Rock bands would be nothing without their dedicated fan bases. However, some rock bands through the years have garnered the attention of some pretty dedicated fan bases. Let’s look at a few rock outfits that are known for their particularly rambunctious or even cult-like fan bases.
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1. The Beatles
This list of rock bands with the most dedicated fan bases wouldn’t be worth its salt without mentioning Beatlemania. If you weren’t around to experience it yourself, you’ll likely never know just how insanely obsessed Beatles fans were in the 1960s.
To get a small sample of just how dedicated that fan base was, watch virtually any live performance of The Beatles online. You’ll have a hard time hearing the music over the sound of screaming young women.
2. Tool
Tool is quite a mysterious rock band, and they are known for their philosophical lyrics and unique songwriting techniques. Few Tool songs directly reveal what they’re actually saying, and that adds to their appeal.
As a result of the band’s mysterious nature, Tool fans are constantly trying to decipher their songs. Online forums and social circles dedicated to the band rarely focus solely on their music and conversations about their songs quickly turn into full-on philosophical discussions about the nature of life and human meaning.
3. The Grateful Dead
Deadheads were at their peak in the 1960s and 1970s, but many hardcore fans of the famed psychedelic rock band are still around today. Grateful Dead fans were known for following the band from city to city during their tours. They basically created a nomadic community. Being a fan of the band went beyond simply enjoying their music. It was a lifestyle.
4. Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam was born out of the Seattle grunge scene, and they are one of the only bands to have escaped the heyday of grunge unscathed. They never took huge breaks, never broke up, and never experienced any serious tragedies among the band’s members.
Because of this, many fans of the early days of Pearl Jam are still as dedicated as ever to seeing them perform live. Pearl Jam often closes their live sets with the song “Yellow Ledbetter”, and watching fans in the audience while this song is played is like watching a communal spiritual experience.
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5. Phish
Phisheads are alive and well in the 2000s, and they’ll likely continue to fill up music festivals and arenas until Phish is no more.
This community of fans is often broken up into classifications based on which Phish era an individual became a fan. “1.0” fans are the original fans of the band. “2.0” fans fell in love with Phish when they returned from a long hiatus in 2002. “3.0” fans are the new generation of young fans that first saw the band live in 2009. There’s also the “Moo Crew”, which refers to Phish fans who wear cow print en masse at their concerts.
6. Slipknot
Slipknot has enjoyed a cultlike following since its inception in 1995. “Maggots” would be the term used to refer to dedicated fans, and that term was penned by the band’s frontman Shawn “Clown” Crahan himself. According to Crahan, he picked the name because their fans “feed” off of them, and it seemed like an appropriate title.
Photo by Clayton Call
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