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Not every live performance goes as planned — some go down in infamy.
Welcome to WatchMojo.world where we’re counting down the Top 20 worst live performances of all time, from shocking technical fails to embarrassing on-stage meltdowns that left fans stunned.
Which live performance fail do you remember the most? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Welcome to WatchMojo.world where we’re counting down the Top 20 worst live performances of all time, from shocking technical fails to embarrassing on-stage meltdowns that left fans stunned.
Which live performance fail do you remember the most? Share your thoughts in the comments!
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MusicTranscript
00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the worst live performances
00:12ruined by the artist or crowd.
00:22Number 20.
00:23Sex Pistols, Winterland Ballroom.
00:26Some groups go out with a bang, and others go out with a whimper.
00:30You'll get one number and one number only, cause I'm a lazy bastard.
00:35During the Sex Pistols' infamous 1978 United States tour, they ran into a series of issues.
00:41Things eventually reached a boiling point while at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco.
00:46Right before the encore, Johnny Rotten announced they'd only be doing one song, a cover of
00:52the Stooges' No Fun.
00:53What followed was an oddly accurate performance, where a jaded Rotten used the lyrics as a
01:05representation of his own negative feelings towards the group.
01:09No Fun, my babe, you're no fun.
01:14After the lackluster cover, Rotten cryptically asked the crowd if they'd ever felt cheated,
01:20before storming off and ending the show and his time with the band until their reunion in
01:25the late 1990s.
01:27Ever get the feeling you've been cheated?
01:30Good night.
01:31Number 19.
01:3350 Cent.
01:34The 7th BET Awards.
01:36Performing at an awards show can be a benefit to an artist's career, as they get to present
01:41their art to a live and televised audience.
01:43Come on!
01:44You ain't gotta take your panties off, just pull them to the side.
01:47It seemed like 50 Cent was off to a great start when he descended into the 2007 BET Awards.
01:54But it soon became clear something was wrong.
01:57He skipped the entire first verse, opting to hop off the stage and do some crowd work instead.
02:02When questioned about it afterwards, the rapper ended up pinning the blame on the aerialist
02:19who inadvertently bumped him, throwing him off track.
02:22While it was an understandable explanation, it still doesn't make the near minute of silence
02:27mid-performance any less uncomfortable.
02:29See you dead!
02:32Bang the water, ladies and gentlemen.
02:34Bang the water.
02:35Number 18.
02:37The Pussycat Dolls.
02:38The 34th American Music Awards.
02:41Sometimes, all it takes is one performance to reveal a true group dynamic.
02:45I'm telling you to loosen up my buttons, baby, but you keep frottin' me.
02:51Headed by Nicole Scherzinger, the Pussycat Dolls were known for their sultry lyrics and dancing.
02:56During their appearance at the 2006 American Music Awards, they began their hit, Buttons.
03:01Without one of their members, Melody Thornton.
03:03Baby, can't you see?
03:05His clothes are flippin' on me.
03:07Things had been going wrong already with one of their chairs toppling over mid-song.
03:12Things went from odd to bizarre when Thornton suddenly ran on stage just in time for the
03:17final chorus, and immediately commanded attention with several vocal runs.
03:22The rest of the performance became a battle for the spotlight between the two divas.
03:33The timing made it seem like Thornton was crashing her own group, making it evident just how
03:38fractured they were.
03:40But I see.
03:45Number 17.
03:47Madonna.
03:47The 64th Eurovision Song Contest.
03:50Even the Queen of Pop isn't immune from flopping.
03:53An icon like Madonna performing a huge event like Eurovision should have been a highlight,
03:57but it ended up being the complete opposite.
03:59It wasn't her best vocal showing, with even one of her most iconic hits, Like a Prayer,
04:09sounding off-key.
04:10The addition of divisive political symbols only made things worse.
04:13What made things even worse was her team's reaction.
04:16Rather than own the underwhelming appearance, they instead uploaded a completely auto-tuned
04:21version on YouTube.
04:29People soon saw through the ruse when the real audio was released.
04:33In an era where practically everyone has access to a video camera and internet, we can't help
04:38but wonder who they were trying to fool.
04:46Number 16.
04:47Lana Del Rey.
04:49Saturday Night Live.
04:50Although it's hard to believe, now given her huge fanbase, her career nearly died just as
04:55it was beginning.
05:03Lana Del Rey's sudden ascension to success in the early 2010s led to her getting plenty
05:09of opportunities, including being the musical guest on Saturday Night Live.
05:13Things immediately went wrong during a performance of her breakout hit, Video Games.
05:18Her unique vocal techniques didn't translate well, resulting in a slightly disjointed and
05:23seemingly uncontrolled presentation.
05:29Her second song, Blue Jeans, didn't go much better, resulting in her being deemed one
05:34of the worst in the show's history by some on the network.
05:42While she was eventually able to overcome the rough set, to this day, she's still reluctant
05:47to perform on live TV.
05:49Number 15.
05:50Green Day.
05:51The second iHeartRadio music festival.
05:54Even if someone's anger is justified, seeing them act out on it publicly is nothing short
06:00of uncomfortable.
06:01Give me a f***ing break.
06:02One minute left.
06:04Green Day was mid-song at the iHeartRadio festival in 2012 when their lead singer, Billy Joe
06:10Armstrong, suddenly snapped after assuming that their time was being cut short.
06:14He stopped performing and launched into an expletive-ridden rant, complete with pulling
06:19rank and calling out newer artists.
06:21I'm not f***ing Justin Bieber.
06:23When they inevitably ran out of time, Armstrong and bassist Mike Durnt smashed their instruments
06:28and walked off.
06:29The spectacle was so intense that the band issued an apology and an announcement that Armstrong
06:34was going to rehab.
06:35It was a dark moment, but luckily they were able to reconcile with the event just a few years
06:40later.
06:41We'll be back.
06:43Number 14.
06:44Britney Spears.
06:46The 24th MTV Video Music Awards.
06:492007 was undoubtedly a rough year for the princess of pop.
06:53Every time they turn the lights down.
06:57With several different familial issues going on at the time, the MTV Video Music Awards were
07:03most likely the last thing on her mind.
07:05Still, she showed up to perform her newest hit, Gimme More.
07:08Although, by the end, some were asking for the exact opposite.
07:11Cameras are flashing while we're doing the dancing.
07:16From the beginning, her lack of energy was apparent and even appeared to be half-heartedly
07:21lip-syncing.
07:22It was clear she was just going through the motions, resulting in a completely out-of-character
07:27performance.
07:27She was slated by critics and her peers.
07:30And while she was able to recover professionally, it became an unfortunate representation of the
07:35personal and mental struggles she was facing.
07:40I just want more.
07:43Number 13.
07:44Oasis.
07:45Whiskey-A-Go-Go.
07:46They're as well known for their dramatics as they are for their sheer musical ability.
07:51It's no secret that the Gallaghers, the brothers behind Oasis, have an explosive relationship.
08:03That's been apparent since their first tour, when one infamous concert nearly caused them
08:08to call it quits.
08:09Liam had indulged in some chemical encouragement prior to the show.
08:13And by the time he hit the stage, it was clear just how intoxicated he was.
08:17The result was a truly chaotic night, where the singer reportedly mocked the audience and
08:27even struck his older brother with a tambourine.
08:29While the crowd didn't seem too mad, the same couldn't be said for Noel, who ended up being
08:34so upset that he temporarily quit the band.
08:42Number 12.
08:43Roseanne Barr.
08:45Jack Murphy Stadium.
08:46It's no secret that comedians push boundaries to get laughs.
08:55But there's a time and place for everything.
08:57And during the Star-Spangled Banner isn't one of those times.
09:01While kicking off a game between the San Diego Padres and the Cincinnati Reds, she was tasked
09:06with singing the anthem.
09:07As soon as she took the mic, things went wrong.
09:10She immediately began screaming the lyrics, later claiming it was because she couldn't
09:20hear herself.
09:21As if that wasn't enough?
09:22She tapped off the rendition with vulgar gestures, in an attempt to parody the players.
09:27However, it only served to make her look even more disrespectful.
09:30The backlash was severe, with even the president at the time, George H.W. Bush, calling it a disgrace.
09:37He's known for his eclectic shows, but for this one, he bit off a little more than he could chew.
09:51In the original version of Love Lockdown, Kanye utilized auto-tune to help with the sound.
10:00When it came time to perform the piece on Saturday Night Live, he attempted to emulate that by singing through a vocoder.
10:06It didn't translate well to a live setting, with the auto-tune only being apparent some
10:17of the time, and his higher notes being cut out and replaced entirely by a random female
10:22vocal.
10:22A decade later, another SNL appearance, in which he wore Trump merchandise and expressed support
10:31for the divisive politician, was also problematic.
10:34They bullied me backstage, they said, don't go out there with that hat on.
10:38They bullied me backstage.
10:41They bullied me!
10:42Number 10.
10:44Carolyn Marcille, Quebec Coliseum
10:46It's one thing to sing the national anthem poorly, it's another thing, entirely, to not know it at all.
10:51What's the proudest thing?
10:57What, sir?
10:57It's one thing to sing.
10:59When Carolyn Marcille stepped up to perform at a 2005 hockey game, it was clear how nervous
11:04she was.
11:05That became more apparent when she had to restart twice due to her forgetting the lyrics.
11:10Can you see?
11:14She was determined to finish, even with the crowd already viciously booing her.
11:19She left to get the lyrics, and when she returned, she immediately slipped and fell.
11:23That ended up being the final straw.
11:26When she left the ice again, she didn't return.
11:32Well, it was a disaster.
11:33What makes it worse is that her voice sounded fine, meaning she could have pulled it off had
11:38she known the words.
11:39Number 9.
11:40Kesha, Saturday Night Live
11:43While she completely rebranded herself in recent years, she used to have an entirely different image.
11:48Known for her party girl aesthetic, Kesha's early work embodied the culture of the early 2010s.
12:00Supporters were excited to see her bring that energy to Saturday Night Live in 2010, and she did.
12:06But it quickly proved to be too much.
12:12Between decking herself out in glow-in-the-dark paint for one number and featuring dancing astronauts in
12:19another, both numbers became visual overload.
12:22It ended up overshadowing her voice in the process, and left her with a reputation that took years to shake.
12:35Given her new independence and image as an artist, we can only hope that she'll one day get a chance
12:40to fully redeem herself.
12:46Number 8.
12:47Metallica and Guns N' Roses
12:50Olympic Stadium
12:51Two legendary bands on tour together.
12:53What could possibly go wrong?
12:55The fans of Metallica and Guns N' Roses learned that firsthand after a 1992 incident in Montreal,
13:02Canada.
13:03At least eight police and ten concertgoers sustained minor injuries in the melee that followed.
13:07Things started off rough with the former, wherein a pyrotechnic issue caused James Hetfield to be
13:13burned.
13:22This forced them to call their set early so it could get medical attention.
13:25And things only went further downhill.
13:28The audience waited over two hours for Guns N' Roses to appear.
13:32When they did, technical problems of their own caused them to call it quits after nine songs.
13:37The tipping point came when Axl Rose made an inflammatory comment about quitting, causing a
13:42riot to break out that resulted in over $600,000 of damage to the venue.
13:47The band played about six songs before Axl Rose told the audience, quote,
13:51"...we got it together in Europe only to have it come apart here. In case anyone is interested,
13:55this is going to be our last show for a long time."
13:58Number 7.
13:59Mariah Carey
14:00Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest
14:04When someone is known for their voice, seeing them falter feels even worse.
14:11Mariah Carey has been lauded for her vocals since the beginning of her career,
14:15leading to high expectations when she performed for Dick Clark's New Year's
14:19Rockin' Eve 2016. Instead, they were treated to pure chaos. Her ear monitor wasn't working,
14:26leading to her becoming frustrated and letting the audience sing instead.
14:29She already is bringing her hand to her ear, signaling that she is having some issue.
14:36When the problems continued into We Belong Together,
14:39she stopped singing and let the backing track take the lead.
14:50Carey accused the event of deliberately sabotaging her, which they vehemently denied.
14:54No matter whose fault it was, it was clear that the true losers of the situation were the viewers
15:00themselves.
15:01Number 6.
15:02Milli Vanilli
15:03Late Compounds
15:04Some artists can bounce back from a bad show, and others… lose everything.
15:13In the late 1980s, Milli Vanilli quickly became household names, even winning a Grammy in 1990.
15:19Their blossoming career ended nearly as soon as it began. After a failed backing track
15:23during a 1989 Late Compounds performance, revealed that the act wasn't singing live.
15:36Although they got away with it at the moment, it was later scrutinized again after the duo admitted
15:40to not supplying their own vocals in the music. The concert and the video footage accompanying it
15:46was the ultimate proof, resulting in the two returning their Best New Artist award and the duo
15:51being dropped by their label. They weren't able to recover, making the scandal their permanent legacy.
15:56You have to lip-sync in front of a half billion people.
16:00Number 5.
16:01Creed
16:02All-State Arena
16:03You know a show is bad when all footage of it has been essentially wiped from the internet.
16:08However, the memory of this Creed concert lives on.
16:11Have you guys ever went to a rock concert and been so unimpressed that you literally wanted your money
16:16back? Well, that's what happened in 2002 at a Creed show in Illinois.
16:21Fans weren't expecting anything out of the ordinary, much less Scott Stapp being unable to
16:25perform. The vocalist who had been battling alcoholism following a car accident had supposedly
16:30been so drunk that nobody could understand him. According to Stapp's 2012 autobiography,
16:36he admitted by this point in time he was heavily using pain medication and drinking every day.
16:41After a few songs, the issue became so apparent that they were forced to stop. Naturally, this upset
16:47the audience, so much so that a few even ended up suing them for failing to finish.
16:52While the case was dismissed, the backlash was so severe that the band had to apologize for Stapp's
16:58actions.
16:58My Sacritage
17:01Number 4.
17:02Red Hot Chili Peppers
17:04Saturday Night Live
17:05While Saturday Night Live can help boost a musician's career, it can also inadvertently
17:10expose some of the cracks in an act.
17:20When the Red Hot Chili Peppers accepted the gig, they were on top of the world. But that certainly
17:25didn't make them immune to a rough set on the long-running sketch show. Their guitarist,
17:29John Fruscianti, had been struggling privately for some time, leading him to develop an addiction
17:35and fight with his bandmates.
17:42That came through during their live performance, where he appeared to deliberately play the whole
17:47thing off-key, throwing everyone else off in the process. Anthony Kiedis even accused him of
17:58doing poorly on purpose, leading to the group becoming even more fractured at their peak.
18:03Number 3.
18:052018 NBA All-Star Game
18:13There are some things an artist can't come back from, especially in the age of the internet.
18:19Fergie is known for her non-conventional vocals. While they sound great in her own music and in
18:25her collaborations with the Black Eyed Peas, it doesn't always work well in a live setting.
18:29Ruth brought stripes and bright stars
18:34This became apparent during her rendition of the Star Spangled Banner at the 2018 NBA All-Star Game,
18:42where she threw her own twist onto it. Needless to say, it didn't go over well. Her unnecessary runs
18:48and random dynamic changes confused everyone, from the viewers to the players themselves.
19:00It quickly became known as one of the worst covers of the anthem, with Roseanne Barr even
19:04claiming her infamous performance was better in comparison.
19:08This was a masterclass in how to lose everything in just a few seconds. In the 2000s, Ashley Simpson was
19:34a rising star, even scoring a spot as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live.
19:47Her first number went just fine. When it came time for her second, things went off the rails.
19:52Just as she was about to begin, a vocal track from the first song began to play instead,
19:57and the band went along with it, causing Simpson to be even more lost.
20:01In a moment of panic, she attempted to dance it off, before running off stage. While she had
20:09a legitimate health issue that explained the lip-syncing, the damage to her reputation was
20:13already done.
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20:351. Led Zeppelin Live Aid
20:38It hurts to see legends struggle on stage.
20:45When Led Zeppelin initially quit, people were desperate for a reunion, so when fans heard
20:50they would be returning for a set at Live Aid, they were ecstatic. The day of the show,
20:54three replacement members were there instead, including famed drummer Phil Collins. Unfortunately,
21:00this ended up hindering them rather than helping them. He appeared not to know the tracks and played
21:05what he wanted, while Jimmy Page struggled with an out-of-tune guitar.
21:13Robert Plant's voice had also changed considerably since their heyday, and to top it off, they were
21:19having sound issues. It was such a mess that Page himself described it as an atrocity, while putting
21:24the blame solely on their substitute drummer.
21:272. Which live performance do you think was the biggest disaster? Let us know in the comments.
21:47Did you enjoy this video? Check out these other clips from WatchMojo. And be sure to subscribe and
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