But, yeah, as Matos-Webster, Kate Silver, Martin M, Jen Nstop, myself, and others did see an entire marathon of the full DVD set at Kate's place two weekends ago.. well, I showed up later, lucky for me, haha.
And.. wow... I think this may have been the reason I waited until 1988 to see my very first live concert. It was just a non-stop horror that I thought every live show was like!
So, here's where you get to pick your candidate for WORST performance/moment of the entire shebang.. on either side of the Atlantic. PICK ONLY ONE. This is difficult, I know.
We will excuse a certain musician who flew on a jet from one side of the ocean to the other, because that alone basks in such a vast sea of wrongs, it out "worst"s anything worst moment in the entire concert series. So please choose another worst moment.
I'll start: Thompson Twins (with Madonna playing Tambourine in the back somewhere) covering "Revolution" by the Beatles. Tom Bailey murdered the song.. he got every note wrong... and the clincher is that he was very poncey, sincere, and resolute as he sang it.. The camera caught every facial expression, all dour yet with conviction. It's like he MEANT it, man. He even smirked a la Billy Idol. Tom Bailey shouldn't ever smirk.
I'll forgive Madonna, as she probably was just going "Whatevah.. I'll just play my tambourine while these guys do their shitty cover.. WOOHOO! YEAH!"
― donut christ (donut), Tuesday, 1 February 2005 02:47 (twenty years ago)
― lildaveygeffen, Tuesday, 1 February 2005 02:49 (twenty years ago)
Runner up: Joan Baez: "This is your Woodstock!" *warbles*
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 1 February 2005 02:53 (twenty years ago)
― peepee (peepee), Tuesday, 1 February 2005 02:59 (twenty years ago)
― j blount (papa la bas), Tuesday, 1 February 2005 05:44 (twenty years ago)
― stevo (stevo), Tuesday, 1 February 2005 05:55 (twenty years ago)
― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Tuesday, 1 February 2005 08:25 (twenty years ago)
― Bryan Moore (Bryan Moore), Tuesday, 1 February 2005 09:58 (twenty years ago)
― j blount (papa la bas), Tuesday, 1 February 2005 10:49 (twenty years ago)
At that PRECISE MOMENT, his entire career went into free-fall.
― mike t-diva (mike t-diva), Tuesday, 1 February 2005 10:57 (twenty years ago)
― Alba (Alba), Tuesday, 1 February 2005 11:00 (twenty years ago)
best moment (in context): Judas "Fucking" Priest
― lovebug starski (lovebug starski), Tuesday, 1 February 2005 11:21 (twenty years ago)
― thee music mole, Tuesday, 1 February 2005 11:35 (twenty years ago)
-- mike t-diva (mikejl...) (webmail), February 1st, 2005 10:57 AM. (link)
Heh. "Look ma, I'm jumping a shark!!!"
But my pick is....
the final song of "Do they know" specifically Bono "Springtime is coming". Don't ask me why, it just is.
― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 1 February 2005 11:41 (twenty years ago)
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/jeremie.bacon.u2force/image007.jpg
No contest.
― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Tuesday, 1 February 2005 12:55 (twenty years ago)
― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Tuesday, 1 February 2005 12:57 (twenty years ago)
― Trayce (trayce), Tuesday, 1 February 2005 12:59 (twenty years ago)
― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 1 February 2005 13:01 (twenty years ago)
― Trayce (trayce), Tuesday, 1 February 2005 13:06 (twenty years ago)
Because not only was that an annoying TV moment, it's also when I started really hating U2.
― dave225 (Dave225), Tuesday, 1 February 2005 13:10 (twenty years ago)
Oh come on I was only 15.
― Trayce (trayce), Tuesday, 1 February 2005 13:12 (twenty years ago)
― Alba (Alba), Tuesday, 1 February 2005 13:24 (twenty years ago)
― Pashmina (Pashmina), Tuesday, 1 February 2005 13:28 (twenty years ago)
― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 1 February 2005 14:12 (twenty years ago)
― dave q (listerine), Tuesday, 1 February 2005 17:59 (twenty years ago)
― Snowy Mann (rdmanston), Tuesday, 1 February 2005 19:01 (twenty years ago)
http://www.nypress.com/18/3/pagetwo/crimeblotter.cfm
― dave q (listerine), Tuesday, 1 February 2005 19:03 (twenty years ago)
I'd also nominate Simon Le bon's dancing as most grisly moment.
― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Tuesday, 1 February 2005 19:07 (twenty years ago)
Phil Collins is a pinnacle of taste in comparison.
― The Mad Puffin, Tuesday, 1 February 2005 19:40 (twenty years ago)
― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 1 February 2005 20:14 (twenty years ago)
― piscesboy, Tuesday, 1 February 2005 20:17 (twenty years ago)
The reformed Sabbath and Zep made complete and utter asses of themselves. I actually felt bad for Page.
I don't remember the "this is your Woodstock thing" but that's got to take the prize.The arrogance of some of those 60's vets is just mindblowing. This attitude is epitomized by those Dennis Hopper commercials for some investment firm that is apparently marketing to boomers as their retirement years set in. Something about how they "changed the world" when they were young so now they deserve the good life. What a load of crap.
― Bill Magill, Friday, 8 June 2007 18:09 (eighteen years ago)
well they did change the world - they changed it into a polluted shithole run by corporate oligarchs. good job guys!
― Shakey Mo Collier, Friday, 8 June 2007 18:32 (eighteen years ago)
http://liveaid.free.fr/
― pisces, Friday, 8 June 2007 18:46 (eighteen years ago)
Boy, too bad I missed that Sting/Phil Collins duo. I bet that was a doozy.
― Bill Magill, Friday, 8 June 2007 18:50 (eighteen years ago)
I hate those Dennis Hopper commercials. I swear, one of those has the audacity to say something like "You were the generation that knew what 'family' meant..." HA. YOU WERE THE FUCKING GENERATION THAT CAME UP WITH KEY PARTIES AND WEEKEND VISITATIONS.
I don't know how to put my opinion of this in words, but seeing stadiums full of white people tokin' up and digging on Status Quo while a huge television screen shows images of starving black people never has made me altogether comfortable.
― Pleasant Plains, Friday, 8 June 2007 19:10 (eighteen years ago)
Yeah, but dude, come on, it was their Woodstock. And we all know what a change for the good that particular gathering brought about.
― Bill Magill, Friday, 8 June 2007 19:25 (eighteen years ago)
guys Africa is all better now, didn't you hear?
― Shakey Mo Collier, Friday, 8 June 2007 19:29 (eighteen years ago)
heads-down boogie ended hunger
― M@tt He1ges0n, Friday, 8 June 2007 19:39 (eighteen years ago)
My new favorite worst moment: Joan Baez in Philadelphia – "Children of the sixties...this is your Woodstock [horrible smug grin]. And it's about time."
Best hair: Bryan Ferry's. God, has he ever looked terrible?
― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Friday, 8 June 2007 19:55 (eighteen years ago)
Just now I had to check on something in the stacks and found, to my delight, the official Live Aid book, with plenty of photos and horribleness. Geldof's introduction is amazing in its...well, to give you a sample:
"Remember the day you wanted to help.
Remember the dying who were allowed to live.
Remember on the day you die, there is someone alive in Africa 'cos one day you watched a pop concert."
Yeah I can see how...WHAT?
― Ned Raggett, Friday, 8 June 2007 20:12 (eighteen years ago)
Geldof is such a douchebag
― Shakey Mo Collier, Friday, 8 June 2007 20:14 (eighteen years ago)
But I'll say there's a shot of Bryan Ferry in here that's one of the best ever photographs I've seen of the man.
― Ned Raggett, Friday, 8 June 2007 20:18 (eighteen years ago)
"allowed" to live makes him sounds like the roman emperor in gladiator giving someone the thumbs up
― M@tt He1ges0n, Friday, 8 June 2007 20:19 (eighteen years ago)
Hahah, I love the credit in the back:
"This book was written, designed, typeset and made ready for printing in 13 days. Printing and binding 100,000 copies took less than a week."
― Ned Raggett, Friday, 8 June 2007 20:23 (eighteen years ago)
But I'll say there's a shot of Bryan Ferry in here that's one of the best ever photographs I've seen of the man
PLEASE TO POST.
(he wore these white dungarees and a navy blue sportscoat that showed up Howard Jones and the Spands something awful)
― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Friday, 8 June 2007 20:25 (eighteen years ago)
Oh believe me there's plenty to scan and post here. I'll do more of that after finals are over next week and it's calmer all around but let's see what I can do right now...
― Ned Raggett, Friday, 8 June 2007 20:27 (eighteen years ago)
Okay, here ya go:
http://a87.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/15/l_82563afda832e50d05294f9cc37996b6.jpg
― Ned Raggett, Friday, 8 June 2007 20:41 (eighteen years ago)
such perfect teeth
― Shakey Mo Collier, Friday, 8 June 2007 20:49 (eighteen years ago)
And something else. With appropriate caption:
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1201/536313156_5dcbe6c200.jpg
― Ned Raggett, Friday, 8 June 2007 20:51 (eighteen years ago)
Srsly, why did everyone want hairdos like Princess Di?!
― Trayce, Sunday, 10 June 2007 01:43 (eighteen years ago)
Heheheh but let's be honest, they WEREN'T like Princess Di! She DID NOT HAVE A MULLET!!!
But yeah, what the hell is Nik Kershaw's excuse I wonder?
― Bimble, Sunday, 10 June 2007 01:49 (eighteen years ago)
Wow, look at the ancient computer next to the keyboardist of the Cars.
― Bimble, Sunday, 10 June 2007 11:39 (eighteen years ago)
Also I think Madonna's outfit is outstanding and very tasteful. It has a little bit of her earlier style wrapped up in something new, and it's modest, too. I love it.
― Bimble, Sunday, 10 June 2007 11:50 (eighteen years ago)
Well I guess I'm subverting the original intent of this thread. But what happened to Donut anyway? I actually had a dream about him the other night, woke up and wondered why he doesn't seem to post anymore.
― Bimble, Sunday, 10 June 2007 11:53 (eighteen years ago)
The Thompson Twins version of Revolution is even worse than it's been described as here! FUKCIN HALARIOUS!!! I mean shit, I wanna own this DVD just for that because if I ever get down that will be the perfect thing to drag me out of the doldrums. That is FUNNY.
― Bimble, Sunday, 10 June 2007 11:56 (eighteen years ago)
And Steve Stevens too, Billy Idol's guitarist! It's WAY over the top. I feel so sorry for Nile Rodgers. Let's not blame him, okay? This is not his fault.
― Bimble, Sunday, 10 June 2007 11:57 (eighteen years ago)
And for fuck's sake even the singer of the Thomspon Twins has a mullet, now! WHY?
― Bimble, Sunday, 10 June 2007 11:59 (eighteen years ago)
And the look on Madonna's face when she hugs the lady from the Thompson Twins afterwards is priceless...she looks so revolted by what she was just heard/was involved with.
― Bimble, Sunday, 10 June 2007 12:00 (eighteen years ago)
Duran Duran's Union of the Snake is pretty poor, too.
― Bimble, Sunday, 10 June 2007 12:05 (eighteen years ago)
And more mullets, too. Groan. I think even Nick Rhodes has one. I can't look.
Okay I can take a lot of things, but I can't take Nick Rhodes with a mullet. That's where I draw the line.
― Bimble, Sunday, 10 June 2007 12:08 (eighteen years ago)
INXS was an example of a band that were still on a creative roll in 1985. Wikipedia tells me Listen Like Theives came out in 1985. But I thought it was 1984. I'm shocked.
Oh my god now they're doing "Don't Change" I'm going to die.
― Bimble, Sunday, 10 June 2007 12:16 (eighteen years ago)
And Michael Hutchence avoided a mullet! He has Princess Di hair, but no mullet.
― Bimble, Sunday, 10 June 2007 12:17 (eighteen years ago)
It's very subtle, though. He gives the impression of a mullet without actually having one.
― Bimble, Sunday, 10 June 2007 12:18 (eighteen years ago)
The Bob Dylan performance is fantastic, but something in my brain says "he should not be wearing that sparkly earring".
― Bimble, Sunday, 10 June 2007 13:07 (eighteen years ago)
Much as I love her, Chrissie Hynde's outfit was just trying too hard.
― Bimble, Sunday, 10 June 2007 13:16 (eighteen years ago)
I don't buy the Who-were-regular-guys-not-rock-Gods defense. Townshend tried to salvage the thing with jumps and windmills and a good haircut and falling down but Daltrey was just intent on showing off his chest muscles. A couple times he didn't even seem interested in, y'know, singing the song.
i never said the who were regular guys. i said they were the who, flaws and all. big difference.
― Lawrence the Looter, Sunday, 10 June 2007 15:23 (eighteen years ago)
Hahah. Amen to that!
― Bimble, Sunday, 10 June 2007 15:25 (eighteen years ago)
Roger = Flaw.
― Jake Brown, Sunday, 10 June 2007 17:35 (eighteen years ago)
zing!
― Lawrence the Looter, Sunday, 10 June 2007 18:17 (eighteen years ago)
If there's something better in the world than Madonna's performance at this thing, then please let me know.
― Bimble, Tuesday, 12 June 2007 02:16 (eighteen years ago)
Simple Minds' "Don't You Forget About Me" was a new record in 1985.
― Bimble, Tuesday, 12 June 2007 02:25 (eighteen years ago)
Pete Townshend had the only haircut of the entire festival that still holds up today.
That's because he didn't need to use a Goodyear blimp's worth of hairspray!
― Lostandfound, Tuesday, 12 June 2007 02:52 (eighteen years ago)
This thing was one of those inexplicable events that when you see it you kind of love it, and yet you know on some secret limbic level how bizarrely and awkwardly of-its-time it will always appear. Of course, we never thought there'd be an extant record of it as Geldof explicitly requested it be left for subjective-memory playback only.
― Lostandfound, Tuesday, 12 June 2007 02:58 (eighteen years ago)
And Bimble's right -- Madonna was magnificent. I remember that being true at the time and I wasn't disappointed when I saw it again for the first time this weekend. Originally, I watched it with people who were ridiculing her -- "what were they thinking of, allowing teen dance music onstage at such an important event?" -- and I was the lone voice in the room defending her at the time. She fucking knew this would launch her skywards: "People of the world, now I know you're mine"! Awesome.
― Lostandfound, Tuesday, 12 June 2007 03:02 (eighteen years ago)
Sting, Branford Marsalis and Phil Collins were surprisingly good.
Oh, but worst moment: I'll agree with that Thompson Twins abomination. And Elton was pretty lost and coked up, doing his strange old befuddled uncle impersonation.
― Lostandfound, Tuesday, 12 June 2007 03:06 (eighteen years ago)
I remember being disappointed, though not surprised I guess, that they did their "American hit"; I was really hoping for something like "Someone Somewhere in Summertime". But yeah, how did Simple Minds avoid U2's fate -- they seemed destined to be massive at the time? In some ways, they really dodged a bullet there.
― Lostandfound, Tuesday, 12 June 2007 03:10 (eighteen years ago)
Victim of timing, I think. Remember, Once Upon a Time came out in either late 1985 or early 1986, I forget which, and "Alive and Kicking" was huge and all, as were some follow-up singles. But U2 were kinda perfectly positioned in 1987 to conquer the world PRwise (and did), and more than that had a further follow-up album and film next year. Constant MTV rotation didn't hurt, and by the time Simple Minds came back, they did so with Street Fighting Years. Death knell right there!
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 12 June 2007 03:21 (eighteen years ago)
I've rented the Breakfast Club. It's all over.
― Bimble, Tuesday, 12 June 2007 03:58 (eighteen years ago)
I WANNA
BE AN AIR FORCE MAJOR
― Bimble, Tuesday, 12 June 2007 04:23 (eighteen years ago)
I'm going to try Once Upon a Time for the first time...
"Are we going to be like our parents?"
"no...it just happens, your heart dies"
"no one cares"
"I CARE"
― Bimble, Tuesday, 12 June 2007 04:54 (eighteen years ago)
Dear Mr. Vernon: We accept the fact that we had to sacrifice a whole Saturday in detention for whatever it was we did wrong. What we did was wrong, but we think you're crazy to make us write an essay, telling you who we think we are. What do you care? You see us as you want to see us, in the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions. You see us as: a brain, an athlete, a basket case, princess, and a criminal. Correct? That's the way we saw each other at 7 o'clock this morning. We were brainwashed.
― Bimble, Tuesday, 12 June 2007 05:11 (eighteen years ago)
OK dude can you srsly not recite the entire breakfast club script on here? Come on man.
― Trayce, Tuesday, 12 June 2007 05:11 (eighteen years ago)
Wasn't he interesting. --Og re: Napoleon.
― Lie Bot, Tuesday, 12 June 2007 05:23 (eighteen years ago)
Ned is wise. But I still don't think -- necessarily -- that it was a bad thing for Simple Minds to avoid their "destiny". I mean, we'll still have New Gold Dream.
(</ Bogart >)
― Lostandfound, Tuesday, 12 June 2007 05:57 (eighteen years ago)
I was thinking about the artists who weren't featured and why. Michael Jackson, Prince, hell, even Boy George. Anyone know why they weren't there?
― Lostandfound, Tuesday, 12 June 2007 06:11 (eighteen years ago)
prince said he didn't want to be on the USA for AFRICA single. so he wasn't invited for this.
also Depeche Mode offered their sercvices only to be told to stick it.
― pisces, Tuesday, 12 June 2007 09:08 (eighteen years ago)
Yeah, Simple Minds just jumped the shark on their own. They didn't need anyone's help.
― Bimble, Tuesday, 12 June 2007 11:03 (eighteen years ago)
IIRC Bruce Springsteen had just gotten married and was on his honeymoon, and Michael Jackson was on tour with the Jacksons.
― 2for25, Tuesday, 12 June 2007 11:35 (eighteen years ago)
ALL of this stuff is now on you tube. so many lols.
― piscesx, Saturday, 16 August 2008 01:25 (seventeen years ago)
Bryan Ferry = still the best dressed and moussed.
― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Saturday, 16 August 2008 01:33 (seventeen years ago)
I vaguely remember Bryan Adams being pretty awful
― J0hn D., Saturday, 16 August 2008 02:28 (seventeen years ago)
In 1985, Michael Jackson was probably sitting in his oxygene tent, playing with his monkeys and snakes and wondering about how to be able to buy the remains of the Elephant Man. I was pretty much surprised when he made "Bad" and it appeared the guy was able to make music at all. For a while, he acted like Syd Barrett there.
― Geir Hongro, Saturday, 16 August 2008 08:59 (seventeen years ago)
Bahahaha. Damnit I could swear I heard the reason about Prince once but I can't remember what it was now. Is it just in this thread already and I'm too lazy to search for it?
Hell, I don't care either. I could talk about Live Aid all day. I could watch my favourite parts of Live Aid a good 300 more times before I could possibly get tired of them, if I even would at that many. I had just scored the job I'd long dreamt of when I last posted a zillion messages to this thread at once last year. I had a perfectly good reason to go nuts at the time, you see. I was very happy and very, very scared.
― Bimble Is Still More Goth Than You, Saturday, 16 August 2008 09:09 (seventeen years ago)
35 years ago today. It probably isn't fair to single out Elton but the first couple of minutes plus of his performance are hilarious.
0.56 incoherent slurring1:01 nose pinch!1:04 incredible 'shreds' video style guitar howl2:04 appalling whining for a few seconds
He gives it his best go but as the comments underneath attest it sounds mostly bloody awful
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vy371rkUCr4
― piscesx, Monday, 13 July 2020 12:46 (five years ago)
Cat Stevens turning up with his guitar to resume being Cat Stevens after years of reclusivity.
He made it to the forward running order. But not to the actual show.
He went back to "not being cat stevens" for another 20 years or so.
― Mark G, Monday, 13 July 2020 13:39 (five years ago)
All I remember is Simon Le Bon way flubbing a high note in that James Bond song, and the control-room guy quickly cutting to a shot of the bass player wincing. I rewound that part a few times.
― Lie Bot, Saturday, June 9, 2007 3:37 AM (thirteen years ago) bookmarkflaglink
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2K0jE-Nr5Io
― Scampidocio (Le Bateau Ivre), Monday, 13 July 2020 13:41 (five years ago)
Power Station are terrifying, bad and weird. Michael Des Barres’ coke sweats are enough to for me to seek my lord and savior Jesus Christ
― werewolves of laudanum (VegemiteGrrl), Tuesday, 15 July 2025 04:39 (one month ago)
and that Thompson Twins Powerstation “Revolution” cover w Madonna is a living nightmare. His vocals are so off-key and flat! and my king Steve Stevens just sounds like pre Tom Morello tinnitus. Blehhh.
― werewolves of laudanum (VegemiteGrrl), Tuesday, 15 July 2025 04:48 (one month ago)