- 4 months ago
From forgotten lyrics to epic meltdowns, these musical disasters will make you cringe! Join us as we count down the most embarrassing live performances in music history. Our list includes iconic artists who had very bad days on stage, from national anthem fails to SNL disasters, proving that even the biggest stars aren't immune to live performance catastrophes.
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00:00She's got a smile that it seems to me Reminds me a childhood memory
00:07Welcome to WatchMojo! And today, we're counting down our picks for the most horrific live
00:12performances in the history of music.
00:15Dude, it's not our fault. That's all I can say.
00:19Number 30. Chuck Berry, John Lennon, and Yoko Ono — The Mike Douglas Show
00:25Chuck Berry performing a duet with John Lennon sounds like a pretty amazing idea in theory.
00:31Unfortunately, despite the mastery of these two icons, there was one small problem.
00:36Lennon's wife, Yoko Ono, was given a microphone.
00:45Now, there is certainly a time and a place for the avant-garde,
00:49and perhaps on a different day with a different band.
00:52Ono's wails would've found their place. But hearing Yoko screaming while Berry and
00:56Lennon traded vocals was a painful experience — so painful, in fact, that her mic was cut shortly after.
01:07Even Chuck looked bemused as soon as she made her first contribution to the song.
01:12It was… one of the strangest backing vocalist performances…
01:17in music history.
01:20Number 29. Christina Aguilera, Super Bowl XLV
01:25And now, to honor America, five-time Grammy Award winner, Christina Aguilera.
01:32Singing the American national anthem is one of the biggest honors that can be given to a performer.
01:37However, the repercussions for messing it up can be huge. In other words, if you get the chance to
01:43sing the Star-Spangled Banner, don't screw it up — unfortunately for Christina Aguilera. While
01:49she started strong, her Super Bowl XLV performance of the anthem quickly spiraled out of control.
01:55She forgot lyrics, accidentally rearranged them, and came out with an absolute mess.
02:00You're the land of the free, yeah!
02:08Aguilera later apologized for her blunder and hoped that people understood
02:12that it was a simple mistake. But the media had a field day with it.
02:19Number 28. Hilary Duff, MTV's New Year's Eve 2004
02:26Let the rain fall down, I'm coming great…
02:30Lipsyncing has been a part of pop music long before Hilary Duff played MTV's New Year's
02:36Eve celebration in 2004. But even though the practice is widely recognized, people still do
02:42not like seeing their favorite musician miming. And if there are any audio issues, it can do
02:48irreparable harm to a singer's career. For Duff, she was very obviously lip-syncing from the get-go,
02:54but when her backing tracks started to distort her voice, she ended up looking kinda silly.
03:04Hilary did her best to perform through it, but the damage… was done.
03:08Number 27. Katy Perry, Coronation Concert
03:18Perry found herself at the center of quite a lot of ridicule and bemusement after she appeared
03:23at the 2023 Coronation Concert in honor of King Charles. The performance itself was criticized
03:29for Perry's inability to hit the high notes of her own songs.
03:33Do you know that there's still a chance for you? Cause there's a spark in you!
03:39But listeners couldn't help but notice how awkward Perry's choice of song was.
03:44Her track Firework makes reference to American Independence Day on July 4th,
03:49the day that saw the United States break away from the British monarch King George III.
03:55It seems like a pretty peculiar thing to bring to the coronation of a new British king,
04:06and it did not go unnoticed on social media.
04:10Number 26. Oasis, Live at Wembley Stadium
04:14Oasis were at the peak of their chaotic powers in the year 2000, and that chaos was best summed up
04:27with their two Wembley performances that year. The first night was the band at their very best,
04:34and the gig was documented on their live release, Familiar to Millions. The second night was also
04:40filmed but was later considered unusable due to Liam's inebriation.
04:44He's a really professional, this gig, huh? Is he? He's a really f***ing smash hit.
04:51According to the man himself, he had spent a little too much time at the bar pre-show,
04:56and after totally ruining the performance, he vowed to never drink heavily before a concert again.
05:0225. Greta Van Fleet, Saturday Night Live
05:06Despite getting a lot of hate for being 70s knockoffs, Greta Van Fleet were having a pretty
05:17successful 2019 before they appeared on Saturday Night Live. But with the exposure of the SNL
05:24stage came some unexpected side effects. Their performance was awkward, nervous, and showcased
05:30the band's limitations. Vocalist Josh Kizka took the brunt of the criticism for his underwhelming
05:36vocals and poor stage presence. In fact, it was so derivative that some people mistook it at first
05:48for a comedy sketch, which tells you everything you need to know. Their gimmick, as it turns out,
05:54did not go down well with the masses.
06:0324. Poison, the 8th MTV Video Music Awards
06:14This performance was… interesting, to say the least. Despite seemingly being at the peak of their
06:20powers as a live act, guitarist CeCe DeVille had consumed a little too much alcohol before the show.
06:27By the time their slot came, DeVille was a mess, so much so that he launched into the wrong song.
06:33They were supposed to play UnSkinny Bop, but CeCe decided to play Talk Dirty To Me instead.
06:38He then proceeded to accidentally unplug his guitar mid-performance before capping it all off
06:43with a scuffle with singer Bret Michaels. He was booted from the band shortly after, ending their
06:56classic era. 23. Guns N' Roses, the war feel
07:02We could've very easily gone for GNR's shambolic 2014 Golden Gods Awards performance of Sweet
07:09Child O' Mine here. But for our money, no performance summed up Guns N' Roses' live problems
07:20more than their 2006 show at the war feel. After coming on stage two hours late, Axl Rose proceeded
07:27to pause the performance to hurl his in-ear monitors at a fan who was complaining about his conduct.
07:32He then got the fan in question kicked out of the gig, something he was no stranger to doing in the past.
07:38I don't really get it, man. What'd you do? Did your mommy buy you the ticket?
07:42That's why you don't care about how much you spent?
07:45Without question, he's one of rock and roll's most unruly divas.
07:5022. Limp Bizkit, Woodstock, 1999
07:54So you're gonna be able to tear things up tonight, drive them nuts, just go wild?
07:58This was really their moment. And to me, Limp Bizkit were the biggest draw in terms of why the
08:03young people were making this pilgrimage to the middle of New York.
08:07Is it right to blame Limp Bizkit for all the problems that took place at Woodstock 99?
08:12Probably not, but they certainly had a hand in the chaos that unfolded.
08:17After calling on the crowd to break everything through their classic song Break Stuff,
08:21Fred Durst and company basically incited a riot.
08:25How many people here ever woke up one morning and just decided it wasn't one of those days and
08:31you're gonna break some shit?
08:33The peace and love of the festival's 1969 counterpart was totally lost this time around. Durst even
08:39crowd surfed on the top of a piece of wood that had been pulled off a barrier by a member of the
08:44audience. Despite calls to try and calm the audience, Limp Bizkit did the opposite. Sure,
08:50they were made into scapegoats by the media, but they certainly didn't help matters.
08:55Dude, it's not our fault. That's all I can say.
08:5721. Black Eyed Peas Featuring Slash
09:01Super Bowl XLV
09:03Did anyone really need to see a collaboration between the Black Eyed Peas and Slash? Well,
09:15perhaps it would've worked better under different circumstances. But when Fergie decided to try her
09:20hand at singing Sweet Child O' Mine, the results were disastrous.
09:24And if I sail too long, probably break down and cry.
09:30Not only were the drums out of sync with Slash's iconic riff,
09:34but Fergie's vocal delivery sounded like something out of a local karaoke bar. And not in a charming
09:40way. Definitely not a performance worthy of a stage like the Super Bowl halftime show,
09:44and it was instantly heralded as one of the worst moments in halftime history.
09:4920. Sex Pistols Winterland Ballroom
09:58Some groups go out with a bang, and others go out with a whimper.
10:03You'll get one number and one number only, cause I'm a lazy bastard.
10:07During the Sex Pistols' infamous 1978 United States tour, they ran into a series of issues.
10:13Things eventually reached a boiling point while at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco.
10:18Right before the encore, Johnny Rotten announced they'd only be doing one song,
10:24a cover of the Stooges' No Fun.
10:32What followed was an oddly accurate performance, where Jaded Rotten used the lyrics as a representation
10:39of his own negative feelings towards the group.
10:41No fun! My bird! You're no fun!
10:47After the lackluster cover, Rotten cryptically asked the crowd if they'd ever felt cheated,
10:52before storming off and ending the show and his time with the band until their reunion in the late 1990s.
10:59Ever get the feeling you've been cheated? Good night!
11:0319. 50 Cent
11:06The 7th BET Awards
11:08Performing at an awards show can be a benefit to an artist's career,
11:12as they get to present their art to a live and televised audience.
11:1620. 50 Cent
11:20It seemed like 50 Cent was off to a great start when he descended into the 2007 BET Awards,
11:26but it soon became clear something was wrong. He skipped the entire first verse,
11:31opting to hop off the stage and do some crowd work instead.
11:3520. 50 Cent
11:38While he was eventually able to recover, the damage was already done.
11:4220. 50 Cent
11:47When questioned about it afterwards, the rapper ended up pinning the blame on the aerialist who
11:52inadvertently bumped him, throwing him off track. While it was an understandable explanation,
11:57it still doesn't make the near minute of silence mid-performance any less uncomfortable.
12:0220. 50 Cent
12:04Bang the water, ladies and gentlemen! Bang the water!
12:0718. The Pussycat Dolls
12:11The 34th American Music Awards
12:13Sometimes, all it takes is one performance to reveal a true group dynamic.
12:1820. 50 Cent
12:19I'm gonna loosen up my buttons, baby, but you keep frottin' me
12:23Headed by Nicole Scherzinger, the Pussycat Dolls were known for their sultry lyrics and dancing.
12:28During their appearance at the 2006 American Music Awards, they began their hit, Buttons.
12:33Without one of their members, Melody Thornton,
12:36Baby, can't you see? His clothes are getting on me
12:40Things had been going wrong already with one of their chairs toppling over mid-song. Things
12:45went from odd to bizarre when Thornton suddenly ran on stage just in time for the final chorus,
12:51and immediately commanded attention with several vocal runs.
12:5420. 50 Cent
13:01The rest of the performance became a battle for the spotlight between the two divas.
13:05The timing made it seem like Thornton was crashing her own group, making it evident just how fractured
13:11they were.
13:1717. Madonna
13:20The 64th Eurovision Song Contest
13:23Even the queen of pop isn't immune from flopping. An icon like Madonna performing a huge event like
13:28Eurovision should've been a highlight, but it ended up being the complete opposite.
13:32It wasn't her best vocal showing, with even one of her most iconic hits, Like a Prayer,
13:41sounding off-key. The addition of divisive political symbols only made things worse.
13:46What made things even worse was her team's reaction. Rather than own the underwhelming
13:51appearance, they instead uploaded a completely auto-tuned version on YouTube. People soon saw
14:02through the ruse when the real audio was released. In an era where practically everyone has access to
14:08a video camera and internet, we can't help but wonder who they were trying to fool.
14:1216. Lana Del Rey
14:21Saturday Night Live
14:23Although it's hard to believe, now given her huge fanbase, her career nearly died just as it was
14:28beginning.
14:29Lana Del Rey's sudden ascension to success in the early 2010s led to her getting plenty of
14:41opportunities, including being the musical guest on Saturday Night Live. Things immediately went
14:47wrong during a performance of her breakout hit, Video Games. Her unique vocal techniques didn't
14:52translate well, resulting in a slightly disjointed and seemingly uncontrolled presentation.
14:57It's you, it's you, it's all for you
15:02Her second song, Blue Jeans, didn't go much better, resulting in her being deemed one of the
15:07worst in the show's history by some on the network.
15:15While she was eventually able to overcome the rough set, to this day, she's still reluctant to
15:20perform on live TV.
15:2115. Green Day
15:24The second iHeartRadio music festival
15:26Even if someone's anger is justified, seeing them act out on it publicly is nothing short of
15:32uncomfortable.
15:37Green Day was mid-song at the iHeartRadio festival in 2012, when their lead singer,
15:42Billy Joe Armstrong, suddenly snapped after assuming that their time was being cut short.
15:47He stopped performing and launched into an expletive-ridden rant, complete with pulling rank
15:52and calling out newer artists.
15:54When they inevitably ran out of time, Armstrong and bassist Mike Durnt smashed their instruments
16:01and walked off. The spectacle was so intense that the band issued an apology and an announcement
16:06that Armstrong was going to rehab. It was a dark moment, but luckily they were able to reconcile
16:11with the event just a few years later.
16:1314. Britney Spears
16:18The 24th MTV Video Music Awards
16:212007 was undoubtedly a rough year for the princess of pop.
16:25Every time they turn the lights down
16:29With several different familial issues going on at the time, the MTV Video Music Awards were most
16:35likely the last thing on her mind. Still, she showed up to perform her newest hit, Gimme More.
16:40Although, by the end, some were asking for the exact opposite.
16:44From the beginning, her lack of energy was apparent and even appeared to be half-heartedly lip-syncing.
16:54It was clear she was just going through the motions, resulting in a completely out-of-character
16:59performance. She was slated by critics and her peers, and while she was able to recover
17:04professionally, it became an unfortunate representation of the personal and mental
17:08struggles she was facing.
17:1413. Oasis
17:18They're as well known for their dramatics as they are for their sheer musical ability.
17:24It's no secret that the Gallaghers, the brothers behind Oasis, have an explosive relationship.
17:29That's been apparent since their first tour, when one infamous concert nearly caused them to call it
17:41quits. Liam had indulged in some chemical encouragement prior to the show, and by the
17:46time he hit the stage, it was clear just how intoxicated he was.
17:50The result was a truly chaotic night, where the singer reportedly mocked the audience and
17:59even struck his older brother with a tambourine. While the crowd didn't seem too mad, the same
18:04couldn't be said for Noel, who ended up being so upset that he temporarily quit the band.
18:0912. Roseanne Barr
18:25It's no secret that comedians push boundaries to get laughs, but there's a time and place for
18:29everything. And during the Star Spangled Banner isn't one of those times. While kicking off a
18:34game between the San Diego Padres and the Cincinnati Reds, she was tasked with singing
18:39the anthem. As soon as she took the mic, things went wrong.
18:48She immediately began screaming the lyrics, later claiming it was because she couldn't
18:52hear herself. As if that wasn't enough, she tapped off the rendition with vulgar gestures,
18:58in an attempt to parody the players. However, it only served to make her look even more
19:02disrespectful. The backlash was severe, with even the president at the time, George H.W. Bush,
19:08calling it a disgrace.
19:1511. Kanye West
19:17Saturday Night Live
19:18He's known for his eclectic shows, but for this one, he bit off a little more than he could chew.
19:28In the original version of Love Lockdown, Kanye utilized auto-tune to help with the sound. When it
19:33came time to perform the piece on Saturday Night Live, he attempted to emulate that by singing
19:38through a vocoder.
19:45It didn't translate well to a live setting, with the auto-tune only being apparent some of the time,
19:50and his higher notes being cut out and replaced entirely by a random female vocal.
19:55Somewhere far from home, in the danger zone A decade later, another SNL appearance,
20:01in which he wore Trump merchandise and expressed support for the divisive politician, was also
20:06problematic.
20:06They bullied me backstage. They said, don't go out there with that hat on. They bullied me backstage.
20:13They bullied me!
20:15Number 10. Carolyn Marcille, Quebec Coliseum
20:19It's one thing to sing the national anthem poorly. It's another thing entirely to not know it at all.
20:24When Carolyn Marcille stepped up to perform at a 2005 hockey game, it was clear how nervous
20:37she was. That became more apparent when she had to restart twice due to her forgetting the lyrics.
20:47She was determined to finish, even with the crowd already viciously booing her. She left to get the
20:52lyrics and when she returned, she immediately slipped and fell. That ended up being the final straw.
21:01When she left the ice again, she didn't return. While it was a disaster, what makes it worse is
21:07that her voice sounded fine. Meaning, she could've pulled it off had she known the words.
21:12Number 9. Kesha, Saturday Night Live While she completely rebranded herself in recent
21:18years, she used to have an entirely different image.
21:20You build me up. You break me down.
21:27Known for her party girl aesthetic, Kesha's early work embodied the culture of the early 2010s.
21:33Supporters were excited to see her bring that energy to Saturday Night Live in 2010. And she did.
21:39But it quickly proved to be too much.
21:41I'm talking pages on our toes. China, not our clothes.
21:45Between decking herself out in glow-in-the-dark paint for one number and featuring dancing
21:51astronauts in another, both numbers became visual overload.
21:55Did anyone ever stop to think, maybe we are the aliens?
22:01It ended up overshadowing her voice in the process and left her with a reputation that took years to
22:07shake. Given her new independence and image as an artist, we can only hope that she'll
22:11one day get a chance to fully redeem herself.
22:19Number 8. Metallica and Guns N' Roses
22:22Olympic Stadium Two legendary bands on tour together.
22:26What could possibly go wrong? The fans of Metallica and Guns N' Roses learned that first-hand after a 1992
22:33incident in Montreal, Canada. At least eight police and ten concert-goers sustained minor injuries
22:39in the melee that followed. Things started off rough with the former,
22:42wherein a pyrotechnic issue caused James Hetfield to be burned.
22:46This forced them to call their set early so it could get medical attention. And things
22:59only went further downhill. The audience waited over two hours for Guns N' Roses to appear. When they
23:05did, technical problems of their own caused them to call it quits after nine songs. The tipping point
23:10came when Axl Rose made an inflammatory comment about quitting, causing a riot to break out that
23:16resulted in over $600,000 of damage to the venue.
23:19The band played about six songs before Axl Rose told the audience, quote,
23:23"...we got it together in Europe only to have it come apart here. In case anyone is interested,
23:28this is going to be our last show for a long time."
23:30Number 7. Mariah Carey
23:33Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest
23:36When someone is known for their voice, seeing them falter feels even worse.
23:41Mariah Carey has been lauded for her vocals since the beginning of her career, leading to high
23:48expectations when she performed for Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve 2016. Instead, they were
23:55treated to pure chaos. Her ear monitor wasn't working, leading to her becoming frustrated and
24:00letting the audience sing instead.
24:02She already is bringing her hand to her ear, signaling that she is having some issue.
24:09When the problems continued into We Belong Together,
24:12she stopped singing and let the backing track take the lead.
24:22Carey accused the event of deliberately sabotaging her, which they vehemently denied. No matter whose
24:28fault it was, it was clear that the true losers of the situation were the viewers themselves.
24:33Number 6. Milli Vanilli
24:35Late Compounds
24:37Some artists can bounce back from a bad show, and others… lose everything.
24:46In the late 1980s, Milli Vanilli quickly became household names, even winning a Grammy in 1990.
24:51Their blossoming career ended nearly as soon as it began. After a failed backing track during a 1989
24:57Late Compound's performance, revealed that the act wasn't singing live.
25:08Although they got away with it at the moment, it was later scrutinized again after the duo admitted
25:13to not supplying their own vocals in the music. The concert and the video footage accompanying it was
25:18the ultimate proof, resulting in the two returning their Best New Artist award and the duo being dropped
25:24by their label. They weren't able to recover, making the scandal their permanent legacy.
25:29You have to lip-sync in front of a half billion people.
25:32Number 5. Creed All-State Arena
25:35You know a show is bad when all footage of it has been essentially wiped from the internet.
25:40However, the memory of this Creed concert lives on.
25:44Have you guys ever went to a rock concert and been so unimpressed that you literally wanted your money back?
25:49Well, that's what happened in 2002 at a Creed show in Illinois.
25:53Fans weren't expecting anything out of the ordinary, much less Scott Stapp being unable to perform.
25:58The vocalist who had been battling alcoholism following a car accident had supposedly been
26:03so drunk that nobody could understand him. According to Stapp's 2012 autobiography,
26:09he admitted by this point in time he was heavily using pain medication and drinking every day.
26:13After a few songs, the issue became so apparent that they were forced to stop.
26:18Naturally, this upset the audience, so much so that a few even ended up suing them for failing to finish.
26:24While the case was dismissed, the backlash was so severe that the band had to apologize for Stapp's actions.
26:34Number 4. Red Hot Chili Peppers
26:36Saturday Night Live
26:38While Saturday Night Live can help boost a musician's career,
26:41it can also inadvertently expose some of the cracks in an act.
26:45Sometimes I feel like I don't have a partner
26:51When the Red Hot Chili Peppers accepted the gig, they were on top of the world. But that certainly
26:57didn't make them immune to a rough set on the long-running sketch show. Their guitarist,
27:02John Fruscianti, had been struggling privately for some time, leading him to develop an addiction and
27:07fight with his bandmates.
27:15That came through during their live performance, where he appeared to deliberately play the whole
27:19thing off-key, throwing everyone else off in the process.
27:29Anthony Kiedis even accused him of doing poorly on purpose, leading to the group
27:33becoming even more fractured at their peak.
27:35Number 3. Fergie
27:372018 NBA All-Star Game
27:47There are some things an artist can't come back from, especially in the age of the internet. Fergie is
27:52known for her non-conventional vocals. While they sound great in her own music and in her collaborations
27:58with the Black Eyed Peas, it doesn't always work well in a live setting.
28:08This became apparent during her rendition of the Star Spangled Banner at the 2018 NBA All-Star Game,
28:14where she threw her own twist onto it. Needless to say, it didn't go over well. Her unnecessary runs
28:20and random dynamic changes confused everyone, from the viewers to the players themselves.
28:33It quickly became known as one of the worst covers of the anthem, with Roseanne Barr even
28:37claiming her infamous performance was better in comparison.
28:40This was a masterclass in how to lose everything in just a few seconds. In the 2000s, Ashley Simpson was a
29:06rising star, even scoring a spot as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live.
29:19Her first number went just fine. When it came time for her second, things went off the rails.
29:25Just as she was about to begin, a vocal track from the first song began to play instead,
29:30and the band went along with it, causing Simpson to be even more lost.
29:33In a moment of panic, she attempted to dance it off before running off stage. While she had a
29:41legitimate health issue that explained the lip syncing, the damage to her reputation was already
29:46done. Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified
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30:081. Led Zeppelin Live Aid It hurts to see legends struggle on stage.
30:132. Led Zeppelin
30:18When Led Zeppelin initially quit, people were desperate for a reunion, so when fans heard they
30:22would be returning for a set at Live Aid, they were ecstatic. The day of the show, three replacement
30:28members were there instead, including famed drummer Phil Collins. Unfortunately, this ended up hindering
30:34them rather than helping them. He appeared not to know the tracks and played what he wanted,
30:39while Jimmy Page struggled with an out of tune guitar. Robert Plant's voice had also changed
30:48considerably since their heyday, and to top it off, they were having sound issues. It was
30:53such a mess that Page himself described it as an atrocity, while putting the blame solely on
30:58their substitute drummer. Which of these live performances made you cringe the hardest? Let us
31:08know in the comments below!
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