.png)
From guitar-burning stunts to rooftop concerts and even fatal karaoke disputes, this list chronicles some of the most outrageous and memorable moments that have defined the wild and unpredictable world of classic rock.
On March 31, 1967 at the Astoria in London, Jimi Hendrix doused his guitar in lighter fluid and set it on fire as his band jammed, causing flames to soar 4 feet high and burning his hands in the process.
This stunt, cooked up by Hendrix and his manager to stand out on a crowded tour lineup, became one of Hendrix's signature moves and helped launch him to new levels of stardom, though it upset the headlining act he upstaged.
In 1982, Ozzy Osbourne bit the head off a bat on stage in Des Moines, thinking it was a rubber toy, but it was actually a dead bat snuck into the venue by a 17-year-old fan who had stored it in his freezer for weeks.
The outrageous stunt sent Ozzy to the hospital for rabies shots and generated huge publicity, cementing his wild man reputation.
In 1966, The Beatles were nearly banned from the Philippines after unintentionally snubbing the First Lady Imelda Marcos by skipping a party she threw for them, leading to the band being violently attacked by an angry mob as they tried to leave the country.
Although the "Fab Four" were eventually acquitted after Paul McCartney apologized on local radio, the harrowing incident contributed to their decision to stop touring.
Poor planning, budget cuts, high temperatures, inadequate security and sanitation, and a disgruntled crowd combined to create a "perfect cocktail" of chaos at Woodstock '99, leading to riots, looting, arson fires, and reports of sexual assaults.
Organizers faced criticism for booking a lineup of angry, heavy nu-metal acts like Limp Bizkit, whose frontman encouraged the crowd to "break stuff" right before the crowd turned violent.
Bob Dylan shocked the folk music world in 1965 when he performed an electric set with a rock band at the Newport Folk Festival, abandoning his trademark acoustic sound.
The crowd's reaction included a mix of boos and cheers, with some fans feeling betrayed that Dylan had "gone electric," although debate persists over whether the boos were due to the poor sound quality or Dylan's perceived abandonment of the folk genre that had made him famous.
In the Philippines, a spate of fatal disputes arose from the singing of Frank Sinatra's "My Way" in karaoke bars, leading to the phenomenon being dubbed the "'My Way' killings" by local newspapers.
Theories for why this particular song triggered violence range from the popularity of the song in a society with widespread karaoke singing and high rates of violence and drinking, to the song's perceived arrogant and aggressive lyrics potentially inflaming tensions.
The Who drummer Keith Moon allegedly drove a Lincoln Continental into the swimming pool of a Holiday Inn in Flint, Michigan while celebrating his 21st birthday in 1967.
The story goes that after a raucous party involving a huge food fight and property damage, Moon jumped into the car which rolled into the pool, forcing him to wait until it filled with water before escaping and returning to the party soaking wet.
The Beatles staged their final live performance as a surprise rooftop concert on January 30, 1969 atop the Apple Corps headquarters at 3 Savile Row in London, playing a 42-minute set before the Metropolitan Police ordered them to reduce the volume.
With keyboardist Billy Preston joining the band, they played nine takes of five songs in front of delighted spectators on nearby rooftops and in the streets below, ending with an iconic quip from John Lennon: "I'd like to say thank you on behalf of the group and ourselves, and I hope we've passed the audition."
.png){kind=logo}
.webp)
.webp)
.webp)