10 of the Most Controversial Performances In Metal Music History
The most controversial performances in metal music history are long and detailed. That’s because the genre’s chaotic and free nature lends itself to that. There are a lot of musicians whose substance abuse has led to making a lot of awful decisions. And that is something that can be seen on stage.
Moreover, these performances also involve issues with logistics and even other bands. A lot of things can go wrong in a concert, let alone a metal one. Therefore, it’s not surprising to see the genre having a lot of examples. These are, in no particular order, ten of the most controversial performances in the genre’s history.
1. Ozzy Osbourne Unintentionally Bites the Head of a Bat (1982)
This is probably one of the most controversial performances in metal history but also one of the most iconic. Ozzy Osbourne was already conquering the music world as a solo artist in the 80s and this only added to his legacy. In fact, even to this day, the legend of Ozzy biting a bat’s head off is talked about among metalheads.
On January 20, 1982, in the Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Des Moines, Iowa, Ozzy did the unthinkable. The British singer had a bat thrown at him by a member of the audience and, according to him, thought it was a rubber toy. So, he chose to bite its head off for shock value, but it turns out that it was alive, creating the legendary moment.
Ozzy has voiced his mortification on the matter and is understandable. He even went to the hospital after the show to take several precautions to avoid possible diseases. However, the moment was never forgotten and lives on to this very day.
2. When James Hetfield Suffered Burns on Stage and Guns ‘N’ Roses Caused a Riot (1992)
Metallica was on top of the world in 1992 when they arrived in Montreal to continue with their legendary “Black Album” tour. However, disaster would strike as guitarist and vocalist James Hetfield would suffer third-degree burns while performing. The musician stepped into a 12-foot high torch of fire and was massively hurt because of this, with the concert obviously canceled.
“I was in shock,” Hetfield remembers. “The nerves felt like they were exposed. My hand looked the worst. It bubbled up in two layers that came off.”
The problems wouldn’t end there, though. Guns N’ Roses refused to play earlier to compensate for the fact Metallica had to withdraw earlier because of Hetfield‘s injury. Moreover, the band would play two hours late and vocalist Axl Rose would leave after nine songs, citing sound issues. This, as one can imagine, didn’t sit well with the audience.
A lot of people would begin to riot and destroy most of the venue, leading to $400,000 worth of damage, as per reports. More than ten people were injured and several were arrested. It was a nightmarish scenario for everyone and one of the most controversial performances of all time.
3. Van Halen with a Drunk David Lee Roth at the US Festival (1983)
The US Festival was a major milestone for the metal genre. It was the moment that this kind of music gained a lot of mainstream notoriety. Thanks to the likes of Judas Priest, Triumph, Motley Crue, and Quiet Riot, this festival helped make metal the music of the 80s. Of course, Van Halen was also a major driving force in that regard, although the band’s performance was divisive.
Van Halen has a notorious legacy for being a party band and having no limits when it comes to excess. However, vocalist David Lee Roth was extremely drunk during this performance and it shows. The singer can be seen struggling to deliver his vocal lines and looks out of place at times. He was always engaging with the crowd but his banter this time was inconsistent and lacking the focus he became known for.
It is one of the most controversial performances because of the context. Van Halen became the highest-paid band in history when making the deal for this concert. However, while the overall performance was solid, it was a far cry from their best. And part of that is due to Roth’s state at the time.
4. Ritchie Blackmore Setting the Stage on Fire in the California Jamming Festival (1974)
Ritchie Blackmore setting a stage on fire was enough to rank it as one of the most controversial performances in music history. However, the context behind this event makes it even more interesting. Especially considering that the story takes place in the California Jamming Festival in 1974.
Basically, it was stated that Deep Purple was going to be the band to close the festival. However, prog rock band Yes wanted to be the ones to do it, much to Blackmore‘s annoyance. These two bands had their issues throughout the years until that point and the guitarist had enough with this.
“It was (in our contract) that Deep Purple would close the show, so they refused to leave the hotel room. Jack said, ‘Guys, would you mind going on a bit earlier? I don’t want to push you but it would help me and it would help the crowd.’ ‘Yeah sure, okay, no worries.’” vocalist Ian Gillan recalls several years later. “Then, Ritchie (Blackmore) decided that if we weren’t going to close, nobody was.”
And so, Blackmore began by destroying his guitar and amps, leading to one of the most memorable Deep Purple moments in history. The entirety of the set was utterly destroyed. In many ways, no one can get more metal than this.
5. Gorgoroth using Real Sheep Blood in its Concert (2004)
When it comes to the most controversial performances in metal, the Norwegian black metal band Gorgoroth has to be here. The group’s live album, “Black Mass Krakow 2004“, has the peculiar element of the musicians using real sheep blood as part of the setting. Naturally, this decision sparked a lot of controversies and outcries in several circles.
There was a point where the Polish authorities wanted to charge the band as well. However, it was determined that the guys in Gorgoroth were not aware of Poland’s animal rights laws. While the band got off the hook, the concert organizer was fined and the footage was confiscated by the police. This is why the concert happened in 2004 but the official release didn’t come out until 2005.
6. Rammstein’s Most Controversial Show (1998)
Rammstein is a band that is no stranger to controversy. From the moment this German out started, its extreme and over-the-top shows have been the talk of the town. In that regard, perhaps a major point was the American Family Values Tour 1998, with Ice Cube, Korn, and Limp Bizkit.
Playing in Worcester, Massachusetts, the band performed a fake sexual act to shock the audience. While this was all staged, it still managed to get a reaction from the authorities. Two of the band members were even charged and had to spend a night in prison.
“While they strongly deny any criminal wrongdoing,” MTV reported at the time. “They have retained local counsel and intend to respect the laws of the city in question by seeing this matter through to its logical conclusion.”
7. Riots During an Iron Maiden Show in Colombia (2009)
Iron Maiden had a lot of success with the “Somewhere Back in Time” tour in the late 2000s, but that didn’t keep them from having troubles. Sometimes the most controversial performances are not because of the band but rather the situation around them. This happened in Bogota, Colombia, in 2009 as there were multiple riots that broke several barriers across the venue.
That event was the result of people rioting and knocking down the barriers between the usual audience and the VIPs. It might not compare to other situations on this list, but it highlights how a disaster can spark out of nothing. There were even debates at the time that Bogota shouldn’t host a metal concert for a long time.
8. Most of Woodstock ’99 (1999)
The 30th anniversary of the legendary music festival had some truly notorious metal acts. While Megadeth and Metallica were the definitive veterans, it also had new nu metal sensations, Limp Bizkit and Korn. However, this was also one of the most controversial performances in music history.
The festival was filled with poor conditions, such as riots, looting, vandalism, and even sexual abuse. Some bands and artists also complained about the logistics and the conditions to perform. Even elements such as sanitation were of very low quality, leading to complaints. It was a disgraceful event that truly hurt everyone involved and has been criticized ever since.
9. Rage Against The Machine in Saturday Night Live (1996)
Rage Against The Machine has become known for its excessive political preaching. Very few bands in the genre can be quite absorbed in this topic and paid the price in 1996. The group was invited to perform at Saturday Night Live, which led to some rather unusual situations.
This group was meant to play two songs during their live setting but only one of them managed to come out live. That was because guitarist Tom Morello was planning to put the American flag upside down. That was meant to be a political statement toward the conservative host, Steve Forbes.
“The inverted flags represented our contention that American democracy is inverted when what passes for democracy is an electoral choice between two representatives of the privileged class,” guitarist Tom Morello later explained in Rock Out Against Censorship. “America’s expression is inverted when you’re free to say anything you want to say until it upsets a corporate sponsor. Finally, this was our way of expressing our opinion about the show’s host, Steve Forbes.”
It is one of the most controversial performances in metal since it shows how obsessed some bands can get with politics.
10. Alice Cooper Threw a Chicken at the Audience Once (1969)
Alice Cooper might not be regarded as a metal musician but is strongly connected to the genre. He is highly influential for a lot of bands and also moved to that style in the 80s and 90s. Moreover, a lot of his shock rock antics have come to mold the metal genre. Therefore, his 1969 concert in Toronto has to be one of the most controversial performances in metal history.
The then-Alice Cooper band secured a place at the Toronto Rock ‘n’ Roll Revival Festival, which was considered a breakthrough for them. This group was yet to be considered successful, so they needed to make a stand… and they kind of did here.
As the band was performing, a fan threw a chicken at them. The creature was alive and Alice Cooper, out of fully admitted ignorance, threw it back at them. “It’s a bird, you know. I’m from Detroit. I don’t know if — chickens got wings,” said Cooper in an interview, explaining what he did. “It’ll fly”.
The fans destroyed the chicken by accident. However, the press caught wind of this and ran it as if Alice Cooper had eaten the creature alive. This resulted in an event that the band had to answer to in every interview they did. To think that this performance happened in 1969 and is still talked about says a lot.
