Rock stars who walk the walk and talk the talk often get arrested on occasion. It might as well be part of the rule book for being a rock musician. Whether it’s drug-related crimes or fighting audience members at concerts, many of the greatest rock artists of our time have been taken away by police at one point or another. But few have been arrested in the middle of their tours or performances. Let’s look at a few examples of rock stars who got pretty unlucky while trekking around the world.
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Paul McCartney
The year 1980 was not a great one for Paul McCartney, at least in terms of legal troubles. While prepping for Wings’ very first tour of Japan, McCartney thought it would be a good idea to pack about eight ounces of c*nnabis in his suitcase.
According to him, he knew he “wouldn’t be able to get anything to smoke over there” and apparently thought he’d be fine to bring a controlled substance into a foreign country. When Wings travelled to Japan to kick off their tour, he was promptly arrested and held in Tokyo’s Narcotics Detention Center for about nine days. The Japanese leg of the tour was cancelled, and the whole thing contributed to Wings’ breakup.
Axl Rose
Axl Rose has been arrested many times in his life. In fact, out of all the rock stars who have been arrested on this list, Axl Rose has probably been put in a police car the most often. It’s been reported that he has been arrested well over 20 times, starting in his teen years. He was famously arrested for inciting the Riverport Riot in 1992, but that arrest technically (from what I could find) didn’t happen while he was performing or on tour.
However, back in 1987, Rose was arrested onstage after beating up a security guard during a concert. He was held backstage and was told that if he apologized to the security guard, he would be released. In good Axl Rose fashion, he refused and was promptly arrested.
Michael Todd
This one is honestly insane. Coheed And Cambria was set to perform at Comcast Center in Massachusetts back in 2011. However, ahead of the performance, bassist Michael Todd decided to walk into a local pharmacy. There, he threatened to blow the place to smithereens with a bomb if they didn’t give him OxyContin.
He got his fix, took a cab to the venue for the show, and was immediately arrested for armed robbery and possession. He didn’t get to perform that night (obviously), and he was replaced with a different bassist for the remainder of the tour. A month later, he was booted from the band.
Jim Morrison
The Doors’ Jim Morrison was famously arrested for allegedly exposing himself onstage in 1967 during a concert in Connecticut. According to the lore, Morrison was fooling around with a woman backstage. A cop (who didn’t recognize who Morrison was) ordered them to split.
Morrison, naturally, told the cop off, and he was maced. The show was delayed. Once Morrison finally got on stage, he told the crowd everything (with some obscene embellishments), and the police arrested him. Some claim he was the first rock musician to ever be arrested on stage.
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