1. Green Day's Billie Joe Flips out at iHeartRadio Music Fest 2012
It was the non-guitar smash heard 'round the world: Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong went off on a tirade against the iHeartRadio Music Festival for cutting their time short and Justin Bieber for being Justin Bieber over the weekend. Band management later announced that he would be undergoing treatment for substance abuse.
2. Guns N' Roses
When: 1991
Scenario: Axl Rose does not like Guns N' Roses concerts being taped; this is what happens if Axl Rose sees you taping a Guns N' Roses concert.
"Take that! Get that guy, and take that!” Rose yelled to security after spotting a camera pointed in his direction. Unfortunately, security took longer than Axl would have liked, so he took matters into his own hands. “I'll take it!” Rose yelled, and hurled himself into the crowd to claim the offending camera. Axl was eventually hauled back onto the stage, where he hurled insults at the venue’s security crew before tossing his mic and fleeing the stage. The drama didn’t end there. When the house lights went up 10 minutes later, fans rioted, damaging the venue and sending 60 people to the hospital."
3. Wavves
When: 2009
Scenario: Wavves frontman Nathan Williams is typically a laid-back guy — he certainly smokes enough weed that should be, going so far as to actually sell grinders at his shows. But between a faulty soundboard and just being in an overall sh*tty mood due to the demands of touring, he and his band went a little nutso at one of the world's best festivals, Primavera in Barcelona:
At 3:00 a.m. sharp, having dodged their share of bottles and even a shoe (neither Nathan nor Ryan was hit, although Nathan likely made impact with some unlucky attendee upon forcefully returning the latter object back to the crowd), the show mercifully came to a screeching halt: Ryan ran offstage, throwing his drumsticks at Nathan. Infuriated, Nathan screamed into the mic, “Come back here, motherf*cker, we’re not done yet!” Immediately, stage crew appeared, breaking down Ryan’s kit. “F*ck!” Nathan shouted, “Stop doing that!” They didn’t, so Nathan decided the show must go on. Helplessly, he strummed his guitar again, clearly intent on playing another song. But as he stepped back to the mic, he realized it had been cut. As the crowd booed, the house lights came up, and a defeated Nathan Williams threw his hands up and left, along with the few remaining attendees. (Via)
Nathan has since apologized and Wavves has become a tight touring band, but he'll always be known as That Guy Who Broke Down Once.
4. Courtney Love
When: 2011
Scenario: To be fair, I'd be upset if someone showed me a picture of my dead partner, too.
After spotting a fan holding a photo of her late husband, Nirvana front man Kurt Cobain, Love went off, stating, “I don’t need to see a picture of Kurt, asshole, and I’m going to have you f*cking removed if you keep throwing that up...I’m not Kurt — I have to live with his sh*t, his ghost, his kid every day. Throwing that up is stupid and rude and I’ll beat the f*ck out of you if you do it again.” Love left the stage briefly, returning after guitarist Micko Larson led the audience in a chant of “Foo Fighters are gay.” (Via)
You had me until you threw your kid under the bus, Courtney.
8. The Who
When: 1973
Scenario: Kids, if anyone asks you to do gorilla tranquilizers, here's why you should say no.
On the 1973 Quadrophenia tour, at the Cow Palace arena in Daly City, California, Moon ingested a large mixture of tranquillisers and brandy. In a 1979 interview, Townshend claimed that Moon had consumed Ketamine pills. During the concert, Moon passed out on his drum kit while the band was playing the song "Won't Get Fooled Again." The band stopped playing and a group of roadies carried Moon offstage. They gave him a shower and an injection of cortisone, then sent him back onstage after a thirty-minute delay. However, Moon passed out for good during the song "Magic Bus" and was again removed from the stage. The band continued without him for a few songs. Finally, Townshend asked the audience, "Can anyone play the drums? – I mean somebody good." A local drummer in the audience, Scot Halpin, came up and played the drums for the rest of the show. (Via)
