Top 10 Music Artists with the Craziest Concerts

Was there ever a concert for a band that you went to, and you were like, "Whoa, this is crazy"? Well, that's what I'm counting down today.

These are the top ten bands and artists known for insane, elaborate, violent, and totally unpredictable actions when they perform live.

1. GG Allin

   

   Kevin Michael "GG" Allin (born Jesus Christ Allin. 1956 to 1993) was an American singer, songwriter, and record producer who performed and recorded with numerous groups throughout his career. He became infamous for his extreme live performances, which included acts such as self-mutilation, performing... read more

   There's no other way to put this - GG Allin was a lunatic. I would put a picture of him up on this site, but it would most likely get reported and flagged since, in most of his photos, he's either bleeding all over the place, showing off his explicit tattoos ("Life Sucks Scum F***" with a drawing of a middle finger under it), or he's naked and harassing a fan at the concert. Allin would wear nothing but underwear, or sometimes nothing at all, as he sang for his hardcore punk band. No matter the band or concert, GG Allin would always be fighting ruthlessly with fans, whether they liked it or not.

   Allin promised his fans that he would commit suicide live on stage at one of his concerts, but he died offstage from a drug overdose in 1993. GG Allin is the definition of hardcore, and that's the way he liked it.

2. GWAR

   

   Gwar, often stylized as GWAR, is an American heavy metal band formed in Richmond, Virginia, in 1984. The band features a rotating cast of musicians, artists, and filmmakers who perform as part of the collective known as Slave Pit Inc. Known for their elaborate sci-fi inspired costumes and theatrical... read more

   GWAR is already a crazy band. The group is made up of giant monsters with balls hanging from their chins that claim to have come from an alien planet in space that revolves around heavy metal music. GWAR is basically like a non-gay, hardcore Kiss.

   At concerts, there's a tradition to kill a hated famous person as violently as possible. Over their long history of senseless, awesome deaths, some of the most notable ones have been:

   - Snooki

   - Adolf Hitler

   - Barack Obama

   - Justin Bieber

   - Marilyn Manson

   - Jesus

   - Sarah Palin (eaten by a giant space worm)

   - Michael Jackson

   - Osama Bin Laden

   - Lady Gaga

   - Kanye West And hopefully Donald Trump.

3. Slipknot

   

   Slipknot is an American metal band that formed in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1996. They're recognized as a key force in the New Wave of American Alternative Metal from the late 1990s through the 2000s. The band is also known for their black and red jumpsuits and horror-inspired masks.... read more

   Same person who mentioned the bonfire here. Some people once started a bonfire during a Slipknot concert. Like, this gigantic bonfire in the middle of the arena. Nobody even tried to put the bonfire out. Everyone was apparently moshing around it.

   Corey Taylor of Slipknot is an onstage maniac. He vandalizes concert halls and stages, throws his microphones at people, and lights stuff on fire. A microphone fiend indeed.

   Apparently, at the Slipknot concert my parents went to, someone started a bonfire. The concert was indoors. Nobody stopped the bonfire.

4. Rammstein

   

   Rammstein is a German Neue Deutsche Härte and industrial metal band formed in 1994 in Berlin. The band consists of Till Lindemann (vocals), Richard Kruspe (guitar), Paul Landers (guitar), Oliver Riedel (bass), Christoph Schneider (drums), and Christian Lorenz (keyboard).... read more

   They light themselves on fire every live concert along with everything around them using flamethrower backpacks. It gets pretty "heated" at their concerts! HAHAAHA hehe hehe heee...

   Their performance of Bück Dich got two of the members arrested.

5. Nirvana

   

   Nirvana was an American grunge band formed in Aberdeen, Washington, in 1987. The band consisted of Kurt Cobain (vocals, guitar), Krist Novoselic (bass), and Dave Grohl (drums), who joined in 1990. Nirvana disbanded following Cobain's death by suicide in 1994.... read more

   Nirvana's concerts were quite... interesting. They almost always trashed their set of drums, guitars, amps, plugged-in fans, basses, and surroundings at the end of their concerts (probably not Unplugged in New York though, lol). Kurt Cobain once broke his wrist by diving into Grohl's drum set three times during a concert.

   At the Paramount Theater in 1991, Kurt ended with "Endless, Nameless" (the only time they played it live, since the concert was on Halloween) by running around in circles, getting wrapped in his own guitar cord, falling onto the floor, and continuing to strum the guitar rapidly while spinning in circles on the stage floor. Meanwhile, Dave was banging on his drums, and Krist was smashing his bass. Kurt then got up, destroyed a small fan with his guitar, and kept smashing it until the

6. Anthrax

   

   Anthrax is an American thrash metal band from New York City, formed in 1981 by guitarist Scott Ian and bassist Dan Lilker. The band is considered one of the Big Four of thrash metal, alongside Metallica, Slayer, and Megadeth. They are known for albums such as Among the Living and for pioneering the fusion... read more

7. Marilyn Manson

   

   Marilyn Manson is an American rock band that formed in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in 1989. The group was founded by frontman Marilyn Manson and guitarist Daisy Berkowitz. They were originally called Marilyn Manson & the Spooky Kids and built a cult following in the early 1990s through theatrical performances.... read more

   Imagine that Katy Perry's Super Bowl Halftime Show took a load of cocaine, changed the wardrobe to something out of your worst nightmare, and replaced Katy Perry with a depressed Kevin Arnold who screams a lot. Congrats, you have Marilyn Manson's concerts.

   He performed a sex act with a fan onstage one time.

8. The Flaming Lips

   

   The Flaming Lips are an American rock band that formed in 1983 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. During the 1980s and early 1990s, they recorded several albums and EPs with the independent label Restless Records. The band later gained wider recognition with experimental music and elaborate live shows.

   If you're planning on going to a Flaming Lips concert, don't be surprised to see a man dressed in tinfoil walking down a strobe light-covered runway holding a giant golden staff with a giant multicolor hand that shoots lasers everywhere. Imagine what the concerts would look like if you did a ton of LSD.

9. Mayhem

   

   Mayhem is a Norwegian black metal band formed in 1984 in Oslo. They're regarded as one of the pioneers of the Norwegian black metal scene. The band is notorious for the violent and tragic events associated with its early history, including the 1991 suicide of vocalist Per Dead Ohlin and the 1993 murder... read more

   Their lead singer, Dead, would throw pig heads at the crowd and cut himself. He also carried around crosses. At some concerts, they carried Dead in a coffin. He would also have a dead bird in a bag and would smell it to taste death.

   The former lead singer used to cut himself onstage with glass and throw pig heads at the audience to weed out the posers.

10. Alice Cooper

    

    Alice Cooper is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and occasional actor whose career spans more than six decades. Known for his distinctive raspy voice and theatrical stage shows, Cooper is often referred to as the Godfather of Shock Rock. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in... read more

    "Crazy?" Nah, Alice Cooper is cool, and being creepy is part of his stage persona. His concerts are relatively tame compared to some of these other guys, and it's also one of the few I'd consider going to. I mean, it's like a cheesy '80s horror film and a rock concert all in one.

    It's like watching a psychotic play.

The Newcomers
11. ?

    Rage Against the Machine

    

    Rage Against the Machine is an American rap metal band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1991. The lineup consists of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist Tim Commerford, guitarist Tom Morello, and drummer Brad Wilk.

    Their politically charged music, which blended rock, hip-hop, and funk, debuted... read more

12. ?

    Ozzy Osbourne

    

    John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (December 3, 1948 - July 22 2025) was an English singer, songwriter, and television personality, often nicknamed "The Prince of Darkness." He rose to fame in the early 1970s as the lead vocalist of Black Sabbath... read more

The Contenders

13. Cryptopsy

    

    Cryptopsy is a Canadian technical death metal band from Montreal, Quebec, founded in 1991 after an earlier version of the group formed under a different name in 1988. The band is known for its complex compositions. Its album None So Vile became an influential cult classic in the death metal underground... read more

    The lead singer would always dig up and ingest worms on stage.

14. Iggy and the Stooges

    

    The Stooges, also known as Iggy and the Stooges, are an American proto-punk band from Ann Arbor, Michigan. They were active from 1967 to 1974 and reformed in 2003. Although they initially sold few records and often faced indifferent audiences, the Stooges are now recognized as a foundational influence... read more

    Iggy invented the stage dive. They created the punk rock movement, which had some of the most aggressive concerts ever (especially hardcore). If you can mosh today, thank these guys.

15. The Who

    

    The Who is an English rock band formed in London, England, in 1964. The most recognizable lineup consisted of Roger Daltrey (lead vocals), Pete Townshend (guitar), John Entwistle (bass guitar), and Keith Moon (drums). They are best known for their live performances and hit songs "Baba O'Riley," "My Generation... read more

16. Tool

    

    Tool is an American alternative and progressive metal band formed in 1990.

    The lineup includes Maynard James Keenan (vocals), Danny Carey (drums), Adam Jones (guitar), and Justin Chancellor (bass), who joined in 1995. The band is recognized for incorporating electronic influences and for their... read more

17. Gorgoroth

    

    Gorgoroth is a Norwegian black metal band based in Bergen. It was formed in 1992 by guitarist Infernus and is named after a plateau of darkness in Mordor, a fictional land in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. Gorgoroth is known for its raw sound and controversial live performances.

    I saw a video of one of their concerts on YouTube, and it's literally more of a Satanic Black Mass than a music concert. It's just crazy that they're allowed to perform.

    They had models covered in blood on crucifixes and severed pig and sheep heads on stakes.

18. Travis Scott

    

    Jacques Webster Jr., better known by his stage name Travis Scott, is an American hip hop recording artist, record producer, and musician from Houston, Texas. He has released several chart-topping albums and is known for his high-energy performances and innovative production style. He has collaborated... read more

    I can't believe some people got to see a Travis Scott concert and a Juice WRLD concert on the same day in 2021! Those guys are so lucky…

19. The Dillinger Escape Plan

    

    The Dillinger Escape Plan is an American metalcore band that was formed in 1997 in Morris Plains, New Jersey. The band is known for its complex song structures and high-energy performances, which helped define the mathcore genre. Although the group disbanded in 2017, they reunited in 2023 and have been... read more

20. Slayer

    

    Slayer is an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California, formed in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. They rose to fame with their 1986 album Reign in Blood and are considered one of the Big Four of thrash metal, along with Metallica, Megadeth, and Anthrax.... read more

21. Pearl Jam

    

    Pearl Jam is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. The founding lineup included Eddie Vedder, Mike McCready, Stone Gossard, Jeff Ament, and drummer Dave Krusen. The band is best known for its debut album Ten, which features the songs "Even Flow," "Black," and "Jeremy" and was... read more

22. The Germs

    

    They would vandalize every town they played in and give their fans cigarette burns as souvenirs.

23. Watain

    

    Watain is a Swedish black metal band from Uppsala, formed in 1998. The band's name is taken from a recording by the American black metal group Von. Known for their intense live shows and satanic themes, they are a prominent figure in the modern black metal scene.

    They've poured blood on the audience.

24. Shining

    Dude, Shining from Norway is crazy. Their lead singer cut himself on stage and handed out razor blades, encouraging kids at his concerts to harm themselves.

    This black metal band had one of the most violent concerts in history.

25. Nine Inch Nails

    

    Nine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock band founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. They have released eleven studio albums.

    The band is known for its dark, moody lyricism and aggressive vocal delivery. Their biggest hits include "Closer," "Hurt," "Wish," "We're in This Together... read more

26. KISS

    

    Kiss, commonly stylized as KISS, is an American rock band formed in New York City in 1973. The original members were Paul Stanley on vocals and rhythm guitar, Gene Simmons on vocals and bass guitar, Ace Frehley on lead guitar and vocals, and Peter Criss on drums and vocals. Known for their face paint... read more

27. Iron Maiden

    

    Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Their most critically acclaimed period is widely considered to be from 1983 to 1989, during which they released landmark albums such as Piece of Mind, Powerslave, Somewhere... read more