In last month's UNCUT, our writers, friends and favourite musicians reminisced about their favourite gigs. Well, in this month’s issue we’re looking back on the worst gigs we’ve ever seen - including The Stone Roses, Bob Dylan, Kevin Rowland and David Bowie - with rare photos from the shows too. We're also going to publish one of the worst gigs every day, so feast your eyes on this, and be glad you weren’t there! ***** GUNS N' ROSES Madison Square Garden, New York, December 9, 1991 Marc Spitz: We're talking semi-original line-up, minus Steven Adler, plus Matt Sorum. We're talking pre-grunge twilight of hard rock, where even show openers Soundgarden had yet to find their alternative rock footing and were still Badmotorfinger-era riff monsters. Guns took the stage nearly two hours late. Not a good start. And then they stopped playing so that Axl, dressed in white biker jacket and spandex shorts, could launch into a splenetic, four-minute rant that bummed out even the most loyal fans. He quoted Wayne's World, lambasted rock journalists by name and unconsciously outed himself as a rapidly softening rock star ("You wanna get in the ring, we'll get in the ring. We'll sue your motherfuckin' ass!"). Then he sang "Double Talkin' Jive". Which was just not enough of a good song to win back over the crowd. It's all here on YouTube - but what you won't see on the video, and what I remember clearly (or at least clearly enough to poeticize here, with 15 plus years hindsight) is that during that lengthy wait for the band to arrive on stage, the Garden's sound system played "Smells Like Teen Spirit". 20,000 people seemed to thrill to it as one, as if we got a sense that we'd all soon be liberated from crap like this. ***** plus WERE YOU THERE? Not even UNCUTs war-weary gig-hounds have been to every show in history – but you lot probably have. Email Allan_Jones@ipcmedia.com, or share your memories in the comments box below, of the ones we might have missed, and we’ll publish the best in a future issue!
In last month’s UNCUT, our writers, friends and favourite musicians reminisced about their favourite gigs.
Well, in this month’s issue we’re looking back on the worst gigs we’ve ever seen – including The Stone Roses, Bob Dylan, Kevin Rowland and David Bowie – with rare photos from the shows too.
We’re also going to publish one of the worst gigs every day, so feast your eyes on this, and be glad you weren’t there!
*****
GUNS N’ ROSES
Madison Square Garden, New York, December 9, 1991
Marc Spitz:
We’re talking semi-original line-up, minus Steven Adler, plus Matt Sorum. We’re talking pre-grunge twilight of hard rock, where even show openers Soundgarden had yet to find their alternative rock footing and were still Badmotorfinger-era riff monsters. Guns took the stage nearly two hours late. Not a good start. And then they stopped playing so that Axl, dressed in white biker jacket and spandex shorts, could launch into a splenetic, four-minute rant that bummed out even the most loyal fans. He quoted Wayne’s World, lambasted rock journalists by name and unconsciously outed himself as a rapidly softening rock star (“You wanna get in the ring, we’ll get in the ring. We’ll sue your motherfuckin’ ass!”). Then he sang “Double Talkin’ Jive”. Which was just not enough of a good song to win back over the crowd. It’s all here on YouTube – but what you won’t see on the video, and what I remember clearly (or at least clearly enough to poeticize here, with 15 plus years hindsight) is that during that lengthy wait for the band to arrive on stage, the Garden’s sound system played “Smells Like Teen Spirit”. 20,000 people seemed to thrill to it as one, as if we got a sense that we’d all soon be liberated from crap like this.
*****
plus WERE YOU THERE?
Not even UNCUTs war-weary gig-hounds have been to every show in history – but you lot probably have.
Email Allan_Jones@ipcmedia.com, or share your memories in the comments box below, of the ones we might have missed, and we’ll publish the best in a future issue!
