40 Interesting Facts About Concerts

Here are 40 Interesting Concert facts.

1-5 Concert Facts

1. Nirvana played a concert in Beunos Aires where the crowd threw mud and trash at the all-girl opening act. Kurt Cobain was so upset that he sabotaged the show by playing mostly lesser known songs and teasing “Smells Like Teen Spirit” without ever playing it. – Source

2. Pearl Jam discovered Ticketmaster was adding a service charge to all their concert tickets without informing the band. The band then created their own outdoor stadiums for the fans and testified against Ticketmaster to the United States Department of Justice. – Source

3. In 2012, when Taylor Swift held a public vote for where she would visit and preform a free concert 4chan users voted for a children’s school for the deaf and won the vote. – Source

4. The Beatles helped end racially segregated concerts by refusing to play at segregated events. – Source

5. Stagehands mistakenly installed a malfunctioning piano for an hour-long solo Jazz performance. The musician, Keith Jarrett, had to improvise around the instrument’s limitations. A recording of this concert went on to become the best selling piano album of all time. – Source

6-10 Concert Facts

6. During a Queen concert in the 70s, a heckler shouted “you f*cking poof” to Freddie Mercury during the middle of their set. Freddie responded by ordering the crew to turn the spotlight on the man, asking him to “Say it again, darling”. The heckler cowered in shame. – Source

7. During one particular Rolling Stones concert, four people were killed but the overall population of the concert did not change since four babies were born during the concert as well. – Source

8. The Cure once played a four-hour concert during which they played 50 songs. – Source

9. Weird Al’s parents both died on the same day of carbon monoxide poisoning. Only hours later, he performed a concert and started by saying “since my music had helped many of my fans through tough times, maybe it would work for me as well.” – Source

10. During a 2014 concert, Kanye West halted the performance of “Good Life,” due to not the entire audience standing. The person he signaled out, was in a wheelchair. – Source

11-15 Concert Facts

11. A live chicken was given to Alice Cooper in concert. Thinking it could fly, he tossed it into the crowd who tore it apart. The next day headlines read: Alice Cooper bites the head of a chicken and drinks blood. Frank Zappa told him not to deny the story saying “You can’t buy this type of publicity!” – Source

12. Keith Moon hated drum solos and refused to play them in concert. At one show, Townshend and Entwistle decided to spontaneously stop playing to hear Moon’s drum solo. Moon stopped too, shouting “Drum solos are boring!” – Source

13. Axl Rose once delayed a Guns N Roses concert from starting because he was watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of The Ooze. – Source

14.  In 1976, Eric Clapton made a speech at a concert encouraging the British audience to vote for Enoch Powell, saying that Britain needed to “get the foreigners out, get the wogs out, get the coons out”, and repeatedly shouting “Keep Britain White”. In response, Rock Against Racism was formed. – Source

15. In 2000, Rage Against the Machine performed a free concert outside the Democratic Convention in protest of the two-party system. It was controversially dispersed with rubber bullets and tear gas. – Source

16-20 Concert Facts

16. After the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert was announced in 1992, all 72,000 tickets sold out in three hours, even though no performers were announced besides the remaining members of Queen. – Source

17. In 1957, Elvis asked his audience at a Seattle concert to please rise for the national anthem. He picked up his guitar, leaned in, shook his hips and began his biggest hit “You ain’t nothin’ but a hound dog.” The crowd went wild. A 15-year old Jimmy Hendrix was there. – Source

18. At a “The Who” concert in 1969, a man rushed the stage and tried to take the microphone. Roger Daltrey punched him in the face, and Pete Townshend kicked him in the crotch. The man was actually a plain-clothes policeman trying to warn of a large fire next door. Townshend was later arrested. – Source

19. Mike Millard is one of the most legendary concert bootleggers, he would pretend to be handicapped in order to sneak in his recording equipment on his wheelchair. His recordings are considered some of the best, even to this day. – Source

20. Armenian-American metal band System of a Down once held a free concert made for 3,500 people, but nearly triple the number of people showed up. The concert was eventually canceled by police due to the large crowd, which caused fans to start a riot and destroy $30,000 worth of equipment. – Source

21-25 Concert Facts

21. Monty Python’s, Always Look on the Bright Side of Life is played over the PA system at the end of every Iron Maiden concert. – Source

22. There is an abandoned 120-year-old concert hall buried underground in the middle of downtown Boston. – Source

23. Cyanide pills were distributed to audience members of the last Berlin Philharmonic concert on 12 April 1945 as Allied forces approached Berlin and the surrender of Germany seemed imminent. – Source

24. In 1971, a crazed fan shot a flare-gun towards Frank Zappa and his band during a concert in Switzerland. The resulting fire injured several audience members, melted the band’s equipment, and destroyed the venue. This incident was the inspiration for Deep Purples, “Smoke On The Water.” – Source

25. Jack White holds a grudge against Guinness World Records who don’t acknowledge his shortest concert of all time record attempt. – Source