Famous rock bands that don't have the ability to play their music live

Foo Fighters first album and Nine Inch Nails.

One guy playing and recording all instruments on the studio album.

Can't do that live.

Q

Howard Dean wrote:

I saw Metallica once and instrumentally they sounded great. But James was so far off pitch it was really distracting.

On a related note (no pun intended), I was recently browsing through live Judas Priest videos on Youtube and was amazed at how well Rob Halford can match his singing on studio versions. Sounds identical.

I double disagree. Metallica’s style actually developed from playing faster live. They are quite capable of playing their songs live. The issue is that some parts feel lighter than studio albums due to all rhw layered guitars they use versus only two available live. Caveat to that is lars. His drum parts live are mere outlines of what is engineered in the studio. He has gotten worse over time and if it weren’t for his “job” he would never play on his own time. Next, James is quite the talented rhythmn player. I would even stretch and say that he is a better rythmn guitarist than kirk is lead. James is the primary songwriter Kirk certainly explores more musically outside metallica and has more formal training, but he just plays frames of his solos live and hides behind his wah.

Cliff Burton wrote:

compressed wrote:

I disagree with Metallica - sure it's a bit different live but they certainly pull it off (nb my knowledge of Metallica ends around year 2000, perhaps they've lost their mojo nowadays).

How about the RHCP though? Sure, the band can play, but damn - Kiedis is a terrible signer live.

I disagree about Metallica too. I've seen them live several times, and they don't lose anything compared to the record. Tempos are no different (if anything, they're even faster live), and they can still play the hell out of their entire catalog. Robert Trujillo and Kirk Hammett in particular are incredible musicians. James and Lars are less musically talented, but they're great at what they do, and they've not lost a step at all. Now that they're sober, they may be even better than they were in their 80s young-and-hungry phase.

Easy...The Beach Boys

Howard Dean wrote:

I suppose it depends on the night. I saw Metallica once and instrumentally they sounded great. But James was so far off pitch it was really distracting.

Some bands I've seen that really kicked ass on stage:

STP (RIP Scott)

Deftones

Jimmy Eat World

Incubus

No Doubt

Godsmack

Flaming Lips

I’d go as far as to say No Doubt is better live. Gwen has a strong voice and their horn section helps a lot with backing vox.

Jimmy Eat World is incredible too. Goodbye sky harbor was amazing live.

All the ones with members who died?

RawkGawd wrote:

A few great ones live:

1) Pretenders, tight and strong still to this day

2) The Police, years back, incredible and only the three of them, playing about 4 instruments/pedals each

3) Bruce Hornsby, great set a few years back

4) Toto, still good, some of the best professional musicians of their generation

5) Tom Petty, wish I would have seen him last year

Terrible live:

1) The Cars; ugh, Ocasek sucked ballls live, wished for my money back when I saw them

2) Eddy Money; hoarse and likely drunk on stage, just a real arsehole that night

3) Drive By Truckers; supposed to be good, but pitchy and weak when I saw them

4) Simple Minds, sloppy live

5) Journey, with that little weird dude trying to sound like Perry; just weird

6) Yes, several years ago; Howe looked 100 years old, the whole band sounded rubbery and tired; disappointing as hell

excellent gig

1)

TAllica wrote:

I double disagree. Metallica’s style actually developed from playing faster live. They are quite capable of playing their songs live. The issue is that some parts feel lighter than studio albums due to all rhw layered guitars they use versus only two available live.

Caveat to that is lars. His drum parts live are mere outlines of what is engineered in the studio. He has gotten worse over time and if it weren’t for his “job” he would never play on his own time.

Next, James is quite the talented rhythmn player. I would even stretch and say that he is a better rythmn guitarist than kirk is lead.

James is the primary songwriter

Kirk certainly explores more musically outside metallica and has more formal training, but he just plays frames of his solos live and hides behind his wah.

Metallica kicks butt!...I'm still listening to them in my late 50s (got some of their stuff in my MP3 for speed & race days). IMO, their live performances are better now than decades ago. They're selling out huge venues right & left (football stadiums) where a lot of younsters are showing up. Why? Because their stuff is still great and there are no emerging metal bands that can hold a candle to these old bucks...nothing new there.

James Hetfield can still kick as# on his guitar, and though his voice has changed over the years (geez...imagine that), it's still not bad and far better than some of these old rockers out there (ever heard Axel or Mustaine sing lately? Yikes!).

And I don't know what you're talking about with Lars? I think you're weird...the guy still kicks butt on those drums in live performances - FFS look at arm movement & aggressiveness on those drums...it's quite workout (weird faces at time).

Metallica kicks some serious butt!...and keep in mind that with the exception of Trujillo, these cats are in their 50s! Their live performance of "One" is simply mind-blowing with the laser lights & the echo technology with Hetfield's voice. And look at Lars play those drums man...good stuff here!

Semaphore Slim wrote:

On a related note (no pun intended), I was recently browsing through live Judas Priest videos on Youtube and was amazed at how well Rob Halford can match his singing on studio versions. Sounds identical.

Rob Halford is generally considered an excellent singer in a technical musical sense, independent of genre, (like the guy from Iron Maiden, whose name I can't remember right now).

Metallica is an overrated band from a musical point of view, but they are ok in spite of the evident horribleness of Lars. If it weren't his band, he wouldn't be playing for any band, and they engineer the drums in the studio.

I can't believe that no one has mentioned Boston. Their entire first album was recorded in the studio pretty much by one guy.

old guy 71 wrote:

Easy...The Beach Boys

Closely followed by the Monkees (other than Nesmith).

back woods wrote:

Metallica is an overrated band from a musical point of view, but they are ok in spite of the evident horribleness of Lars. If it weren't his band, he wouldn't be playing for any band, and they engineer the drums in the studio.

Dumb post. If they're so overrated where's all the emerging up & coming metal bands? Maybe playing in some basement of a two bit nightclub joint? Lol.

I was at Metallica concert earlier this year at a sold out 70,000 seat stadium where I was sandwiched between several late 20s/early 30s fans. I jokingly told them that they were probably in diapers when Metallica first came on the scene, and they remarked that Metallica "plays awesome metal" and that there are no other younger metal bands even close to the popularity of Metallica.

A lot of people, young & old, seem to be all critical of Metallica these days, but yet these same people are showing up right & left to sold-out huge football venues to watch their performances...too funny.

The fabricated four wrote:

Closely followed by the Monkees (other than Nesmith).

Was that even a real band or a comedy team that pretended to play?

Bob Dylan.

Middle-Aged Metal Head wrote:

Metallica kicks butt!...I'm still listening to them in my late 50s (got some of their stuff in my MP3 for speed & race days). IMO, their live performances are better now than decades ago. They're selling out huge venues right & left (football stadiums) where a lot of younsters are showing up. Why? Because their stuff is still great and there are no emerging metal bands that can hold a candle to these old bucks...nothing new there.

Undoubtedly, Metallica is by far the most popular out of the Big-4 (Anthrax, Megadeth & Slayer). And as you mentioned, they're are selling out huge venues in the U.S, and as well as venues in Europe, South America & Asia. I've been to a few of their concerts here in the States and there is a large younger demographics attending the concerts. The band performs very well and the "Metallica family" seems to be growing exponentially world wide. Earlier this year at a concert they even jammed with one of the world's greatest pianist in "Lang Lang" to the iconic song "One."

Epic:

I didn't say they weren't popular. I said they were overrated from a musical point of view. What I mean is that they aren't top notch musicians. Certainly Lars is just a flat out bad drummer and the other main guy is a mediocre guitarist (I've played for 30 years, so I have some idea of what I'm talking about). They hire competent guys to play behind them and in the studio. Plenty of pop music superstars are greatly inferior technically speaking to many lesser known musicians, or even their own backup musicians. Lars is an excellent businessman. But similarly popular bands like ACDC and Motorhead were better from a technical point of view (I say were because their bass players are both gone now).

There are no upcoming and emerging metal bands because it is a music of the 1980s, and today's young people are interested in other sounds.

The Mosquitos!!!

https://youtu.be/6rfU1sC5vK8

back wood wrote:

There are no upcoming and emerging metal bands because it is a music of the 1980s, and today's young people are interested in other sounds.

Yeah, sure...except the thousands that attend Metallica concerts throughout the world. Lol.

I think any band that heavily (or over-produces) their album material has a hard time duplicating. Def Leppard certainly falls into this category, but the most egregious example of this that I could think of was Boston. I think there are certainly examples of the opposite where the album material underwhelms and the band shines on stage.