When live performances go wrong, they go REALLY wrong! Join us as we count down our picks for the most cringe-worthy, jaw-dropping stage mishaps in music history. Our list includes everything from embarrassing lip-sync failures to bizarre animal attacks and explosive disasters that left both performers and audiences utterly shocked!
00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the top 10 totally bizarre
00:13and awkward on-stage moments involving some of the biggest music superstars on the planet.
00:1810. Kings of Leon Pigeon Attack
00:31It doesn't matter how famous your band gets, not everyone is going to be a fan.
00:41In Kings of Leon's case, their music seemed to earn them the immediate pushback by a group of
00:46pigeons who repeatedly defecated on them during their performance.
00:54Supposedly, their bassist even got some in his mouth, which is pretty grim. However,
00:59instead of battling on and dealing with it, they decided to call the entire gig off,
01:04calling it a toxic hazard.
01:11This obviously left their fans feeling pretty disappointed, but with a freak incident like
01:16this, a judgment call had to be made.
01:269. Beyonce's Fan Fight
01:35If you've ever needed any more proof that Beyonce is a consummate professional, just watch her deal
01:40with her hair getting caught in an on-stage fan.
01:42You could say Beyonce is tangling with a fan there. Uh-huh. Yeah, that is her in concert in Montreal
01:49Monday night. You can see her long flowing hair getting caught in the fan behind her.
01:54For many artists, they'd be well within their rights to at least miss a few notes. In fact, some of
01:59them might even freak out a little. For Beyonce, she didn't let it detract her from her performance at
02:05all.
02:11Sure, the whole thing was undeniably awkward, but in the end, you gotta respect Beyonce's composure here.
02:17It was a huge song in the set, and she wasn't going to let anything ruin the moment for the crowd of
02:22fans in front of her — even a literal fan. 8. Led Zeppelin Live Aid Disaster
02:35After the death of their drummer John Bonham, Led Zeppelin understandably decided to call it quits.
02:40However, when the world of music united for a great cause in 1985 at Live Aid, they couldn't
02:45pass up the opportunity to put on one more show. The result was a very poorly thrown-together
02:59attempt at capturing their old magic. Bill Collins is a great drummer, but he was woefully misused here.
03:05The band couldn't hear themselves due to a terrible monitor setup. Jimmy Page, who
03:17looked a little out of sorts anyway, was playing a guitar that was out of tune. And on top of it all,
03:22they barely rehearsed. A total disaster by any metric.
03:267. Queens of the Stone Age
03:34Nightmare Show
03:35Queens of the Stone Age have deservedly worked up a reputation as an absolutely stellar live band.
03:49However, even the best performers have their off nights. For this band, they will be the first to
03:54admit that they had a really bad show at Rock Am Ring 2001. From bad stage injuries and sound
04:01malfunctions to dead microphones and faulty smoke machines, nothing was going right for them on
04:07this day. Still, they managed to power through and made it to the end of their set. It was so
04:18laughably bad and out of character that they all decided to commemorate the show with matching tattoos.
04:236. Fergie On Stage Accident
04:34Traffic can be a real killer, but for the Black Eyed Peas singer Fergie, it caused a true onstage nightmare.
04:405. Father, Father, Father, Father, come back, so guidance from above
04:456. Running late for a show with their band, there was no time for the diva to relieve her bladder
04:50before rushing onstage. So instead of trying to perform while simultaneously holding everything in,
04:56Fergie decided to let loose, triumphantly bucking social norms in full view of thousands of people.
05:04Yes, this does not just happen all the time. You guys, yes, it was late for stage,
05:08it was driving down the freeway, it's Friday traffic, San Diego, get some stage,
05:12we have to start the show, I'm running on, and I have to jump.
05:15Naturally, someone snapped a photo and the moment went down in history. Honestly,
05:20unless you've been in the exact position yourself, who are you to judge?
05:24Where is the love? Where is the love?
05:295. Madonna Fan Blunders
05:32Everyone must stand alone, I hear you call my name.
05:41Madonna is a legend of show business, but her veteran savviness wasn't enough to savor from this
05:46incredibly awkward onstage blunder. After noticing that one of her fans wasn't standing up to dance,
05:52the legendary diva decided to single her out. Depending on who you ask, this was already a
05:58pretty awkward thing to do. However, things went to another level entirely, when it was revealed that
06:03the fan in question was in a wheelchair. Madonna fumbled her way through an apology, but the viral
06:14moment was sealed. The fan actually spoke out in defense of Madonna, and all in all, it was a pretty
06:19innocent mistake. Doesn't make it any less awkward, though.
06:274. The Who TV Explosion Chaos
06:31They really don't make him like Keith Moon anymore. The Who's particularly chaotic drummer was well-known
06:37as a prankster and a troublemaker. Sometimes this behavior was innocent, and sometimes it got way out of hand. In an attempt to shock the living hell out of his bandmates and everyone in attendance, Moon decided to fill a flash powder cannon with 10 times more explosives than originally agreed upon.
06:59Once the band's set was done, and the small but harmless theatrical explosion was supposed to happen, Moon's plan came together. A huge explosion that caused Pete Townsend's permanent hearing damage while also setting his hair on fire. Moon himself had cymbal shrapnel lodged in his arm due to the blast.
07:21Pete's hair literally goes straight up and it stays up because it's fried and he's patting his head because it's a light. Did you feel the blast? I mean, you're the singer. No, it just blew me over.
07:383. Janet Jackson's Super Bowl Shock
07:42In hindsight, seeing how much damage Janet Jackson's Super Bowl appearance did to her career is truly shocking. Taking to the stage alongside Justin Timberlake, the performance was supposed to culminate with Timberlake ripping Jackson's outfit just a little bit.
08:02Don't be so quick to call me. He said, come on and dance with me. I want to rock your body. Let me rock your body.
08:10However, a wardrobe malfunction led to him exposing a whole lot more than anyone intended. The reveal sparked national outrage, turning what could have been seen as an awkward moment into something much deeper.
08:22The FCC received more than 500,000 complaints about that broadcast. CBS was fined $550,000.
08:31While Timberlake was able to go on with his career without any real repercussions, Jackson ended up suffering the brunt of the consequences.
08:402. Ashley Simpson's Lip Sync Meltdown
08:44On a Monday, I am waiting. Tuesday, I am fading.
08:49Pop star's lip syncing is nothing new. However, dealing with a backing track mistake can make or break an artist.
08:56Fall, sometimes I fall so fast. When I hit that bottom, crash.
09:03For Ashley Simpson, to say she handled her SNL appearance poorly would be an understatement.
09:09After the wrong song started to play out of the speakers, if Simpson had taken it in stride a little better, the whole moment would have been forgotten.
09:16Unfortunately, she decided to very awkwardly dance a little jig before abruptly exiting.
09:27She then later tried to blame it on her band playing the wrong song, even though it was playback.
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09:561. Milli Vanilli's Truth Malfunctions
10:03Milli Vanilli were a perfectly marketable pop duo.
10:13They had the songs, the voices, the dance moves.
10:16However, there was one major problem that eventually came to light.
10:20The vocals that were being cued from the emulator started repeating.
10:26When a lip-synced performance mishap showed that the pair were not actually singing live,
10:37that was one thing.
10:38It was the snowball effect of this onstage mistake that truly ruined them, though.
10:43You follow the light, but it's the wrong light.
10:48At the end of the tunnel, the light goes out.
10:52And what happens?
10:53On closer inspection, it became clear that neither man actually had anything to do with
10:59the recording of their tracks.
11:00They didn't sing or offer any input into the process.
11:04In other words, they were frontman for a project that they never performed a note on.
11:09This caused Milli Vanilli's reputation to tank overnight, and they even had to return a Grammy
11:13award as a result.
11:15Having to give back their Grammy, it's the only time that has happened in music history.
11:23But what unfortunate onstage blunder springs to your mind first?
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