The worst: Janet Jackson, Rhythm Nation tour 1989, Inglewood Forum
The whole thing was just so sterile. It lacked any sense of spontaneity whatsoever. The music sounded canned, and she was obviously singing along to pre-recorded vocal tracks. It was basically like watching the world's longest music video performed live. Garbage.
Honorable mentions:
Luther Vandross, 1988, Inglewood Forum
I love him, but it was one slow ballad after another, until I felt myself actually falling asleep. Even his uptempo songs are so smooth and lacking in edge, it all just blended together into one long snooze-fest.
Whitney Houston, 1990, some outdoor venue in Orange County
She sounded great, but she was surprisingly lacking in onstage charisma. Boring as hell.
Adam Ant, about 1985-ish, at the Greek Theater.
This was the "Vive Le Rock" tour. His career was in a downward spiral, the place was probably less than half full, and most of the people there probably got free tickets (myself included). He probably wasn't that bad, but nowhere near good enough to make up for the lack of enthusiasm from the crowd.
Kool and the Gang, about 1987, at the Universal Amphitheater.
Their lead singer, J.T. Taylor, had just left, which spelled the end of their run as a top-tier, hitmaking act. But they were still a big enough name at that point that they could headline one last theater tour before they were permanently relegated to county fairs and the nostalgia circuit. Losing a lead singer with a distinct, instantly-recognizable voice makes a huge difference. It was like watching a pretty good Kool and the Gang tribute band.
