Given the quality of The Next Great American Band, I had a lot of performances to choose from for this list.  It's sad, but true.  The Next Great American Band will go down as a failed experiment, and FOX and company have done all but admit this.  A handful of the top 12 bands have no business making the finals of any band competition, let alone a national one.  For this list, I allowed myself only one performance per band.  Otherwise, it might have been all Rocket performances.

#5 - Northmont – The Song they Auditioned With

I didn't want to include any of the initial tryout performances on this list, but I decided to make a special exception.  Northmont got an incredible amount of screen time in the first two-hour episode and, to me, it was much ado about nothing.  The judges gave these guys a second chance to put on a good performance, but I don't know what made them think the first one had any potential.  The lead singer was supposedly super talented, but aside from good stage presence, I didn't see it.

#4 - The Likes of You - “Blowin' in the Wind”

I actually didn't mind this band and think that lead singer Geoff Byrd is a pretty talented dude.  But, I have to put this performance on here for it's insane excess use of falsetto on a Bob Dylan song, a man to whom falsetto was completely foreign.  Seriously, the amount of falsetto Byrd uses is downright laughable at times. 

#3 - Denver and the Mile High Orchestra - “I'm Free”

The most wussified version of a Rolling Stones song I've ever heard.  The Rolling Stones freaking rock, and Denver's cover was akin to elevator music.  I absolutely hated it.  I know there are tons of Denver apologists out there who hate me for my dislike of the band, but I guarantee if Mick and Keith had heard this cover, they'd puke in the their soup. 

#2 - Rocket - “Rocket Man”

Really, I could've chosen any Rocket song.  They were easily the least deserving band to make it into the final twelve.  The only thing they had going for them was the all-girl gimmick.  The lead singer is brutal, all out of tune and nothing attractive about her voice.  This was an especially poor rendition of a beloved Elton John tune.

#1 - Light of Doom - “We Will Rock You”

Generally, I cut Light of Doom a lot of slack.  They're kids, after all.  But, this Queen cover was awful.  Beginning with the opening all-band drum beating, and continuing with the worst singing performance of the season, this performance was an abomination, by far the band's worst of the season.


-Oscar Dahl, BuddyTV Senior Writer
(Image Courtesy of FOX)