5 Classic Rock Bands and Their Most Controversial Moments

What’s the first thing you think of when you think of classic rock? Likely big amps, giant guitar sounds, long hair, and shrieking choruses. But there’s another aspect to the genre—controversy. Whether talking about smashing guitars or guitars on fire and hotel rooms destroyed, there is always something happening when it comes to the high-profile artists of the genre.

Below are some of the most controversial events in the world of some of the biggest and best classic rock bands. From biting the heads of animals to suing internet institutions, these events made giant headlines. These are five classic rock bands and their most controversial moments.

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1. Ozzy Osbourne Bites a Bat

Ozzy Osbourne lives by the beat of his own drum. So, when a fan threw an incapacitated bat onstage for one of his rock shows, Ozzy assumed it was a toy. So he put the thing up to his mouth, wrapped his lips around it, and bit into the neck, severing the head. As the clip below shows, Ozzy didn’t do it on purpose like some Black Magic Wizard. And in 1982 he told talk show host, David Letterman, “Somebody threw a bat onstage and I thought it was one of these toy bats, so I picked it up, bite the thing’s head off, and suddenly everybody is freaking out … I can assure you the rabies shots I went through afterward aren’t fun.”

2. Murder at a Rolling Stones Concert

On December 6, 1969, at the Altamont Free Concert, showgoer, Meredith Hunter. was killed. It happened when the British-born rockers, the Rolling Stones, were onstage. As Mick Jagger and the fellas played, Hunter approached the stage but was pushed back by the security, which happened to be a number of the Hells Angels bikers. When Hunter came back, he pulled a gun and was then taken down, stabbed, and killed by the Angels member Alan Passaro. The scene was shown in the music doc Gimme Shelter. Passaro later was tried for murder but acquitted for self-defense.

3. Keith Moon Runs Over his Driver

Keith Moon died in 1978 at the age of 32. The cause of death was drugs and alcohol. But eight years earlier, Moon mistakenly killed his chauffeur, Neil Boland. Moon, a severe alcoholic, jumped in his car while drunk while fleeing the Red Lion pub in Hatfield, Hertfordshire on January 4. Prior to the accident, the people at the bar began attacking Moon—shaking his car and throwing coins at home—who was showing off his rock star lifestyle. But as Moon rushed to leave, he ran over and killed his friend Boland, an event that others say haunted him for the rest of his days.

4. Metallica Sues Napster

At the turn of the millennium in 2000, Lars Ulrich and Metallica testified in front of Congress, decrying the file-sharing internet network known as Napster. While the band was entirely justified for its actions against the peer-to-peer network, Napster and file sharing were so popular at the time amongst young music fans, that the case brought a lot of negative attention to the heavy metal rockers. The group even lost a number of its fans, who recoiled at the millionaire’s anger toward what was perceived as the little guy. Eventually, Napster and the band reached a settlement, but the matter remains a big part of Metallica’s story in the 21st century.

5. Pearl Jam and Ticketmaster

Similar to Metallica’s fight against Napster, six years earlier, Pearl Jam took on Ticketmaster. While the ticket retailer is going through its own set of trials these days, thanks to issues with Taylor Swift’s tour and others, controversy is nothing new.

In 1994, Pearl Jam sued Ticketmaster, saying it had a monopoly on the ticketing market and that it was gauging its fans and concertgoers. Pearl Jam cancelled its 1994 summer tour in protest. It also affected their 1995 tour during which the band sought to play in non-Ticketmaster venues. Ultimately, after not working with the ticket giant for several years, the band has since decided to work with them. But it wasn’t without lots of vitriol and hard feelings.

Photo by Gus Stewart/Redferns