Even the biggest stars can face rejection from their faithful followers! Join us as we look at those cringe-worthy moments when famous musicians faced the ultimate humiliation - getting booed by their own fans. From political statements gone wrong to drunken disasters, these performers learned the hard way that audience loyalty has its limits.
00:00Now, what have I ever done that was so wrong other than believing in myself?
00:05Welcome to WatchMojo.
00:07And today, we're counting down our picks for the top 10 musicians who
00:10ended up getting booed by the very people who came to see them perform live.
00:15I'm not setting it out of my eyes.
00:20Number 10. Pearl Jam Riot Act Tour
00:24Making a very public demonstration against the current U.S. president and an ongoing
00:29war is always going to split people.
00:31How does he do it? How do they do it uncanny and immutable?
00:36When frontman Eddie Vedder wore a George W. Bush mask on stage during Pearl Jam's performance
00:41of their song, Bush Leaguer, they were met with a pretty hostile response.
00:45A confidence man, but why so beleaguered? He's not a leader, he's a Texas leaguer.
00:51It was a running theme in their shows during their 2003 tour, and the gimmick would end
00:56with Vedder impaling the mask on his mic stand.
00:58One particularly bad response in Texas, where Bush was once the governor, led to many people
01:04walking out and publicly criticizing the band's stance.
01:08Number 9. Blondie
01:14Let's be real. Blondie and Rush are not two bands that one would draw parallel lines between.
01:22Forgive the pun. However, when the prog rock giants were left without a support band during
01:34the Philadelphia stop on their 1979 tour, Blondie got the gig on short notice. Unfortunately,
01:40their brand of punchy new wave music didn't go over well with Rush's fan base.
01:46Some guy even threw a bottle at lead singer Debbie Harry's head, which she immediately
01:56threw back. After a few songs had gone by, the band decided it wasn't worth the trouble
02:01and made their exit, as Harry cursed out the audience that had rejected them during her
02:07goodbye.
02:14Number 8. Marilyn Manson
02:17Soundwave
02:18Shock rock icon Marilyn Manson was in a pretty dark place in 2012, even by his standards.
02:25Substance use disorder had become an all too present part of his touring life. When his
02:35band were booked with Slipknot at Melbourne's Soundwave festival, there was an immediate tension.
02:40Simply put, Slipknot's fans were not happy. To make matters worse, Manson came out in a
02:46clearly inebriated state and spent large chunks of his set arguing with everyone around him.
02:51The very noticeably disheveled singer left the stage with 10 minutes to go, angered by
03:03the crowd constantly shouting, Slipknot. Manson did return for one final track, but the show
03:09overall was a bona fide disaster.
03:11Number 7. Creed Chicago
03:22No conversation about all-time dud concerts would be complete without mentioning Creed's
03:28infamous Chicago All-State Arena show in 2002. The reason this gig was such a disaster? Lead
03:34singer Scott Stapp.
03:44According to those who attended, he was barely capable of keeping steady on his feet — not
03:48to mention that his voice had totally left him on this night. Supposedly, it was clear
03:54that something was awry from the moment Stapp stumbled onto the stage.
04:05After three songs, he was promptly booed off the stage — although he did return 10 minutes
04:11later. However, just because he came back, it doesn't mean things improved. Stapp fell over
04:16several times, and the band's setlist was unconfidently mumbled through.
04:21Maybe six feet ain't so far down
04:27Number 6. Dokken
04:30Monsters of Rock
04:31The last thing any true heavy metal fan wants to see is some glamorous hair metal band throwing
04:37shapes on stage.
04:38For Dokken, their music simply wasn't the right fit for the 1988 Monsters of Rock festival,
04:51and by their own admission, they were outperformed every single night by headliners Metallica.
04:56Not only did they have to deal with their own limitations in contrast to these music giants,
05:02but the band's fanbase didn't help things either. They let their distaste for Dokken's music be known
05:07at every opportunity.
05:17This went on for several dates, and it clearly took its toll on the group. The phrase,
05:21tough crowd, doesn't even begin to describe it.
05:28Number 5. Kanye West
05:32Kanye West is no stranger to an onstage rant.
05:36Man, it's so hard not to act reckless
05:39However, his 2014 Wireless Festival performance will go down in history as one of his most bizarre.
05:46In fact, to call it a performance would be a push. After just a handful of songs, West dove headfirst
05:53into a 20-minute rant, touching on a wide array of topics, none of which were part of the expected program.
05:59Instead of performing his set, the whole thing devolved into West complaining about the media's
06:09treatment of him. This showed a total lack of self-awareness. Eventually, the crowd heckling
06:14became too much. Kanye left the building, leaving everyone feeling like they got ripped off.
06:19Uh-uh, you can't tell me nothing
06:22Number 4. Nickelback
06:25Festival de Isla du Hermal
06:28Nickelback catch quite a lot of heat from general music fans, with many people ridiculing their music for
06:34being formulaic and the songwriting equivalent of low-hanging fruit.
06:38This is how you remind me of what I really am
06:44Even their biggest haters have to admit that they take criticism well, though.
06:48One legendary night in Portugal in 2002, their genius manager decided to book them for a metal festival.
06:55This went about as terribly as can be, and the band were booed offstage.
06:59Have we got any Nickelback fans in Portugal? Are you sure?"
07:06Lead singer Chad Krueger had a pretty hilarious response, though. He blamed their manager,
07:11while noting that he wouldn't want to see Nickelback on a metal festival lineup either.
07:15Number 3. The Beatles
07:201966 U.S. tour
07:23There were bound to be consequences to making a comment about your band being bigger than the central
07:28figures of the world's most dominant religion.
07:31Oh, please, say to me, you let me be your man
07:38Granted, John Lennon was kind of lamenting to the evening standard that society was placing him
07:44on a higher pedestal than Jesus.
07:46Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn't argue about that.
07:51I'm right and I'll be proved right. We're more popular than Jesus now.
07:55John Lennon quoted in the London Evening Standard, March the 4th.
07:59Of course, backlash in the United States effectively knocked him off of it.
08:03And it came just in time for a 1966 North American tour that was met with a rough reception and protests.
08:10Especially in the Bible Belt. Fruit, debris, flashbulbs, and even a firecracker were thrown at the Beatles, causing widespread panic.
08:19The biggest band in the world would never tour again.
08:23It's crazy how much of an impact one throwaway comment can have.
08:27You know, they're entitled to not like us, and we're entitled not to have anything to do with them if we don't want to.
08:32Number 2. Guns N' Roses
08:35Guns N' Roses have a somewhat patchy history with onstage tantrums, late appearances, and every manner of performance mishap.
08:43Welcome to the jungle! We got fun and games!
08:47In 1992, the band managed to kick off a riot when throat issues prompted Axl Rose to abruptly end a show.
08:54Sounds a little harsh, right?
08:55Well, the other band on the bill, Metallica, ended their set due to a pyrotechnic disaster that sent singer James Hetfield to the hospital.
09:03The pyro guy doesn't see me that I've walked back out there, a big colored flame goes right up under me.
09:08So, the crowd were already on edge.
09:11However, despite it not being entirely their fault, G&R were left to deal with the repercussions from the fans.
09:18Welcome to the jungle! It's gonna break you down!
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09:411. Bob Dylan
09:43One of the most famous examples of a musician facing backlash came when Bob Dylan decided to shed his folk troubadour image and go fully electric.
09:52Once upon a time, you dressed so fine, through the bumps a dime in your prime, then you!
09:59Over the course of that entire 1965 tour, he dealt with all manner of threats and name-calling.
10:05However, it was his appearance at the Newport Folk Festival, the site of his earlier coronation as the savior of folk, where it all went pear-shaped.
10:14Dylan and his band performed three rock and roll songs before abruptly leaving the stage.
10:22After the organizers insisted that he go back out, Dylan picked up his acoustic and performed two more, facing those who had just booed him.
10:30It was, nonetheless, a legendary moment in music history.
10:38What infamous incident of a musician getting booed offstage springs to your mind?
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