rad.

― giboyeux (skowly), Saturday, 26 March 2005 01:07 (twenty-one years ago)

had my doubts about both Elastica and the Kinks, both ca. 1996, but was pleasantly surprised

― ken taylrr (ken taylrr), Saturday, 26 March 2005 03:54 (twenty-one years ago)

U2 on the outdoor Zooropa tour. Went to see Primus and The Disposible Heros of Hiphoprisy open (!), dreaded U2, especially in some Iowa outdoor stadum, and they were fantastic. It should be noted that I dislike U2...and still do. After the show, I borrowed Zooropa and hated it. An inexplicable moment in time, perhaps?

― John Justen (johnjusten), Saturday, 26 March 2005 04:01 (twenty-one years ago)

This is a difficult thread for me, because rarely do I attend live shows where I love the band's studio stuff but have heard about the band's shitty live reputation, but end up going anyway just out of faith... This would be the only circumstance I could have my expectations blown away in this specific sense. (I guess this gives away the fact that I've never been FORCED to go to a show I didn't want to see... haha.)

I've seen plenty of bands I never HEARD OF whose live shows made me converts. But I'm scrambling for an answer to this one.

― donut debonair (donut), Saturday, 26 March 2005 05:55 (twenty-one years ago)

OK, I guess there's the case where I want to see a headlining band live, and they have an opening band who I heard have a shitty live reputation but end up disproving it and then some. Unfortunately, that's almost never the case in my experience. :/

― donut debonair (donut), Saturday, 26 March 2005 05:57 (twenty-one years ago)

Kylie. Saw her at T in the Park about ten years ago and it was really good fun, and Nick Cave came on and sang "Where The Wild Roses Grow" with her which was the icing on the cake.

― ailsa (ailsa), Saturday, 26 March 2005 10:20 (twenty-one years ago)

I had fairly lukewarm expectations for the Guess Who when I saw them in San Antonio in 2001, but they were excellent (although Burton Cummings' between-song patter could have used a little work...).

― John Fredland (jfredland), Saturday, 26 March 2005 12:08 (twenty-one years ago)

had a friend who would sometimes for no reason bring up how surprisingly good Young Black Teenagers were, live

― autovac (autovac), Saturday, 26 March 2005 21:39 (twenty-one years ago)

We scored free tix to Def Leppard a couple of years ago at the Bill Graham Auditorium in SF. Just went for a laugh, figured it was free so WTF. Holy crap. My husband saw the '88 Hysteria tour when it was 'in the round', and he swears that this was better. Still one of my top 10 shows. I don't care if no-one believes me. I was there, and I'll swear on my life that it was incredible.

― VegemiteGrrl (VegemiteGrrl), Sunday, 27 March 2005 01:31 (twenty-one years ago)

Air at Coachella 2004. I always thought they were just two long-haired french milquetoasts, but "Sexy Boy" live was block-rocking.

― poortheatre (poortheatre), Sunday, 27 March 2005 01:55 (twenty-one years ago)

Chumbawamba in '98. No expectations at all, a terrific show.

― Matos-Webster Dictionary (M Matos), Sunday, 27 March 2005 21:37 (twenty-one years ago)

I was surprised to find out that Stereolab was really a rock band.

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Sunday, 27 March 2005 21:41 (twenty-one years ago)

I never expected them to suck outright, but I was highly impressed with Digable Planets live when I saw them in 1993 touring for Reachin.... (At the Coachhouse in Orange County, CA)

― donut debonair (donut), Sunday, 27 March 2005 21:48 (twenty-one years ago)

i saw crosbystill&nash in the 80's expecting nothing but maybe a death cab to come for fatty, but they were amazing. who knew? i was really stoned though, so maybe that helped. plus, it was outside and it was a beautiful day out. so, maybe that helped too.

― scott seward (scott seward), Sunday, 27 March 2005 21:52 (twenty-one years ago)

Blur on the Rollercoaster tour in 1992. At that time they were just seen as a bunch of has-beens who had had one poppy hit a year before but were about to disappear forever. Nobody thought they belonged on a bill with Dinosaur Jr, My Bloody Valentine, and the Jesus & Mary Chain.

― The Horse of Babylon (the pirate king), Sunday, 27 March 2005 23:01 (twenty-one years ago)

I thought Live were pretty great on the non-ballads when I saw them on the final date of their Secret Sodomy tour, despite having just gotten in my first car accident. But I was also around 17. I'm sure I'd hate the show if I saw it now.

― miccio (miccio), Sunday, 27 March 2005 23:09 (twenty-one years ago)

I also got to see it for free.

― miccio (miccio), Sunday, 27 March 2005 23:09 (twenty-one years ago)

Secret Machines....

Excellent drummer.

― PB, Monday, 28 March 2005 00:02 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm not the biggest fan of The Rapture, but I did catch them at Coachella last year. Didn't know what to expect from them, but holy cowballs did they put on a great show.

― buck van smack (Buck Van Smack), Monday, 28 March 2005 00:15 (twenty-one years ago)

oh, and i also saw ace frehley in a bar in brewster, new york and he rocked mightily. i only went to get drunk, but ace put on a great show.

― scott seward (scott seward), Monday, 28 March 2005 00:23 (twenty-one years ago)

Prince. Didn't think he could pull it off live, esp. not in such a large venue (MSG). I was totally wrong- great show and an amazing backing band.

― cdwill, Monday, 28 March 2005 14:48 (twenty-one years ago)

why in the world would you think that prince couldn't "pull it off live"???!!!

― scott seward (scott seward), Monday, 28 March 2005 14:54 (twenty-one years ago)

I finally have an answer, as of last night:

Death From Above 1979!

― donut debonair (donut), Friday, 1 April 2005 21:42 (twenty-one years ago)

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