The take-off leaving the launch pad looked seriously bad ass!
But then you learn why: Stage zero of the launch (before it even left the ground) is where it started to go wrong. They had decided not to build a humungous and elaborate launch pad to receive the tremendous blast of the rocket engines, so that huge and highly impressive exhaust plume you saw was the cheaper pad that they did build being pulverised into rubble and dust. Some of the disintegrating concrete chunks got blasted back up into the rocket engines, damaging a few of them before the ship even took off.
If you're interested, look up Scott Manly's YouTube channel for more details.
TC