But in his brief time on Earth, Kurt Cobain elevated the art of instrument destruction by turning himself into the projectile. https://blog.ticketmaster.com/the-who-history-of-instrument-smashing Enjoy! Back at the turn of the millennium, this destruction-prone Texan indie-rock band could very well have been named …And You Will Know Them By the Trail of Busted Gear. Though it’s come to represent the peak moment of The Summer of Love, The Monterey Pop Festival was also the site of the most famous act of instrument annihilation in rock history. new hairstyle introduced by the Beatles. And it has been decades since the visionary, explosive rock band closed their concerts by nihilistically destroying their instruments. Monterey gave The Who a significant profile boost in the U.S. rock press. The Who would be playing with "borrowed" equipment (which of course, they destroyed after their encore of "Won't get fooled again". Though The Clash famously sang “no Elvis, Beatles, or The Rolling Stones,” they always had time for The Who, both musically and — in this case — spiritually. The Talmy -produced single arrived to little attention in January 1965. They would jump around on stage, twirl their instruments and would leave their audiences physically exhausted just from watching them. In 2000, they made their national television debut on Jimmy’s Farm Club, a short-lived experiment in televised A&R scouting hosted by Interscope Records impresario Jimmy Iovine. While Pete Townshend’s acts of guitar abuse could be seen as a natural physical manifestation of the frustration simmering in The Who’s early music, for KISS, it’s just another crowd-pleasing element of their famed fire-breathing, blood-spewing stage show. At least that is the story we were given in the audience. As they often did during that period, The Who destroyed their instruments at the conclusion of their performance. That led the band to reach out … Pete Townshend, The Who, Monterey Pop, CA, 1967 by Elaine Mayes. But though the show’s onstage go-go dancers seemed oblivious to the apocalypse erupting behind them, it did make a lasting impression on at least one person in the room: Iovine signed the band to Interscope, later calling them the “one great band” to appear on the show. Below is a video of a textbook performance of this song by The Who. In the middle, they overthrow those in power, but in the end, the new regime becomes just like the old one (“Meet the new boss, same as the old boss”). The Who destroying their instruments on stage at Monterey Pop Festival, 1967 It's a cheap gimmick to me. There was the stick-breaking drumming by Keith Moon. It was never intentional at first but became a necessary part of their act in the long run because it added to their fame as a one of the most important and influential rock bands of the 20th century. He was hyperactive as a boy, with a restless imagination and a particular fondness for The Goon Show and music. The Who's penchant for destroying their instruments on stage started off by a complete accident. Here, we commemorate some of the most memorable sacrifices to the rock gods. Alas, it’s a ritual that’s fallen out of practice as guitar rock’s cultural dominance has diminished, while the current economic realities of music-making mean that even popular bands can’t afford to sacrifice their gear for the sake of spectacle. However, a stagehand, at the request of Keith Moon, had overloaded Moon’s kick drum with explosives. But I guess it draws fans. All rights reserved. With windmill-worthy, air-drum-inducing anthems like “, The Who spent much of 2014-’16 on the road celebrating their 50th anniversary, but they’ve approached recents shows like a band with something to prove. After the group's incendiary performance on the television program Ready, Steady, Go -- which featured Townshend and Moon destroying their instruments -- "I Can't Explain" reached the British Top Ten. The Who spent much of 2014-’16 on the road celebrating their 50th anniversary, but they’ve approached recents shows like a band with something to prove. . The Who have always been known for closing their concerts with their iconic hit “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” off of their hit album Who’s Next. What Happened With David Gilmour And Roger Waters Feud. The Who, British rock group that was among the most popular and influential bands of the 1960s and ’70s and that originated the rock opera with Tommy (1969). Jimi Hendrix was also known for destroying his guitars and amps. manager of the Beatles. The story about Keith Moon on the Smothers Brothers Show is a must read. (The film’s star, David Hemmings, emerges from the melée victorious, only to toss the scrap aside like the piece of trash that it is.). But though the show’s onstage go-go dancers seemed oblivious to the apocalypse erupting behind them, it did make a lasting impression on at least one person in the room: Iovine signed the band to Interscope, later calling them the “one great band” to appear on the show. The iconic cover shot of their double-album opus. , “but nobody did anything, which made me kind of angry in a way, and determined to get this precious event noticed by the audience.” So he went about obliterating the rest of the instrument in a more theatrical fashion, much to the crowd’s delight. Pete Townsend had a famous "I'm not going to follow you on" chat backstage with Hendrix at a performance they were both playing. Being big fans of The Who, Trail of Dead used the opportunity to stage their own Smothers Brothers moment, smashing their guitars and toppling their drum set. 10 times rock bands destroyed their instruments, surroundings, and each other. captures Paul Simonon laying waste to his Fender bass onstage at New York’s Palladium club, reportedly out of frustration with the venue’s heavy-handed bouncers forcing the crowd to remain seated. Townshend felt revolution was pointless because whoever takes over is destined to become corrupt. mop tops. And others have a stage schtick of destroying instruments. And so one of rock’s most glorious/ridiculous rituals was born, one that’s been inherited by successive generations of showboating musicians with attitude and guitars to spare. News. To “win”, I assume, means the better band. The set lasted about 45 minutes and the band destroyed their instruments and gear during the climactic closer. Fun Fact:Pete Townshendwrote this song about a revolution. Anybody can thrust a guitar into an amplifier or use a kick drum as a beach ball. “I was expecting everybody to go, ‘Wow he’s broken his guitar’,” he told Rolling Stone in 1968, “but nobody did anything, which made me kind of angry in a way, and determined to get this precious event noticed by the audience.” So he went about obliterating the rest of the instrument in a more theatrical fashion, much to the crowd’s delight. Guitars, drum sets, pianos. After a handful of U.S. dates in spring 2019 (same of which included orchestral accompaniment), the band’s Moving On! And so one of rock’s most glorious/ridiculous rituals was born, one that’s been inherited by successive generations of showboating musicians with attitude and guitars to spare. In the mid 1960s, guitarist Pete Townshend of The Who was the first guitar smashing rock artist. The most famous episode of this occurred during the Who's debut on U.S. television on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour in 1967. Stefanie from Rock Hill, Sc I think the lsimple lyrics and the studdering are what make the song good. According to guitarist Pete Townshend, his first public act of destruction came about by complete accident: He was performing at London’s Railway Club in 1964 when he unwittingly cracked his guitar’s headstock when it hit the venue’s low ceiling. People just stared, including other musicians, and many were horrified at the idea of destroying instruments since no one in America had even seen this kind of presentation at that time." As singer/guitarist Paul Stanley explained in a 2016 interview, “The idea of almost ritualistically smashing a guitar is something so cool and touches a nerve in so many people that it seemed like a great way to put a period or to dot the ‘I’ or cross the ‘T’ at the end of a show, that this is finite, that this is over, it’s the climax.”. He famously burned two guitars at three shows, most notably the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival. Witness them close out a concert, and destroy their instruments in classic-Who fashion! Does anyone know who actually started this trend? But in his brief time on Earth, Kurt Cobain elevated the art of instrument destruction by turning, Back at the turn of the millennium, this destruction-prone Texan indie-rock band could very well have been named …And You Will Know Them By the Trail of Busted Gear. Liverpool. In the first verse, there is an uprising. © Ticketmaster 2021. Fun Fact:Pete Townshend wrote this song about a revolution. Keith Moon, the Who's drummer, was also known for destroying his drum set. When the band declined, the job fell to. They’re also busy working on their first studio album in thirteen years. And, of course, The Who is known for burning, breaking and destroying their instruments at the end of shows. Mick Jagger. Being big fans of The Who. The Who had a notable influence on punk, including their tendency to destroy their instruments onstage. Jimi Hendrix did it in the sixties, maybe before The Who. And on the night of September 17, 1967, all the carnage spilled into the living rooms of middle America, thanks to The Smothers Brothers. But whether you see it as a form of performance art or just a wasteful display of rich rock-star excess, there’s something inherently startling about watching a musician destroy the thing they love the most. Pete Townshend, The Who, Monterey Pop, CA, 1967 by Elaine Mayes. The Who developed from an earlier group, the Detours, and established themselves as part of the pop art and mod movements, featuring auto-destructive art by destroying guitars and drums on stage. Pete explained that the song was antiestablishment, but that “revolution is not going to change anything in the long run, and people are going to get hurt.”. Anybody can thrust a guitar into an amplifier or use a kick drum as a beach ball. Jerry Lee Lewis apparently started the trend by smashing and setting fire to his pianos during performances, but we can credit the Who with making it standard rock 'n' roll behavior. Jerry Lee Lewis is widely thought to be the first rock musician to ever “officially” destroy an instrument during a live performance. The Who were known for having incredible amounts of high energy during their performances! Though it’s come to represent the peak moment of The Summer of Love, While Pete Townshend’s acts of guitar abuse could be seen as a natural physical manifestation of the frustration simmering in The Who’s early music, for, , “The idea of almost ritualistically smashing a guitar is something so cool and touches a nerve in so many people that it seemed like a great way to put a period or to dot the ‘I’ or cross the ‘T’ at the end of a show, that this is finite, that this is over, it’s the climax.”, and — in this case — spiritually. By Staff Apr 26, 2017. Ah, yes. 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