Editor’s Note: This article contains graphic information and NSFW imagery. Read at your own discretion.
Live music has a nearly unmatched capacity for surprise, though most audiences hope to encounter surprises that are emotional, instead of, say, liquid. But no matter the consistency, these moments of shock are one of the reasons we leave the house — why we undergo the hassle of public transit or parking, cram into small spaces surrounded by strangers, and try to ignore the smells. Even the tamest of concerts has an element of danger, a chance that something could go wrong. And when it does? For better and worse, that is the stuff of legends.
In the spirit of celebrating the highest and lowest that live music has to offer, we’ve assembled a list of of the most shockingly gross concert moments (in no particular order). Needless to say, this is not for the faint of heart or weak of stomach, and reader discretion is very much advised.
So put the food away, send the children to another room, and read on, if you dare.
— Wren Graves
Brass Against Singer Shares Her Number One Problem
On November 11th, 2021, Brass Against vocalist Sophia Urista really had to pee, and one male audience member offered to serve as a toilet. Nobody would complain about what two consenting adults do behind closed doors, but this was during a performance at the Welcome to Rockville festival at Daytona International Speedway, and the rest of the audience didn’t get a chance to opt out. Urista is currently facing legal repercussions, and the group has been permanently banned from NASCAR venues. — W.G.
Ozzy Osbourne Tries a New Type of Meat
A story that’s almost too wild to believe, but is in fact true, is the unforgettable tale in which Ozzy Osbourne bites the head off of a bat onstage. During his 1981 “Night of the Living Dead” tour, the Black Sabbath vocalist would pelt the front rows of his audience with pig intestines and calves’ livers, inspiring attendees to begin sneaking in various other innards to pelt back at him. At the tour’s stop in Des Moines, a fan with a particularly good arm threw a bat at Osbourne. Thinking it was rubber, Osbourne did what any good metal singer would do: make a spectacle and bite into it. The story goes that he was rushed to the hospital and treated for rabies. — Abby Jones
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