20 Musicians Who Have Been Booed off the Stage
Although being a celebrity looks easy, it’s nothing something that just anyone could do. Imagine having to get up on stage in front of thousands of people on a regular basis, yeah, for most people who doesn’t sound like anything close to a good time. However, for celebrities, it’s just another day at the office – and no matter how popular and talented they are – getting up on storage requires a lot of courage. Unfortunately, their performances aren’t always met with positive responses, and sometimes they’re painfully reminded that no matter how famous they get – they aren’t above being criticized, and even booed. Here are 20 musicians who have been booed off the stage.
(Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Nickelback
Poor Nickelback. The Canadian based band has had a rough go of things over the years. Sure, they’ve had a few hits, but for some reason, people just can’t seem to stand them. The Internet is full of people expressing their dislike for the group, and some of these people have taken their feelings off of the Internet and into the real world. Nickelback has been booed off stage several times, but it hasn’t kept them from continuing to perform all over the world.
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Ne-Yo
Ne-Yo is well-known for being a pretty good performer, but of course, it took years of practice to get to that point. When Ne-Yo began performing, his act wasn’t quite as polished and his first appearance at the legendary Apollo Theater didn’t end well. When Ne-Yo, who was a part of a group at the time, began singing with his fellow group members, the crowd simply wasn’t feeling it. According to Ne-Yo: “The boos were the loudest thing and I remember this one guy in particular (who was just) as loud as hell…I remember we went backstage and looked at each other and everybody just starts crying all at the same time… We knew that was gonna be our shot and we blew it.”
(Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)
Ashlee Simpson
Ashlee Simpson’s music career was full of all sorts of snafus, and fans certainly didn’t cut her any slack. Back in 2005, when Simpson performed during the halftime show at the Orange Bowl, her performance was a huge flop, and fans were very open about letting her know. During an interview after the performance, Simpson stated: “There was some booing that went on after the halftime show was finished. If they didn’t like the performance, and that’s what it was about, then sorry to them.”
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Rihanna
With her reputation for clapping back at fans who disrespect her, it’s a surprise that anyone would dare boo Rihanna. But hey, there’s safety and numbers, and nobody likes feeling like their time is being wasted. When Rihanna hit the stage late for a performance in Australia, fans let her know they were unhappy by booing her off the stage.
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Lil Mama
Lil Mama rubbed a lot of people the wrong way when she hopped up on stage during Jay-Z and Alicia Keys’ performance of their hit song “New York” at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards. Since then, she has had a difficult time redeeming herself. During a performance in 2010 at New York’s Webster Hall, Lil Mama was booed off stage by a crowd full of annoyed fans. Yikes, it must really hurt to be booed off stage in your home state.
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Marilyn Manson
Performing under the influence is one way to make the fans mad, and Marilyn Manson learned this lesson the hard way in 2012 during a performance in Australia. Not only did the crowd, which was full of Slipknot fans, boo Manson off stage – but they also repeatedly shouted “Slipknot” while Manson was trying to perform.
(Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Lauryn Hill
For some people, a rough start is all it takes for them to give up. Fortunately, Lauryn Hill didn’t let that stop her. When she was just 13 years-old, she was booed while performing at the Apollo Theater. However, despite the extremely loud boos, Hill did her best to keep going, and she definitely did get much better towards the end.
(Photo by Scott Gries/ImageDirect.)
Lil Wayne
Lil Wayne is a pretty entertaining guy, even when he isn’t on stage, and for a while – he was even considered one of the hottest rappers in the game. Unfortunately, even at his peak, Wayne had a few rough patches, including several incidents in which he which he was booed by the audience.
(Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for BET)
Nicki Minaj
Nicki Minaj may be “the highest selling female rapper – for the record” but that doesn’t mean she’s too good to be booed, especially when fans discover that she’s lip syncing. Although it’s not uncommon for performers to lip sync over their own tracks during performances, many fans don’t appreciate it. However, aside from not always giving authentic performances, Minaj was also booed when she took a break from performing to say that she believed that men were liars.
(Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Amy Winehouse
Sadly, Amy Winehouse struggled with substance abuse issues for much of her life, and unfortunately, she often took the stage while under the influence. Fans, who paid their hard-earned money to watch Winehouse perform, certainly didn’t appreciate seeing an inebriated Winhouse try to stumble through her songs. As a result, Winehouse was booed off stage several times during her career by fans who were unhappy with her performances.
(Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)
Cher Lloyd
At the 2012 V Festival, Cher Lloyd received a very harsh welcome when she hit the stage. Not only was Lloyd booed, but fans also threw objects and bottles full of urine while she attempted to perform. According to Lloyd: “It’s hard enough being up here, but it’s not nice having bottles of piss chucked at you. However, despite the obvious show of disrespect, Lloyd maintained a pretty positive attitude about the whole situation.
(Photo by John Sciulli/Getty Images for Bloomingdale’s)
50 Cent
50 Cent may be one of the toughest rappers in the game, but fans certainly aren’t afraid to let it be known when they aren’t feeling Fif. After about 20 minutes on stage during a performance at the 2004 Reading Festival, 50 was booed off stage and assaulted with bottles from a crowd of angry fans.
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Kanye West
With his track record, Kanye West is definitely no stranger to unhappy crowds. With that being said, it’s really no surprise that Kanye West was booed off stage, especially going on a 20 minute rant in which he accused the media of brainwashing people. It’s not that Kanye West doesn’t have good things to say, but his timing is clearly not where it needs to be.
(Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)
Madonna
With a long and successful career like Madonna’s it’s impossible to not have a few mishaps over the years. In 2012, during a performance in France, Madonna was booed off stage after fans became upset that her performance lasted for only 45 minutes. However, that isn’t the only time Madonna’s fans have booed the star, it seems that Madonna’s knack for enraging the crowd is almost as strong as her skill for entertaining them.
(Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images)
Justin Bieber
Lots of people aren’t fond of Justin Bieber, but usually, the number of Bielebers in the crowd is enough to scare of anyone who may think of getting out of line. However, when Bieber chose to do a little strip tease at 2014’s Fashion Rocks, the crowd made sure to let him know that they didn’t appreciate it. He definitely probably wasn’t expecting to be booed for showing a little skin.
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Jodeci
During the 90s, Jodeci was one of the hottest R&B acts in the industry, but unfortunately, as time went on – the group began to fall off. However, recently, they began performing and touring again, but everyone was excited to see them hit the stage again. in 2013, during a reunion show in London, the group was booed after the crowd was unhappy with the way the group sounded. After the performance, the group issued a statement saying: “he problems we had last night didn’t have anything with us. Ask wembley why we couldn’t rehearse nor proper equipment was [there].”
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Chris Brown
Chris Brown is a great performer. Usually when he hits the stage he brings his A game, but sadly, that’s not always the case. However, in 2008, while trying to dance to dance to Rihanna’s “Please Don’t Stop the Music.” Ironically, this happened a year before the infamous domestic violence incident between Brown and Rihanna. Brown was also booed again in 2013, but during that incident, he wasn’t even on stage!
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Miley Cyrus
If you’re ever thinking about booing Miley Cyrus, you might want to think again. Unlike some other stars, Cyrus isn’t gracious when her fans don’t appreciate her performance. After getting booed what does Miley Cyrus do? Prove exactly why she was booed in the first place. Over the years, she has received a lot of criticism for going from a clean-cut start to a relatively raunchy young adult. However, despite the criticism, Cyrus doesn’t seem to care at all.
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Drake
If you thought everybody loved Drizzy, you might want to think again. Last year at Coachella, the self-proclaimed “6 god” was booed off stage after only performing for 45 minutes of what was supposed to be a 90 minute set. Although most people were disappointed, others were happy to see Drake finally be knocked off his pedestal.
(Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Beyoncé
Beyoncé may be one of the biggest entertainers in the world, but even she isn’t perfect. In 2013, Beyoncé was booed at the V Festival after arriving 20 minutes late for her scheduled performance. Apparently, the Bey Hive has limits too.
(Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images for MTV)
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