Top 10 Hard Rock Smackdowns

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by: Graham Hartmann

10. Black Flag's Henry Rollins Punches Punk Kid

Henry Rollins is not one to be messed with. The guy fronted one of the most influential hardcore punk bands in history, dodged bullets during a home invasion and even starred in 'Wrong Turn 2!' In this classic clip, Rollins hovers over a rowdy fan who is constantly taking swipes at him. What resulted was Rollins dishing out eight, count 'em, eight left hand blows to the fan's skull.

09. Green Day Frontman Dropkicks a Fan

Green Day singer-guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong's slight stature may not make him seem like the most threatening dude in the world, but when a mohawked bully decided to rough up members of the crowd, Armstrong sprung into action. After playing “Geek Stink Breath,” Armstrong not only confronted the bully, but gave him a missile dropkick that would make WWE wrestlers blush.

08. Nirvana Fight Drunk Stage Crasher

Back in 1989, Nirvana were just starting to develop a following as a band on the Sub Pop Records lineup. On July 17, 1989, Nirvana were playing at New York City's Pyramid Club when a drunken fan wandered onto the stage. After nearly a minute of yelling into the mics and stumbling around, Kurt Cobain and guitarist Jason Everman took him out.

07. Axl Rose Attacks Photographer

This smackdown is perhaps the most infamous “musician vs. crowd member” moment of all time. During the middle of a St. Louis Guns N' Roses concert in 1991, frontman Axl Rose dove into the crowd to confiscate a camera from a fan. After delivering a right hook, Rose jumped back onstage and said, “Well, thanks to the lame-ass security, I'm going home.” The actions of Axl Rose led to what is now known as the “Riverport Riot.” Fans broke out into violence and destroyed Guns N' Roses' equipment, which Rose claimed to have been worth one million dollars.

06. Tool's Maynard James Keenan Takes Fan Hostage

This may be the only time a band member has literally taken a fan hostage during a live performance. At 2:45 in the footage, a fan rushes the stage only to be taken down by Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan, who put the fan in a chokehold while continuing to sing. Keenan sat on the fan and refused to let him go for a full 10 minutes. Obviously he didn't know that Keenan is a master of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

05. The Brian Jonestown Massacre's On-Stage Riot

Captured in the documentary 'Dig!,' the Brian Jonestown Massacre had invited a numerous amount of music industry representatives to a live showcase where the band was hoping to get a record deal. Tension had been growing between the band members for some time, most notably due to frontman Anton Newcombe's erratic behavior and heroin use. The band proceeded to fall apart onstage, resulting in a fight between the many band members.

04. Kurt Cobain Bashes Bouncer, Gets Bashed Himself

Nirvana were well known for their destructive on-stage behavior, but rarely did their Who-like antics turn violent. Earlier in the show, Cobain bashed some of the venue's monitors with his guitar due to his frustration with the sound. Already in a bad mood, Cobain began to hit a security guard in the head with his guitar while attempting to get back onto the stage after diving into the audience. In turn, the bouncer belted Cobain in the head. The incident ended with the six foot, seven inch bassist Krist Novoselic wrestling the bouncer away from the Nirvana frontman.

03. Glenn Danzig Gets Knocked the F— Out

“You got knocked the f— out!” OK, now that the obligatory 'Friday' reference is out of the way, Glenn Danzig got one-punched backstage at a show in 2004. During a confrontation with North Side Kings vocalist and Soulfly collaborator Danny Marianinho, Danzig decided it would be a good idea to push the giant singer. Danzig was shortly shown the floor by Marianinho after a right hand to the face. The most interesting thing is that seven years after the incident, “Glenn Danzig Knocked Out” is still the first phrase to come up after typing his name into Google.

02. Full-Scale Riot at Converge Show

It doesn't get much more violent than a most pit at a Converge show. Fans ritualistically beat the hell out of each other in the name of extreme metal and good fun. Their only mistake – taking it onto the stage. The moshing turned into a full-scale riot as a fan began stomping viewers at the front of the stage (2:12 into the video). The result was a full-scale riot as band member Nate Newton bashed fighting fans over the head with his bass.

01. Lamb of God Members Fist Fight on Tour

Tempers boil over when you're stuck with a bunch of sweaty dudes on a bus. On this occasion, Lamb of God members and crew get into a shouting match after a night of heavy drinking. The end result was a fist-fight between vocalist Randy Blythe and guitarist Mark Morton. This video is incredibly intense not just because of the violence, but the build-up beforehand. Luckily, the band members have long since made peace, but this fight is no joke.