In the world of live performances, anything can happen. From equipment failure to fights and everything in between, you have to be prepared to expect the unexpected. Not everyone is ready for the challenge of staying calm, being sober (or pretending to be) and keeping composure in front of a huge crowd.
We all have our moments and of course we try and forgive others for theirs, but some things just can’t be forgotten. This list is dedicated to the most memorable on-stage mishaps, meltdowns and maledictions of all time.
1. MiMOSA Pours Grey Goose On Downlink
When the production team at Mystic Music Festival made a slight change in set times, MiMOSA went over his time slot and starts playing into Downlink’s. Naturally, staff members attempted to notify MiMOSA of the overlap, but instead of wrapping up his set he threw the mic down on the CDJs and storms off.
Though, when he returned to the stage to find his equipment unplugged, he grabbed the mic and proceeded to yell “F*ck Downlink” to the crowd. MiMOSA then left to snag up a bottle of Grey Goose that he went ahead and poured all over Downlink before quickly being escorted off stage.
MiMOSA’s diva antics earns him a solid place on our “Most Memorable Meltdowns” list not once, but twice (again below). We may even go as far as to say that he’s inspired us to publish this article. Congrats, MiMOSA. You’ve earned it!…
2. Calvin Harris Calls His Own Fan A “Dumb B*tch”
At LIV Nightclub in Miami in 2013 a fan yelled at Calvin Harris from the crowd in an effort to encourage him to “play something original,” over all accusing the star of being a sellout. To this he humbly responded with:
“Why do you come to a f*cking Calvin Harris show where Calvin Harris is DJing and don’t want to hear a f*cking Calvin Harris record you DUMB F*CKING BITCH.”
Well said, sir. How dare she call the Calvin “the great” a sellout!
3. Dillon Francis Freaks Out On A Drunk Girl At Holy Ship!!!
This is a story of how one girl takes the term “sloppy drunk” to a whole new level and faces the humiliation of a lifetime. While innocently swaying nearby Mr. Francis’ DJ equipment, a female accidentally knocks her drink all over his computer.
Not even a minute into his Holy Ship!!! set, his equipment shorted out and he is unable to perform. Understandably, Dillon was infuriated, which resulted in him putting the girl on blast in front of a crowd of angry fans – on a boat where there is no escape from the shame!
For Dillon, there will be other shows, but I would imagine that “f*cking retarded girl” will be living with a permanent emotional scar for quite some time. Rightfully so.
4. Skrillex Stops Show After Fan Throws A Beer Can At Him
After being hit with a full beer can (ouch) in 2011 at the NeverSayNever Festival in Texas, Skrillex stops the music to find the culprit and curse him out. He goes on to express his love and dedication to his fans, citing his lack of sleep as well as the thousands of miles he travelled to be there.
Lucky for that guy, Skrillex called for no violence and asked fans not to beat the fan up on the way out. All in all, the disrespectful fan gave Skrillex a bruised rib and got off with nothing more than an adorable little rant from one of the nicest guys in EDM. Cheers to being the better man, Skrilly.
5. Feed Me Makes Datsik Vomit
The story recanted by Feed Me himself for Clash Music goes as follows…
Once upon a time at EDC Denver, Feed Me was cleared from the stage after spitting a drink at some people and riding on someone’s back. Instead of taking the hint from security and enjoying the rest of the night, he decided to get clever and grab a nearby fire extinguisher for what he thought was a little prank.
After casually walking back on-stage, he had a friend pass him the extinguisher through a hole in the stage floor and he blasted Datsik with the foamy substance. Unfortunately for everyone, it happened to be a harsh chemical powder instead of a CO2 based fire retardant. Datsik began vomiting on-stage and the crowd was choked by the fumes.
Not the most well thought out prank but no harm no foul, right? Right?? Well… maybe not this time.
6. Deadmau5 Collapses On-Stage At The 930 Club
In 2010, while performing at the 930 Club in Washington, DC, Deadmau5 abruptly collapses in the middle of “Strobe” and began vomiting on-stage before ending the show completely. Management later cited “fatigue” as the cause and went on to cancel the next nine scheduled stops on his tour.
Skeptics then generated a huge buzz around the speculation that drugs were the real problem, but as rumors go, they were quickly dismissed. Deadmau5 has since proclaimed his health and sobriety above all and has yet to cancel another show due to exhaustion. This viral video; however, is not one that will soon be forgotten.
7. Robb G Makes His Biggest Fan Cry
Imagine if your job required you to interact with drunk people every. single. day. I’m sure after one has been DJing for some time, those annoying encounters with the inebriated are more than enough to push the most patient person over the edge.
From the sloppy chicks who induce a heart attack every time they approach the DJ booth with their sploshing drinks to the ones who just won’t leave you alone, we say: pimpin’ ain’t easy. In this clip you can see an overbearing fan get put in her place which is… back in the crowd, where she belongs.
As shown on his website and YouTube, Robb G had this to say in his defense –
“This girl came up to me and harassed me 3 times while I was playing. She was upset that I wasn’t paying enough attention to her and her friend dancing on-stage. Rubbing herself on me and yelling in my ear. The first time I was very polite. The second time I was firm and told her I’d be rude if there was a 3rd time. What you see in this video is the 3rd time and final time. I was in the tail-end of a layered 3 minute mix with both volumes at 10 and she came over, pulled on my headphone cord while yelling at me.”
8. Bassnectar Stops Show To Scold A Fan For Fighting
After being removed from a Bassnectar show in Rochester, a fan reached out to Lorin via Facebook to share his side of the story. In response, Bassnectar defended his decision to remove the fan from his show after he witnessed a fight break out in front of the stage – ‘nectar preaches peace to all guests at his shows no matter what the situation may be.
“Eric Holmes – Hey man. First off: THANK YOU for writing your response. It takes courage to do that, and I can see that you are a well-meaning person and not just an idiot.
When I was looking out at the crowd (which was beautiful! like i said, id never imagine 4,500 people would show up in Rochester!!!!) i noticed that the front center was JAMMMMED. Like almost too tight, and that’s why i played the “We don’t cause trouble and we don’t bother nobody” because I was hoping to kind of remind everyone ‘ok i bet it is intense out there, please take care of each other.’
Then i saw you hit that guy (in the back of the head.) and i told my security team to kick you out. I was also pretty sure there were two sides to the story, and unless you are a complete LUNATIC you must have some reason for wanting to do that. (I should also note that guy you were hitting was HUGE, and I was actually afraid he was gonna turn around and lay you out, seriously, what were you thinking).
The fact is, even if this guy had hit you first, YOU SHOULD NOT TAKE MATTERS INTO YOUR OWN HANDS. YOU SHOULD NOT BE VIOLENT TO OTHER PEOPLE. AND ESPECIALLY NOT IN THE CENTER OF A BIG CROWD. Imagine how many more people would have gotten hurt if a brawl broke out.
So anyhow, I was pretty sure that guy must have done something to upset you, but IT WAS TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE to watch you just hitting him (like ten times in the back of the head. huh???) and If i was you I would have done this: FIRST, accept that it is a lame situation, and someone else wronged you.
It sucks, it is unfortunate, and it is unfair, but you can stop the drama there by just moving. Is that just? Nope. Do you deserve that? HELL NO. But, since you were wronged, if you let it go and let THAT guy be an ass, at least you aren’t continuing the cycle of idiocy, and you are contributing to making the event and the atmosphere peaceful and connected.
SECONDLY, move to another position so you and your girl feel safe.
THIRD, if you feel the need to ‘right the wrong’ go get Security Staff. I acknowledge the likelihood of trying to drag some hella-busy security guard over into a crowded place and explaining your situation in front of loud speakers sounds hellish and probably not gonna solve anything, but that’s better than punching someone. Instead, you started attacking another human being, possibly seriously injuring him, possibly risking yourself being attacked back, and also risking the safety of everyone around you. I watched you for like 2 minutes and nobody was provoking you.
So I want to be clear that I am glad you were kicked out because your behavior was unacceptable. I am sorry this happened because you seem like a nice guy, but you handled this situation very badly, and i hope you learned a lesson.
Please tell your girlfriend i am sorry she had to deal with this too, it sounds very frustrating, and I want you to know you are welcome back again, because you seem like a genuinely nice person. Please do not ever hit anyone again, and most definitely do not do it at a Bassnectar show. Thanks! –Lorin”
Bassnectar first scolds the fan for fighting and has him removed:
Then he apologizes to the audience while also applauding the other kid for not fighting back:
9. MiMOSA Rants On-Stage After Fan Throws Styrofoam
Surprise surprise, like we said, MiMOSA made our list again! This time instead of attacking a fellow DJ, he turns his aggression to an audience member who happened to get a little too excited and threw a lightweight foam glow stick on-stage.
Who knows, maybe that fan meant for it to be a gift to the artist, or maybe they were just being dumb. Regardless, MiMOSA chose to stop the music and yell obscenities at the fan before making a very dramatic exit. Oh and after he finished his temper tantrum he came back. “Just kidding guys! Hope you still want to see me DJ!”… derp.
10. Riff Raff Threatens To Beat Up Fans
He may not be the most respected man in music due to his “questionable” off-stage activities, but when the camera is rolling he has an image to uphold. This time Riff Raff was performing at the Ohio University Half-Time Festival when he was suddenly struck by a flying beer can launched from the crowd.
He immediately stopped the music and began shouting to find who was responsible for the indignity, but no one came forward. Perhaps Riff Raff’s threats to “whoop his b*tch ass” were just too intimidating. I mean… those sideburns alone scream “I mean business”.
In the end, Riff Raff cancelled the rest of his performance and spent the remainder of the night crushing beers with the locals to release his frustrations. Maybe now people will know better than to disrespect such an eloquent artist. Riff Raff ain’t nothing to f*ck with.
11. Kerri Chandler, Rants About Not Playing “Commercial Sh*t”
We’ve all witnessed the backlash against commercialism in electronic music as more and more artists come forward to speak out on behalf of musical integrity. This rant; however, takes the cake when it comes to getting the point across and who better to deliver the message against mainstream than deep house don, Kerri Chandler?
Before performing at DJ Deep’s Legends Reunion party at Rex Nightclub in Paris, Kerri Chandler felt compelled to tell the crowd that he “does not play commercial sh*t” and if you like “commercial sh*t” then he will pay you to “get the f*ck out”.
I think fans really appreciated the heads up. Don’t you?
Share On
