Music News

Ozzy Osbourne, the Bat & 7 Other Infamous Concert Moments

Author Erica Banas // Rock Music Reporter

January 20th, 2020 7:00 AM

Ozzy Osbourne committed one of the most infamous concert moments 38 years ago today (January 20.)

In honor of this anniversary, scroll through the gallery below and look back on seven other infamous concert moments.

Ozzy & the Bat
Share
At a January 20, 1982 show in Des Moines, Iowa, a fan threw a dead bat onto the stage. Ozzy thought it was a toy bat. (Oops!) Of course, after the show was when he went to the hospital for a round of rabies shots. FUN!
Axl Rose & the Riverport Riot
Share
Admittedly, the above description sounds like an amazing band name, but what wasn’t amazing was the riot that ensued at a Guns N’ Roses show in Maryland Heights, Mo. on July 2, 1991 at the Riverport Amphitheatre. Axl Rose cut the set short after seeing a fan in the crowd with a camera, and well you know the rest: Cut to the infamous “Well, thanks to the lame-ass security, I’m going home!” line...and cue riot!
Rage Gets Naked
Share
Rage Against the Machine made a big impression on fans attending the Philadelphia stop on the 1993 Lollapalooza tour. Rage took to the stage naked and stood in protest of the Parents Music Resource Center while feedback played for their entire 15-minute set. (Google images from this moment at your own risk.)
Alice Cooper & the Chicken
Share
Alice Cooper was playing the Toronto Rock ‘n’ Roll Revival in September 1969, when a chicken was thrown onto the stage. Alice then threw the chicken back because, “It had feathers; it should fly!” Wrong! This iconic moment only added to the Shock Rocker’s legend…and likely still gives PETA fits.
L7 & the Tampon
Share
L7 was on the bill at the 1992 Reading Festival. The band experienced some technical difficulties during their set, which led to the crowd to start throwing mud at the stage. So, how did frontwomen Donita Sparks respond? She reached into her pants, pulled out her tampon and threw it into the crowd while telling them to, “Eat my used tampon, f---ers!” Never has a moment been both badass and revolting.
Jim Morrison “Exposes” Himself
Share
What’s so crazy about this incident is that decades later, no one really knows if it actually happened. During a 1969 gig in Miami, Morrison allegedly exposed himself on stage and was later charged with indecent exposure and “the use of obscene language.” There’s still no photographic proof that the Lizard King shows his...lizard, which is likely why decades later, the Florida Clemency Board issued a pardon.
Billie Joe’s Breakdown
Share
Green Day was booked to perform at the 2012 iHeart Radio Music Festival, and their set was reduced by 20 minutes so pop acts could have more stage time. Billie gave everyone an earful on stage, however, things weren’t what they seemed. This incident shined a light on Billie’s substance abuse issues, and he shortly checked into rehab.
Altamont
Share
There are few classic rock concert moments as tragic and infamous as Altamont, which took place on December 6, 1969. Poor organizing and the Hell’s Angels acting as security was a recipe for disaster and led to the stabbing death of Meredith Hunter, which was chronicled in the documentary Gimme Shelter.