Freakout! The Biggest On Stage Meltdowns
With some performers, you go to see them perform not knowing what to expect. You’d like to think it’s because of the performers new and original style, but it’s often their behavior that leaves things unexpected. With recent meltdowns by Dave Chappelle and Fiona Apple, it’s brings back a reminder of some of the biggest onstage meltdowns in history.
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Wavves, Barcelona, 2009
When surf-rock band Wavves broke onto the scene in 2009, they were a talented but unpolished band that had only played a handful of live shows together. Add that to lead singer Nathan Williams downing a cocktail of ecstasy and Valium and you’ve got a recipe for disaster. Having the concert take place in Barcelona didn’t help as the fed up audience unfamiliar with the band pelted them with bottles and a well thrown shoe. As the bands exasperated called it quits, Williams screamed “come back here, motherfucker, we’re not done yet!” as he attempted to play by himself while the stage crew began to disassemble the stage equipment around him, effectively killing any chances of giving the audience it’s grand finale of the groups collapse.
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Billie Joe Armstrong, Vegas, 2012
Punk Rock is all about going against the man and not taking orders from anybody. So what better place to have a Punk Rock meltdown than the iHeartRadio music festival following a performance by R&B star, Usher, which is exactly what Billie Joe Armstrong did. In an expletive filled rant, the Green Day frontman laid into the event’s promoters and crew for cutting their set short before smashing his guitar in front of thousands of horrified and confused teens. The outburst landed Armstrong in rehab two days later, where he was forced to face his demons (minus the guyliner of course).
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Keith Moon, San Francisco, 1973
The late Keith Moon was one of the contributing factors to The Who being one of the loudest bands in rock n’ roll but his wild partying ways may have cost the band a few performance, none more evident than the groups Cow Palace arena show during their 1973 Quadrophenia tour. Moon ingested a large amount of horse tranquilizers and brandy which caused to pass out in the middle of a song, resulting in roadies carrying him offstage for a wake up shower and a shot of cortisone. After coming back out to play, moon passed out for good, causing Pete Townshend to ask the audience, “Can anyone play the drums? – I mean somebody good”. A fan joined the band for three songs while Moon remained unconscious backstage, enjoying the concert in his mind.
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Sly Stone, Coachella, 2010
Booking Sly and the Family Stone for a gig was very risky in the 1970’s, with venues nervous that the band would walk out early, pass out from drug use, or just not show up at all. The organizers took a chance on Sly Stone in 2010 even though he had been living in his van just a few years earlier. Stone’s lengthy diatribe about his $50 million lawsuit against his former manager, who he accused of stealing so much from him that he couldn’t even buy shoes. Any attempts at singing made by Stone were drowned out by the feedback of the mic, which kept slapping against his face, until he finally rolled back and laid down on the stage. Play it for friends back to back with a bad American Idol audition and see if they can spot the difference!
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Elliott Smith, Chicago, 2002
The late singer/songwriter Elliott Smith is fortunate enough that his greatest meltdown (besides stabbing himself in the chest to death) wasn’t captured on film. The Oscar nominated musician was set to open for Wilco at Northwestern university in 2002, the same year he parted ways with his producer after the latter became sick of Smiths in studio use of cocaine and heroin. after stumbling onstage, Smith somehow rambled through his 50 minute set without completing a single song, often complaining of pain in his left hand and even forgetting the lyrics to his own music. A reviewer wrote that they would be surprised if Smith was alive at the end of the year, and 17 months later, he wasn’t.
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Axl Rose, St Louis, 1991
When you think of onstage meltdowns or rock star antics, the name Axl Rose is the first name to pop into peoples minds. From forcing audiences to wait until he’s ready to come onstage to throwing fans out from show just for the hell of it, Rose makes it pretty hard for fans to give him their support. During a 1991 concert, Rose became incensed by a camera wielding audience member and demanded that security take the recording device away from him. When security didn’t react toot suite, Rose leaped into the crowd before eventually making it back onstage where he threw his mic down and left for the night. This didn’t go over so well with fans who rioted, sending 60 people to the hospital. Aww come one, we didn’t even get to hear ‘Welcome To the Jungle’ yet!
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Michael Richards, Los Angeles, 2006
What do you think of when you hear the name Michael Richards? The actual Michel Richards would probably prefer that you think of his character, Cosmo Kramer, on the iconic sitcom, ‘Seinfeld’ which netted him three Emmy wins. Unfortunately for him, you probably immediately think of his 2006 tirade during a stand-up performance at the Laugh Factory in Los Angeles. After being heckled by several black audience members, Richards responded by shouting “He’s a nigger!” several times and referenced lynching in an outburst that would cast a giant shadow over his otherwise stellar career. Maybe that time a comedian made fun of your haircut wasn’t so bad after all, now was it?
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Katt Williams, Phoenix, 2011
Comedian Katt Williams career may seem like one giant meltdown at times but a tirade against a heckler in 2011 landed him in hot water, and not just with the people in the audience. When a heckler identified himself as being of Mexican descent, Williams responded with a rant that included him shouting “…so if you love Mexico, bitch, get the fuck over there!”. Williams refused to apologize after the incident by not bending on his love for America and free speech. If you’re disappointed that this meltdown didn’t do any long lasting effect on his career, don’t worry, he probably punched a checkout clerk since you started reading this sentence.
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