Steve Earle You Know the Rest

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I'm sure this topic has been covered in some form already (probably many times!), but I didn't see whatever contempo threads based on the diverse search terms I could think of, and so here goes.
What are some of the about egregious Spinal Tap-type moments during "live" performances? Sound disasters, backing tracks gone wrong, miming exposed, etc. - especially these days with the prevalent employ of technology during performance, there's a whole range of potential issues and disasters in the making.

Who coped best, and who just fell apart? Who showed their professionalism in the face of adversity, and who lost their s**t?!

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This thread was partly prompted by seeing the post-obit performance. Céline Dion is not exactly an SHF mainstay, but love her or detest her, I think she comes off extremely well in this example.

At the 2004 GRAMMY Awards, Dance With My Father by Luther Vandross won Vocal of the Year, but he had suffered a debilitating stroke the year before and could not perform (he would pass away the following year). Céline, who had recently lost her own father, performed the vocal with the track's co-writer Richard Marx on piano.

What should have been an emotional centerpiece of the anniversary was a bit of a fiasco correct from the offset. Increasingly panicked production chatter could be heard over the intro, but no music. Dion and Marx started performing but no ane could hear them. Her microphone didn't work. She couldn't hear annihilation. They had to run a PA on-stage to swap out her mic but the new i was completely dry out and obviously not calibrated to a song performance. She withal couldn't hear anything.

Despite everything falling apart, and although y'all could see she was visibly a bit deflated, there were no diva theatrics. She rolled with information technology, pulled out her in-ear monitor and kept on going. Marx kept tinkling away, and ultimately she gave a pitch-perfect and emotional operation with no monitors. There are none of the usual effects on the mic - her voice is completely exposed, unadorned and raw, and it shows only how expert a alive singer she is. I know she gets a lot of flack, simply information technology'southward tough to deny she'due south a truly talented vocalist.

Maybe she lost it backstage after the performance and gave everyone a right bollocking, merely she doesn't really seem the blazon.

After Luther Vandross's expiry the following year, Céline recorded a studio version of the rails for the tribute album And then Astonishing: An All-Star Tribute To Luther Vandross (2005).
Another archetype performance gone wrong - poor All About Eve! A plum spot to promote their track Martha'due south Harbour on the UK'south Elevation Of The Pops, and they couldn't hear the backing rail to mime along. Amazing what a great song operation Julianne Regan gave without moving her lips at all!
Then over again, this performance got them so much coverage that it probably helped the vocal become much more of a success than it might take originally been.

All About Eve: Martha'southward Harbour ("alive" on Height Of The Pops)
And now, the famous hoedown past Ashlee Simpson on SNL! She wasn't expecting the vocal that started, vocals came in without her, she didn't really know what to do, so she started a hoedown while the band just started playing as if zippo was incorrect at all. If I remember correctly, she threw everyone else nether the double-decker afterward the fact. Not the best example of grace under pressure.
Edit: I run into this one came right to mind for others, also!
Madonna's fall at the very high profile Brit Awards. A nasty looking fall that she recovered the performance well from.
I went to run into the Grateful Dead in Ohio in 1990. By this time I had stopped regularly seeing them merely a friend of mine had an extra ticket, then why not, better than watching Goggle box. The first fix was Non good. The band played some rare tunes, which was disappointing to me considering this was an OFF night. THEN, they started to play Bargain. somebody must have reset the breaker switch backstage because this Deal was SMOKIN'. I kept laughing to myself because it was in complete contrast to the rest of the set, long jams, tight everything a patchouli wearing Deadhead. And so during the jam that preceded the terminal chorus Jerry bankrupt 3 strings.That house of cards tumbled quickly. The only reason whatsoever one knew what happened was because Bob told the audience equally the band was exiting the stage. Second set was no nifty shakes either. The highlight of the show was the first 3/4 of Deal.
McCartney Maybe I'thou Amazed SNL 40th.
Vocals failed from the start. The raw mix didn't assistance.
It was painful.
This is one of my favorite examples purely because of the guitarist.
In 1990, everyone's favorite campfest , the Eurovision Song Contest, was being held in and then-Yugoslavia for the first fourth dimension. It was their opportunity to show all of Europe their broadcast capabilities and technical prowess. Unfortunately, they didn't make a great first impression.

The very kickoff operation of the dark was by Azucar Moreno for Spain. Subsequently a painfully long filibuster, the music started. The artists looked dislocated. The track hadn't started at the beginning and everyone was lost. The artists gave up and walked off the stage. The music connected while the ring stood around. And so the hero we all needed - the guitarist - spun upwardly his instrument and started playing along with gusto. And so the dancing. It'due south sheer absurdity and highly entertaining.

They started the performance over and everything went well the 2nd time, but the tone for the dark had been set.

Azucar Moreno: Bandido (Eurovision 1990)
Of grade, nosotros can't forget Milli Vanilli'due south 1989 performance at Lake Compounce in Bristol, Connecticut, when the Daughter You lot Know It'south True vocal track started looping and Rob Pilatus ran off the stage. The scandal ultimately led to the group's 1990 GRAMMY Award for All-time New Creative person beingness rescinded.
Not easy to detect good video, only it's included in this clip from VH1 Behind The Music:
Chuck Berry at Finlandia Hall, Helsinki, 2013. He was a disoriented and bewildered 87-twelvemonth-old man who should take been somewhere else entirely. People were leaving before the end, some demanded refunds.
When New Order insisted on actually performing live at Top of the Pops...
I like this!
Beach Boys Westbury Music Off-white Long Island 1981....Brian and Dennis were in the twilight zone. Stevie Nicks Red Rocks 1986.

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I saw part of a "Kitchens Of Stardom" show in Pontiac, Mi. I say part of due the to guitarists effects gear up started to stammer about half mode through the gear up list and totally failed after a couple more than songs.
They didn't have whatever back-up or chose not to bring information technology onstage and that was it.
I saw a odd 3 act prove back in Dec. 1986 or so, Steve Earle, the Smithereens and 'Til Tuesday. It was circulate to collage campuses to promote the wonders of the Chevy Condescending.
Steve Earle played first and his set was taped, the Smithereens went on next and were shown live. The Steve Earle set was shown to the video audience, then Til Tuesday would play live.
Steve's set was pretty slap-up and my co-record shop workers and I got to keep Steve'south bus for a meet and great. While nosotros're waiting nigh a go out almost the stage, the Smitheerens proceed and Jim Babjak is having a issue with his monitor. I think a roadie came out to look at it but zero improved and Jim began to kicking the monitor every xxx or then seconds. this went on for the four songs I saw earlier we got on the motorcoach.

When we got dorsum in the theatre they were showing Earle's ready and the stage was being ready upwards for 'Til Tuesday. Looking at the activity on stage information technology was pretty clear there was a effect with their synth. equally in, it won't make any sound at all. There several roadies working on it to no avail. Meanwhile the announcers to the video broadcast were saying that a snowstorm was keeping 'Til Tuesday from getting to the venue, only they would be at that place any minute. Information technology was common cold, information technology was December, but there was definitely no snow. The crew finally walked in a whole new synth. rig, got it set upwards and working and 'Til Tuesday hit the phase about a hour late. Good show though, eventually.
MHP Lover of Rock 'n Roll
The thought of that just makes me pitiful.
Mariah Carey at New Year'southward Rockin' Eve in Times Square as 2016 led into 2017. Plain, her in-ear monitors weren't working, and this is what happened (filmed at the scene and not off the TV circulate):
in all fairness hasn't TOTP always been a lip sync show?
When the Bee Gees appeared on Dick Cavett in 1968 to promote I've Gotta Go a Bulletin to You, someone backstage spun the 45 at the wrong speed.
I suppose everyone knew they (like many pop acts) were miming since few could recreate the precise audio of their recorded vocal, but they were certainly in that location alive.
It didn't piece of work out, only, well, she tried something...
A spectacularly unsexy endeavour to sexual practice upwardly the national anthem.

Fergie: The Star-Spangled Banner (NBA All-Star Game)
zen Senior Member

Large 25th anniversary event being recorded...
Blackmore keeps 'em waiting!
The prove went through unlike phases of live vs. mimed, merely certainly at the time of this operation it's not like anyone idea the performances were live. In this case information technology was more than that the spiral-upward so spectacularly pierced the collective agreement everyone had made to pretend otherwise.

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