Top 30 Concerts Ruined by MORONS

The Netherlands, 2017

This has to be one of the most bizarre ways to quit your job. After lead singer Ivan Moody showed up late to a 2017 concert in the Netherlands, Five Finger Death Punch started without him. Things didn’t get much better after he did arrive. Each member left at least once for extended periods of time, and Moody’s behavior became increasingly erratic. It came to a head when he suddenly announced that he was quitting. When it was finally over, another member confirmed it hadn’t been a planned event. A tour was then announced the next day, forcing the band to release a statement saying things merely got tense— but that no one would be permanently leaving the group.

Las Vegas, US, 2023

Be careful what you wish for. Mid-performance in the dead of summer, Cardi B decided to turn to the crowd for assistance. She asked them to splash water at her to help cool her down, which they did— but one still took it too far. During “Bodak Yellow”, a spectator threw her drink in Cardi’s face. In response, the rapper threw her microphone directly at the offending fan, which ultimately missed and hit someone else. She later clarified that she hadn’t wanted anything thrown at her face. That's understandable, but it seemed to be lost in translation. The star was facing potential battery charges, but they were dropped following an investigation by local police.

Doncaster, UK, 2016

When someone has a history of sabotaging their own shows, it’s hard to choose just one moment. Wes Scantlin of Puddle of Mudd has been the cause of several derailed concerts, but a failed performance in Doncaster truly took the cake. He was clearly intoxicated, even attempting to leave mid-set. He returned shortly afterwards, only for his band mates to leave soon after. They left him alone on stage to face the crowd’s ire— and they had plenty of it. At first, he tried to interact with the crowd, until his mic was cut shortly afterwards. And yet, he still stayed. Had it been anyone else, it might’ve been sad. But in this case, it seemed like a natural consequence for his actions.

Las Vegas, US, 2018

This is why we can’t have nice things. Before one fateful night in 2018, Elton John had a tradition of bringing fans onstage to surround his piano while he performed “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting”. While playing the Caesar Palace, people began to abuse that privilege by repeatedly touching him, even after he snapped at them to stop. When that didn’t work, he stopped playing entirely and stormed offstage. He did end up coming back to finish his set, but made it clear that he was ending the crowd interaction after what had happened. What was once a chance to meet one of music’s most iconic stars was dashed in a single moment; ruining it for respectful and disrespectful fans alike.

Idaho, US, 2023

Having to be gentle-parented into not throwing things has to sting at least a little bit. While singing at the Idaho Botanical Garden in 2023, Kelsea Ballerini was gifted a friendship bracelet by a fan— who flung it at her from the crowd. It struck her in the face, causing her to stop singing while she processed what happened. When she realized she was fine, she quickly stopped to address what had just happened, before asking the audience to not toss anything else. She then took to Instagram the following day to confirm she was fine physically— but that the event had been triggering for her.

Los Angeles, US, 2023

While some on-stage interruptions are annoying, others are straight-up violent. Ava Max was performing at an L.A. venue in 2023 when a man suddenly took to the stage and made a beeline for her. Security managed to get a hold of him, but not before he slapped her. It looked mild in the moment, especially as Max continued on with the performance. However, afterwards it was revealed that the attacker hit her so hard that he scratched her eye. It’s unclear if he faced any legal repercussions, but Max did declare he was banned from her shows— so that’s at least a start. She even went on to hold a meet-and-greet afterwards, proving that even a sudden injury couldn’t hold her down.

Fishkill, US, 2007

Having something thrown at you midshow is not only annoying— it can be dangerous. However, rather than have the offender removed, some decide to take things into their own hands. When a teenager threw an object at Akon during a 2007 concert, the singer had the crowd identify him before asking security to bring him on-stage. Once the perp was in front of him, Akon then proceeded to pick him up and chuck him back out into the crowd. He then tried to claim that the whole thing was staged, but it was clear the cops didn’t agree. Akon was hit with two charges for a misdemeanor and a violation, resulting in a $350 fine and community service.

São Paulo, Brazil, 2011

Hurtful acts deserve to be called out mid-show– but it doesn’t need to derail the entire thing. At a concert in Brazil, Hole’s performance abruptly stopped when lead singer Courtney Love noticed someone holding up a photo of her deceased husband, Kurt Cobain. Understandably hurt, she cursed out the spectator. She then began to rant, threatening to beat up the offending audience member before switching her sights to ex-Nirvana member Dave Grohl. She stormed off, only to return a minute later to take one more dig at Grohl, accusing him of putting her and Kurt’s child in a bad financial spot. Though her emotions in the moment were valid, she still took things further than they needed to go.

London, UK, 2023

Fans throwing gifts for artists onto the stage is nothing new– but nothing could ever top this. Mid-way through “Just Like a Pill”, Pink was suddenly derailed when she noticed someone had thrown a clear bag onto the stage. She realized it was filled with ashes, prompting her to ask the spectator if it was their mother. When it was confirmed that she was in fact holding a bag of cremated human remains, Pink was understandably put off– though she played it off like a true professional. She then carefully put the baggie back down before jumping back into the song. It’s not clear what happened to the ashes after the show, but it’s fair to assume she didn’t hold onto them.

Miami, US, 1969

Some rock stars are known for their eccentricity– but sometimes, it can go too far. There was a perfect storm of events that led up to the infamous concert held by The Doors at the Dinner Key Auditorium in 1969, with frontman Jim Morrison being the common denominator. He not only missed his flight and was late– he also arrived drunk. To top it all off, as he’d recently seen a show with an abrasive performance style, Morrison antagonized the audience and made obscene gestures. He even forced his bandmates to stop playing mid-song. At one point, things became so intense that Morrison and the crowd reportedly started stripping– leading to his arrest days later.

New York, US, 2023

There are some acts that can be written off as accidents, but others are done intentionally. During a show held in New York City, a fan decided to throw his phone directly at Bebe Rexha. It struck her square in the eye so hard that she fell to the ground. He was subsequently arrested, and she was taken to the hospital, where she ended up having to get stitches. The assailant was hit with a multitude of charges, ranging from harassment to assault. What makes things worse was his attempted justification for it all, by admitting that he thought it would be funny to try and hit her.

Geneva, Switzerland, 1971

This might be the only entry on our list where, although a concert was certainly ruined, something good came of it. In 1971, Frank Zappa’s band Mother of Invention was performing at the magnificent Montreux Casino in Switzerland. Midway through their set, a fire broke out in the hall; it’s a little unclear how it started, but everyone seems to agree that a young moron in the audience was responsible. Fortunately, Zappa quickly saw the danger and got everyone to evacuate; so although the historic venue was destroyed, no one got hurt. Another band, Deep Purple, happened to be nearby; and witnessing the fire inspired them to write their iconic rock ballad, “Smoke on the Water.”

New York, US, 1990

Curtis Mayfield was a singer and songwriter whose music ranged from soulful love ballads, to movie scores, to calls for social change. But his live performance career ended tragically at a concert in Brooklyn, when he was only forty-eight. The weather was ominous, with strong winds and approaching thunderstorms; however, the sponsor of the show was reluctant to cancel, since there were already thousands of people in the audience. The opening act was short and Mayfield was brought on, hoping to beat the weather. Just as he stepped onstage, a gust of wind brought down a heavy metal rig overhead, and a stage light struck Mayfield. He survived, but would be paralyzed for the rest of his life.

Sydney, Australia, 2014

Chances are, you’ve already heard of some controversial incident involving the rapper Kanye West, now known as Ye; he’s made a number of statements that others found offensive. However, it’s unusual for him to make them during concerts. Back in 2014, at an event in Sydney, Australia, Ye demanded that everyone in the audience get up and dance. Two people didn’t. A long, awkward pause ensued, as Ye complained and audience members booed, but the holdouts still didn’t stand. That was because they couldn’t. Both were physically disabled. Once Ye realized this, he continued the concert; however, it seems reasonable to wonder why the rapper didn’t do that to begin with, rather than embarrassing two fans who just wanted to watch the show.

North Dakota, US, 2022

Actually, it’s a bit of a misnomer to call this a Kid Rock concert–but that’s what it was supposed to be. The country rock singer was scheduled to perform at the North Dakota State Fair, with nearly twenty thousand people in attendance. Unfortunately, dangerous weather conditions were brewing nearby; for safety reasons, officials decided to cancel the show. But they took a long time to decide. So for over two hours, the opening act, a rock group called Night Ranger, strove heroically to keep fans engaged, while everyone waited for Kid Rock to appear. When officials finally announced that he wasn’t coming, the outraged audience responded by yelling, throwing objects, and even climbing onstage, which led to some fans being removed by police.

Pennsylvania, US, 2023

Classical music concerts get ruined by morons, too; and one of the interruptions musicians hate most is a cell phone ringing during the piece. Despite announcements made before every concert reminding people to silence their phones, somehow, it still happens; and for Maestro Yannick Nézet-Séguin of the Philadelphia Orchestra, two times in one performance was too many. Ordinarily, the Canadian conductor will stop the orchestra and wait for quiet, then continue, trying to maintain the continuity of the work. But in early May of 2023, after Bruckner’s Ninth Symphony was interrupted twice by cell phones in the span of just a few minutes, the exasperated maestro turned around and demanded, “Can we live without the phone for just one damn hour??”

Missouri, US, 2010

When rock band Kings of Leon came for a July concert at the Verizon Amphitheatre in Missouri, venue managers confessed they had been having some problems with a pigeon infestation. Even with this warning, however, no one was prepared for the horrors in store. Two other bands performed first, and the members of Kings of Leon were alarmed to see their fellow musicians return from the stage looking haggard and streaked with pigeon droppings. But they didn’t want to back out at the last minute, so they gamely came on and attempted to play their set. They made it through three songs, before the bass player got hit in the face with bird dung, and they decided to call it quits.

Pennsylvania, US, 1977-78

Why are there two dates for this entry? you might be wondering. Well, the events are connected: both involved Aerosmith, both took place in Philadelphia, PA, and both involved morons. In October of 1977, Aerosmith were coming onstage for an encore at the Spectrum Arena when someone in the audience threw a cherry bomb–a small, but powerful firecracker–at them. Two band members were seriously injured, and the group was understandably upset. However, a year later, they decided to give Philadelphia another chance. It didn’t go well. About twenty minutes into the concert, somebody threw a beer bottle, which shattered and sent pieces of glass flying into the guitarist’s face. The band quickly departed, and would not return to the city for another four years.

Colorado, United States, 2015

You may be wondering, “Why was bread involved in a concert?” Well, the concert was being held at a food festival in Colorado, and unfortunately, a vendor had decided to give out free loaves of bread. That’s right–loaves. Drunk audience members started throwing slices of bread everywhere, and some landed on the stage. Smash Mouth’s lead singer, Steve Harwell, went berserk right as the band was playing the introduction to “All Star.” While the band kept repeating itself, hoping for the song to start, Harwell shouted curses and threats at the bread-throwers. Finally, fed up, he headed down into the crowd–presumably to administer a beating to several audience members. Thankfully, however, he was stopped by event security.

Melbourne, Australia, 2022

You’d think that spectators would learn not to invite themselves on stage. And yet, it just keeps happening. While The Black Crowes were performing at the Palais Theatre in 2022, one audience member hopped on stage and began to run around, while being chased by security. The band members immediately started to aid their crew, with the singer attempting to strike the intruder with his mic stand. When the man was finally caught, he continued to struggle. Rich Robinson then entered the ring, using his guitar to hit him until he finally hopped off stage. He may have a story to tell for the rest of his life, but we can’t help but wonder what exactly he was hoping to accomplish in the first place.

Indianapolis, US, 2022


Well, that’s one way to skip the line. Tired of waiting to enter a first-come, first-serve performance by Doja Cat in 2022, one fan had the brilliant idea to tell nearby concertgoers that he had a bomb. His attempt to move forward a few spots in line was ultimately derailed after he was reported to the police. After a quick search, it was discovered he didn’t have any explosives, but he did have an outstanding warrant. He was arrested soon afterwards, and the night went on as planned for everyone else. The show went on without him in attendance— the ultimate karma for his selfish act.

Vancouver, CA, 2009

At a concert in Vancouver, about fifteen minutes into her set, Britney Spears suddenly walked offstage. The audience was left waiting in the dark, confused. Someone made an announcement that the show would begin again when the stage was cleared of smoke, and everyone was reminded that it was a non-smoking building. About half an hour passed, during which hockey intermission music played over the speakers–presumably intended to be soothing, but apparently somewhat annoying. Spears returned and began to sing, but then, toward the end of a song, she abruptly left the stage again. When she came back for the last time, her parting advice to the frustrated audience was, “Don’t smoke weed.”

Ilha do Ermal, Portugal, 2002

In 2002, while playing a set in Portugal, the band Nickelback was pelted with rocks and bottles from the crowd. No one really knows why, but given their behavior, it seems like most of the audience came to see a concert by a band they hated. After weathering two songs under this barrage of hard objects, lead singer Chad Kroeger asked the crowd a pointed question: “Do you want to see some rock ‘n roll, or do you want to go home?” When he was answered with a bottle to the back of the head, Kroeger and the rest of the band simply left the stage–though not without directing a couple of middle fingers toward the audience.

Manchester, UK, 2016

Normally, screams from the audience at a concert are a good thing–but maybe not so much when you’re trying to deliver an impassioned speech about everyone’s purpose in life. A little trite, perhaps, but hardly worth screaming at. However, Justin Bieber had to plead with audience members to stop yelling and making noise during his talk at a concert in Manchester, England. When the screaming still didn’t stop, Bieber angrily stormed offstage. Apparently, this is not a new issue, as Bieber has told British fans in the past to “shut up” and “be quiet and listen.” Bieber did eventually return to perform, but claimed the Manchester audience couldn’t “handle” him.

New York, US, 1999

Let’s start off by saying, there were a lot of poor choices made by people involved in Woodstock 1999. No one band is to blame for the assaults, damage, and chaos that occurred. However, Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit definitely made one of the worst decisions of the event when he told an already revved-up crowd to start breaking things. Many people took him at his word, tearing apart sound towers and crowd-surfing on the metal pieces. Medical tents were swamped with people who got injured in the mosh pit. By the time the band actually started playing “Break Stuff,” the crowd was way ahead of them; the festival later ended with riots and a huge fire.

Buenos Aires, Argentina, 1992

For a 1992 concert in Buenos Aires, Nirvana hired an all-female band called Calamity Jane to be their opening act. The audience treated them horribly, shouting obscenities and throwing mud and rocks, until they left the stage in despair. At first, lead singer Kurt Cobain wanted to cancel the show; but instead, Nirvana decided to give the audience a taste of their own medicine. They played unfamiliar, experimental songs that hadn’t been released yet–and to top it off, before every number, Kurt Cobain would play the introduction of “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” but then segue into a different song. Whether the crowd knew it or not, their rudeness led to one of the most unusual concerts Nirvana has ever given.

Montreal, CA, 1992

This disastrous concert began with Metallica’s James Hetfield getting horribly burned–by his own pyrotechnics–and having to be rushed to the hospital. Then, the audience had to wait over two hours for the famously unpunctual Guns N' Roses to show up. Unfortunately, frontman Axl Rose had been having vocal problems throughout the tour; and whether it was due to this, or problems with feedback in the building, Guns N' Roses also left the stage after only a few songs. The audience went mad with rage, rioting and looting until they were finally subdued by Montreal police. Several people were injured, and Guns N' Roses ended up being banned from Montreal’s Olympic Stadium for life.

Toronto, CA, 2008

Though the Gallaghers had a contentious relationship throughout the years, there were some moments that proved their brotherly love was still there. There have been plenty of times where Noel and Liam Gallagher fought with each other— such as the infamous Paris performance that was cancelled due to the latter smashing the former’s guitar. However, they weren’t always the cause of mid-show strife. At a 2008 gig in Toronto, they were mid-song when a man seemingly came out of nowhere and tackled Noel from behind, injuring him in the process. He was quickly apprehended by security before Liam entered the fray, ready to defend his brother. Though it led to the performance ending prematurely, it at least showed fans they cared.

The Bahamas, 2017

This was a highly promoted concert series that just… didn’t happen. Fyre Festival was billed as a glamorous vacation on a remote island in the Bahamas, with lots of music, food, and fun. This was not exactly what the guests found when they arrived. First, their luggage was dumped out of a shipping crate in the dark. Next, they got a meal consisting of bread, cheese, and a small salad. There was a tent city for sleeping accommodations. No concerts ever occurred. The organizer, Billy McFarland, had scammed everyone who bought tickets–not to mention hundreds of island workers who had devoted their time and money into preparing for the event. More like a dumpster fire than a festival!

St. Louis, US, 1991

All it takes is one moment to wreck a whole night. Taking photos when asked not to is undoubtedly bad— and yet, Axl Rose’s response was still somehow too much. While at the Riverport in 1991, he noticed the photographer and called for his removal. When security failed to appear, he took things into his own hands and leapt into the crowd to grab the camera himself. A fight ensued. When the smoke cleared, Rose made a dramatic exit. The rest of the band soon followed. The audience revolted, causing a three-hour long riot that nearly landed Rose behind bars. He would later prove how adept he was at inciting chaos, by causing a riot in Vancouver without even stepping foot in the city.


Which of these concerts do you think would’ve been the worst to attend? Let us know in the comments below!