The Contrarians Presents: "No One's Here" Attendance Disaster Stories
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- Опубліковано 1 жов 2024
- Ever been to a concert that was poorly attended? Let's talk attendance disaster stories!
The Contrarians is a show where one of us jumps in the hot seat picks a dark horse album from a band as that band's best album. The guest host will argue against them with facts, stats and all around truth, subjective and objective!
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I also saw KISS on the Creatures tour. St. Louis Feb. 83 in an 7,000 seat auditorium and probably 1,500 people and yes VERY cool show. As I looked around it was crazy in 79 Dynasty tour played the Hockey arena and mostly filled. I saw Ace Frehley in 89 at a small club and probably 150-200 people. Aww how leaving KISS was such a good idea😂😂😂
Ralph Viera once told a story that his buddy saw Tony Martin era sabbath live. During the show they played The Wizard. His buddy said that allegedly during The Wizard Tony Martin threw his harmonica into the audience and no one picked it up off the ground…
😂😂😂😂😂
Love The Sweet t-shirt. Met Brian Connolly a couple of times in his latter years and although he wasn't in the best of health still made time to talk about his time in the band.
I've seen Fu Manchu over 90 times, they always sell out the clubs here in SoCal... fun crazy shows..
My friend and i saw they were ending a tour in Las Vegas at a small shit kicker bar in north Vegas.
So we went out for the show, and man there were four other Fu Freaks at the show, and about a Dozen local Bar Flys who never turned away from the bar.
But the Fu Still brought the Fuzz.
It's the only show that was empty I've ever seen, but most ive attended are shows in Socal are well attended.
Small attendance shows that come to mind for me were: 1) Rock Never Stops tour in Laramie, Wyoming (Dokken, Firehouse, LA Guns, Trixter and a few other bands I can’t remember). Arena was so sparse they encouraged us to move down to the floor in front of the stage. 2) Motley at the old McNichols Arena (precursor to the Pepsi Center in Denver). Attendance was so poor, they hung this big black curtain halfway across the arena and the stage would have been at the equivalent of center ice. This was their ‘big comeback’ in 1996. 3) Queensryche at Red Rocks in Colorado. Very sparse crowd. 4) Great White at the Stargazers club.
Worst attended concert I can remember was way back in '92. Peter Frampton with a band called The Storm opening. The Kingswood Music Theatre north of Toronto has a capacity of 12,000 with both seats and lawn-seating. Less than 1500 persons in-attendance, which Frampton himself joked was his first intimate show in years. I remember when The Tubes played in '86 at a strip joint in north Toronto, during the days when David Killingsworth replaced Fee Waybill. The stage was in the middle of the room, with very limited overhead lighting.
Good old Kingswood. Haven't been to Canada's Wonderland in ages.
I saw ELO at the Liverpool Boxing Stadium on their first UK tour in 1972, there were just over 100 people in the audience. They invited the small crowd to follow them of stage and have a drink in the dressing room. Only a few of us took them up on the offer but they were very grateful for us coming to the gig.
I saw “Halford” on the “Resurrection” tour in a concert venue/bowling alley. I doubt whether there were more than a hundred people there, which was both amazing and unconscionable. Got to bump fists with the Metal God, and we met the band afterward too (everyone but Rob; he flew out right after the show). Metal Mike was a giddy kid at the time, just excited beyond words to be playing with Rob. Great show, great tour (saw them twice).
I saw The Tubes in Louisville around the Remote Control album and it looked like around 100 people showed up in a much larger venue. The band put on a strong show, too bad more did not see it.
I remember seeing a German black metal (name with held intentionally) band tour Sydney in the early 2000s. Drew a crowd under 20. I felt sorry for them, would say there was zero promotion and awareness of the event.
Normally these shows would have attracted 400 to 600.
I may have mentioned this before in a comment, but my band once played a show where ZERO people showed up and two employees quit that night, so we technically played to negative two people.
Sorry you had such a bad experience, a glorified rehearsal...but the -2 people comment was very funny.
Hope you rocked the house anyway.
" negative two people ".....dude, that's fucking funny!!
Cool Sweet shirt!
When Cheap Trick had a hit with the Flame someone decided they were an arena band again. They got maybe 2000 in Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto
I remember that show, it was one of the few times MLG used their short-lived 'concert bowl' seating configuration which put the stage at centre ice.
@@johnpatterson4272 Interesting. I've only been to the Gardens once for a show which was Rage Against The Machine in 1999. Show was sold out or near capacity. Went to a couple Leafs games there as well back in the late 80s and early 90s.
Wow, I am surprised about KISS on the "Lick it up" tour in other parts of the country. I saw them on that tour at the Long Beach Arena and the place was packed. The openers were Vandenberg and Riot.
wow sounds like a great show!!
My parents are from Scarborough, and yeah, southern rock was not very big in Ontario in the 70’s. My mom didn’t even know who Molly Hatchet was and she also didn’t get it when I made a “Free Bird” joke once. Yet they had all their great Canadian bands; Rush, April Wine, Triumph, BTO, Max Webster. And plenty of knowledge of bands from across the pond like UFO and Thin Lizzy
KISS, KISS, KISS is a great Yoko tune off Double Fantasy…it’s very New Wave
I saw Black Oak Arkansas around ‘95 at a local bar near me (northern Chicago suburbs). It was in the middle of a massive snowstorm and seems like there was about 20 people there. Got Jim Dandy and Rickie Reynolds to sign my BOA album #1.
It was at Shades in Lincolnshire.
I saw Chris Heers, a much-accoladed country star, at Whiskey Pete's, Stateline (forty minutes outside Las Vegas).
If you don't know him, listen to 'Leaning into Barstow,' one of the great songs about touring.
Anyway, he and his five-piece band was playing behind the optics at the bar to all of three people - and only two of us were listening.
The band played a superbly professional set, but it was really embarrassing. I bought his two albums on CD in compensation, and I have never regretted the purchase.
But everyone should listen to 'Leaning into Barstow.'
Saxon and Hurricane at the TLA in Philly on the Destiny Tour, it was a great show but only 20 people there.
The one that comes to mind is from the early 90's. Judas Priest played Cal Expo amphitheater in Sacramento. But the buzz in the crowd was for the opening act - Slayer. Probably 6,000 on hand initially, then when Slayer finished the place emptied out. The floor had maybe 3 rows of people against the stage. Had to have been less then 500 left at the most. When Rob Halford saw the dwindling crowd he looked down for a second and proceeded to give one of the best vocal performances I've ever heard. The whole band was great. All those people that split missed a great show🤘
I remember when Halford’s solo band toured, Metal Mike posted a tour diary online. He said that after one particularly good show, the band was a bit in awe of Rob’s performance. He said Rob just sort of shrugged and said, “Sometimes you have to teach them a lesson.” Always loved that.
Of all the lackluster attended venues, my most unique was seeing OMEN ( US power metal) in 86ish. The venue was a suburban wedding hall that normally would hold 200 wedding guest or a quilting bee. There was No stage and the whole audience barely outnumbered the band. The lead singer was 5'5"(maybe) and spent the majority of the show with foot planted on the monitor singing to my chest. They band played well and did their best, but the embarrassment turned into black moods afterwards so their was no getting to know them and apologizing for the lack of attendance or venue discretion.
Saw Foghat with Krokus opening in 1983 at the Capitol Theatre in NJ. Place was packed for Krokus and as soon as their set was over, half the crowd exited and poor Foghat played to a near empty theatre.
Love the Sweet shirt!
I remember seeing BOC at a small club/bar in downtown Milwaukee Right before Heaven Forbid came out . Maybe 50 to 100 people, the band laughed at my friend and I,when we were singing the deep tracks word for word. Fantastic time.
Also saw my here Ronnie james Dio at a sports bar in Appleton WI. , not a lot a people, again , fantastic
Saigon Kick on the 1995 "The Devil In The Details" tour. The venue was at the Ventura Theatre in Ventura, CA. The capacity is 1200. When the band took the stage there were about 20 of us there. I felt bad for the bad for the band, but they played like they were playing front of 20,000 people. It was a great show, but only 20 of us got to see it.
On their 1st albums, Saigon Kick with openers Alice In Chains in a small club in Garden Grove, CA.(either 1990 or 1991). The bands set up in a corner of a room with no elevated stage. I sat in a beach chair 10 feet from the band. There were no more than 12 people watching both bands. In fact, more people were playing pool on the other side of the room.
I loved the first three Big Country records. Never got to see the original line up. They played the Florida panhandle. Missed the Pensacola show. Drove to Jacksonville. It was 2013 I think. They had Mike Peters from the Alarm on vocals and Derek Forbes from Simple Minds on bass, since Tony Butler left to be a music professor. So a band past their commercial peak, be record, and first American tour in years. I bet 100 people were there. At the start of the night it looked like maybe 500 folks. I thought Cool! No those were kids wanting to see a local band. Once those young guys left half the crowd cleared out. Big Country sounded great with Mike Peters Missed Stuart. I felt bad for them though, still I got to meet Mark Brzezicki and Derek Forbes. Got some cds signed. Worth the drive
My buddies and I drove from ATL to Savannah in 1987/88 to see KISS - Crazy Night tour...4 hr drive, no way to find out any info on show...assumed we would buy tix at the door...5,000 seat arena...arrived 5 hrs b4 show to see on the big marquee - "KISS concert tonight cancelled due to lack of ticket sales"....oh well, embarrassing...spent a few hrs in Savannah and drove home disappointed.
Speaking of Alice Cooper, I saw him on a Monday night in 1997 in a 10,000 seater and there were maybe 200 people there. Then I saw him again a few years later on the Brutal Planet and there were a few thousand there in the same venue. Funny how a few years can make so much difference.
One of the many times I saw Yes, they played the Selland Arena in Fresno, California on the Talk tour in 1994. Capacity 13,000, there were MAYBE 500 people there and they still put on an AMAZING show.
I saw Molly Hatchet play in packed biker bar in Kalamazoo in 1989. Sure it was packed, but it was a biker bar. It shows how far the band fell with the lackluster +Lightning Strikes Twice+. I’m still amazed they let me in as I wasn’t drinking age. Danny Joe Brown threw me a guitar pick at the end of the show as if to say to me personally, “You survived this kid.” My buddy and I we’re the only ones there, I think, that weren’t that weren’t wearing leather or going home on a motorbike or driving a muscle car.
When KISS plays NY/NJ area it's always packed. I saw the Lick It Up Tour at Radio City Music Hall March 9th 1984 with Accept opening and it was packed.
not sold out, but packed. they added the 10th and that was pretty packed. I was lucky to see both shows. and goes the same for every tour after.
The NY/NJ area was always great for KISS. And for a lot of bands NY/NJ area is great because people go to shows.
did you see the paul stanley vinnie vincent fight at those shows ? it happened on stage
I saw Jackyl in 1997 at an outdoor venue in Corpus Christi, TX that holds about 5,000. There were less than 20 people there. Very uncomfortable, but those guys rocked like it was full.
Five Flags in Dubuque! (Dubuquer here, currently living in IC). Nice to see some Hawkeye representation 😊
Saw Manowar in Glasgow '84. 3500 capacity Apollo but lucky if there was 500 there. Ted Nugent similar in Edinburgh '88 400-500 audience. And Todd Rundgren on the Liars tour. Again maybe a few hundred people but staff could wander round the floor picking up beer cups while the band was on.
On the KISS angle, did really well on the Lick It Up tour here but it was the first time without makeup and our smaller venues probably couldn't take the full show when the make up was on so only played the odd time in those days.
Freshmen year at UMASS 1980. John Hall from Orleans was supposed to play a free outdoor show. He never went on stage because there was maybe 10 people there. I may or may not have been one of the 10.
Saw Nazareth around 1992 playing on a baseball field in Pocatello Idaho with less than 1000 people..one of my favoritie concerts. They blew the city away!
The La's were good! Very catchy, hooky power pop...short concise songs. I have about 5-6 songs on my Power Pop playlist.
I live in Ottawa, ON... so 3 concerts that come to mind: Iron Maiden Fear of the Dark tour - they usually do arenas here and they were told to go to a BARN which is BESIDE the Civic Center (8000 capacity) (and this Barn is like 1000 capacity)... 2: King's X - Black Like Sunday tour at Barrymore's and there was maybe 25 people in that bar... most embarrassed I was for my city and for a band... 3: for context, my buddie always buys tickets because somehow he gets 2nd row seats (general seated from the stage) at sold out shows... so it was my turn to buy concert tickets, and I was proud to say I got second row tickets also for ZZ Top Rythmeen tour with Cheap Trick... when the show was about to start, I realised why i was able to get 2nd row tickets because there was no one behind us!! :/
I've been to the Warehouse that Martin's talking about 3 times to see Megadeth on the Cryptic Writings, Risk, and The World Needs A Hero tours. In terms of Toronto venues I preferred it to the Opera House even though I've probably seen more shows at the Opera House than any other venue in Toronto. Not sure if the Warehouse is even around anymore. These days I really like going to shows at Rebel. Really nice venue imo. I'll also always have a soft spot for Molson Amphitheatre aka Budweiser Stage. Saw Lynyrd Skynyrd and ZZ Top there last summer. Molson Park in Barrie as well which sadly no longer exists. I can honestly say I've never been to a show where I'm like where is everybody? Those Megadeth shows were smaller but packed.
Great topic! You do feel bad when talented musicians play to really small crowds.
saw devo in 79 at the max bell arena in Calgary. 800 approx the place held around 3500...
Saw Fates Warning at the Token Lounge outside Detroit after the Pleasant Shade of Grey album. I’m guessing less than 150 people. Was so close to the small stage that you could play their instruments. Crowd was two deep at the stage. You could hear Ray Alder sing before it hit the amplification. Great show.
I saw Josh Todd of Buckcherry play a club to 7 people. Manager blamed it on the club being 21 plus. To be fair my 20 year old friend got rejected at the door so it would have been 8 people.
I've gone to shows where there wasn't many people but at the time the artists were'nt well known.For instance I saw Porcupine Tree in 2002 with about 25 other people.The big names I saw Yes,Gentle Giant and the Eagles at the Milwaukee arena and the attendence was about 3000 people and the arena held around 13000
Saw the Creatures of the Night tour when Motley Crue opened in LA. It was amazing sold out and Vinnie Vincent was awesome. One year later on the Lick it Up tooirvwas one of the worst attended concerts I've ever been to... You could tell that Paul hated Vinnie and Vinnie hated being there..... Not to mention that was the beginning of the prancy dancy Paul Stanley era..
When The New York Dolls reunited they played Portland Oregon. Great show but I was one of the 65 people that showed up for the gig. I’m grateful to have seen them.
Saw Sodom about 15 years ago and there were only 8 people there. They still put on a good show.
Saw Symphony X and there was less than 50 people
Twisted Sister got a headline tour in 1986, but I think they only played 6 dates before it was cancelled for low attendance. I attended one of those shows, mainly because Dokken was the opening act, and I really wanted to see them. It was at the Capital Center in MD, on a week night. like a Tuesday or Thursday, I don't remember. I think only a couple thousand fans showed up, the place was almost empty. Regardless, it was a great show by both bands, and I'm glad I was one of the few people to see it.
I guess that was the Come Out And Play album tour? And to think the album before on Stay Hungry they were packing the Cap Center, although they were opening for Dio.
@@seamus2112ophelan Yep. Come Out and Play, and Under Lock and Key.
twisted sisters fall from the top was quick but no one has milked two songs longer than dee snider 40 years
Saw Redd Kross for the Third Eye tour at a mid size hall in Portland Oregon and it was packed. A year later they played the same place with about 30 people. There was ample stretching out space. Still a good show.
I saw Rush over their Test for Echo tour in San Jose California where they did 2112 in its entirety. I think the venue was about half full. Fantastic concert poor turn out
The idea of KISS mocking their song catalogue, as opposed to digging in and mixing up the set list, speaks to their cluelessness in the mid-80s.
Saw Green Day in 1997,at a club I Hartford about 140 people that fits 200O.OK show,but crowd was not into it.
That doesnt make sense because they were huge by then.
@@Chaz4543 people forget green days popularity nose dived around 97 american idiot saved them on 04
i saw Ted. Nugent in Beaumont, Texas last August in a basketball arena…it was already halfway blocked off for the stage, and what was left was only half full
UIC Pavillion holds about 8 to 10k. it's a decent sized place. not a bad seat in the house.
Saw Frank Zappa w/ Jerry Garcia Band open in 1984 there. Almost but not quite sold out. Great show
Saw Ace Frehely with maybe 50 people in attendance... Gawd he was terrible slurring his words and the band carried him. I was one of the few that stayed for the whole show just cuz I wanted to see how big of a train wreck it was going to end up.
I'm going to see Glenn Hughes here in NH in a few weeks, and there are a LOT of tickets still left. I hope more sell.
Glenn Hughes isnt a draw.
The year XTC brought out their first album, they played in my hometown Gent [Belgium] and there were appr. 20 people. The year after they played at a big venue in Brussels and it was a sold out.
The La's are a legendary band in the UK, but just like The Stone Roses didn't translate to the US.
Kiss tour official audience reports (according to Kiss Alive Forever book):
Feb 16 1983 Dubuque - 3,381 (Creatures tour)
Feb 11 1984 Dubuque - 3,783 (Lick it Up tour)
Dec 30 1984 Milwaukee - 4,754 (Animalize tour)
Plenty of those 70s bands: Aerosmith, ZZ Top, Heart, Deep Purple hit lower lows than Kiss did. They have some reported audiences below 1,500.
BOC, Uriah Heep play to 300 to 400
I've seen plenty of former big 80s names playing to 15 to 20 people, and I've even been at a show where I was the only member of the audience when the headliner took to the stage.
I saw Foghat in the early to mid 90s. In a joint that probably would hold 500 people. Attendance somewhere around 20 folks. this number includes staff at club.
Great topic! This deserves a sequel. Right, Contrarians?
30 people for Uli Roth and Michael Schenker?!?!? jeez
i read that billy squiers concert attendance dropped literally over night after his rock me tonight video came out and the worst part is that a lot of the shows had sold out and the backlash was so bad that even though people had already bought tickets they didnt go to the shows
I've seen some amazingly underattended shows. The Tea Party at the Hawthorne Theater (capacity 550) in Portland, OR (maybe 100-125 people there), Amorphis at a venue that probably held 200 people but only about 30 showed up, Into Eternity played here once the same night Danzig did and it was pretty much just the opening bands that were there to see them. VAST at the Roseland Theater (Portland, OR about 1200 capacity) and there was about 200 people there and the promoter literally gave me 8 free tickets. Metallica on the "And Justice For All" tour in Minot, ND and there was maybe 1200-1500 people there.
I've been at gigs where there are more people on stage than in the audience.
How can Martin not know the La’s? That baffles me. Great band.
I guess it wasn't on his radar
@@thecontrarians2438 apparently lol.
i saw david lee roth on the your filthy little mouth tour in chicago. i think it was at the metro. good lord. it was embarrassing. maybe 1k people. i remember having an amstel light at the bar and wondering what the hell happened to my DLR.
Peter Gabriel in 2002 at the Meadowlands in NJ - we had nosebleeds and got moved down to the floor it was so empty
Had no idea Lick it Up or Animalize tours would be empty. I saw Kiss on Animalize in Long Island and I was only 12 but I remember a big crowd. Revenge tour at the same venue in 1992 was pretty empty but a great show.
Canada's Wonderland outside Toronto has a big amphitheater and they used to do big shows at cheap prices through the 80s. By 1994 they were charging full ticket price for the show plus paying to get in the park so people stopped going there for shows. I think the Scorpions only had about 1000 people there. David Lee Roth toured there for the Filthy Little Mouth tour and there may have been 500 people in a 15000 person venue.
Do you remember the CWL $4 and $5 Concert series at Kingswood? The caveat was you had to buy basic park admission first before you could buy the cheap tickets. I worked at the park in the early 80s and there were always free tickets being offered to employees. I saw ASIA, The Fixx, The Spoons, April Wine, The Hollies, Blue Oyster Cult and Irene Cara all for free.
2004 Deep Purple, Thin Lizzy (with Sykes), and Joe Satriani at a amphitheater. I chose to listen to the show from outside with a sight of many empty seats. No Blackmore, big selling current album or hit song to sell tickets.
May 1978 The Agora Youngstown,Ohio - Judas Priest opening for Canned Heat - Priest not yet known and they were opening - maybe 500 people being generous - Pat Travers at a little place called Heaven touring Black Pearl tour maybe 200 People - and finally Ted Nugent at Youngstown,State Kilcawley student center - Nuge bus broke down and they were like an hour and a half late - crowd was small and during the delay more and more left maybe 100 were there when he opened with Hibernation
Priest opening for Canned Heat??!! WTF!! That must've been one of those one-off mismatch gigs....akin to Rush opening for Sha Na Na.
KINGS X played Thunder Bay 2006. 40 people showed up. Band played 90 minutes and hung around and talked to everyone after the show. Great guys as they could have hoped on there bus and split town
Saw Kill Devil Hill at a small venue in Albany, NY back when the first album came out...no joke, there were less than 20 people there. To their credit they played a full show, they were fantastic!
My brother saw The Cars on their 1987 “Door to Door” Tour at The Boston Garden (hometown show). According to him, they had the curtain at half court and the show was a dud.
David Crosby came to our city’s auditorium which held about 2500 people. There may have been 500 there for the show. I felt bad for him and embarrassed that people from our city wouldn’t come out to support a legendary artist.
i think the real disaster to me was new model army in 88 at the U of C in cgy. in Europe they were headlining outdoor festivals.
mac hall held up to 1000 i don't think 50 showed up. they were disappointed but played ok. saw them in a club a few years later, they wrecked the place.
I saw Michael Schenker a few years ago (one of many times the past few years) in Boston at Berklee Performance Center, and it was really only 1/2 full. But I enjoyed it!
I was at the Blackfoot show.... it was Bobby's last show with the band
I kept shouting "Rock and roll party in the streets"
I saw Quiet Riot back in 99 at the El Macombo looked like less than 200 people there.
RPM was the small venue later called the guvernment