The Covid-19 pandemic has taken away one of our favorite ways to pass time; concerts. According to Variety, the concert industry approximately lost $30 billion in revenue last year. That estimation alone seeks to show that pre-Covid, the industry was booming. Top artists like Beyonce made a killing from concerts alone, other sources of revenue notwithstanding. It draws this simple conclusion: Fans love their music. What they love more than a good song, is seeing the artist perform it live.
The last thing a fan would want after spending tons of dollars on tickets is to see the artist cut the concert short, for whatever reason. This has happened a few times in the past, sometimes due to sudden illness, anger, or plainly being booed off the stage. Hoping we have less of these moments when the world finds a new normal, we’re here to highlight the rare times musicians took a bow before it was time.
10 Drake
Rapper Drake is no stranger to the music scene. Since his 2010 debut album Thank Me Later peaked charts, he’s sold over 170 million records. Given his massive success, it came as a surprise when he was booed off stage in 2019. At the Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival, a music festival in Los Angeles, California, the crowd wasn’t too pleased with Drake, as they’d paid to see Frank Ocean as the surprise headliner. Drake gracefully walked off stage in one of the most professional storm-outs in concert history.
9 Nickelback
Canadian rock band Nickelback has been around for ages. With over 50 million albums sold, the group ranks as the most successful band to come out of Canada. Back in 2002, when the band was riding high off the Japan-only release Three-Sided Coin, they had a hard time on a Portugal stage. At the Ilha do Ermal festival, Nickelback had to walk off stage after being pelted with rocks.
8 Kanye West
Rapper Kanye West needs no introduction. He has certified himself as a creative genius, churning hit after hit over the years, and building a billion-dollar empire, Yeezy. Kanye has been known to speak his mind and sometimes, he can go to extremes, as he did with Taylor Swift in 2009. It was therefore no surprise when he walked off a Sacramento stage in 2016, after a 30-minute rant over Beyonce, Jay Z, and Hillary Clinton.
7 Liam Gallagher
English singer-songwriter Liam Gallagher rose to stardom as the lead of the rock band Oasis. He later began a solo career in 2017 that saw his album As You Were sell over 100,00 units in its first week. With 10 chart-topping albums to his name, the 48-year -old has sung his heart out. In February 2020, right before the pandemic came calling, Liam’s vocals couldn’t hold it anymore at a concert in Hamburg, Germany. He stormed off stage and canceled the gig.
6 Zayn Malik
Born and raised in East Bowling, Bradford, Zayn Malik stepped into the limelight as part of the award-winning boy band One Direction. In 2015, he left the band and pursued a solo career. His collaboration with Sia on Dusk Till Dawn, saw him top the charts yet again. At a performance in Perth, Australia, before he departed from One Direction, the singer walked off stage, letting the rest of the band carry on as a foursome.
5 Lil Wayne
Since he was 12, rapper Lil Wayne had been part of Cash Money Records, a Birdman-owned record label. Under the mentorship of Birdman, Lil Wayne became an influential artist with over 120 million records sold worldwide. He’s won several awards, including five Grammys, and topped charts worldwide. Achievements aside, the rapper walked off stage after performing four songs for a crowd in Bristow. In his own words, the crowd which was there specifically for the Pop-Punk band was ‘not his swag’.
4 Elton John
English singer and songwriter Elton John has over 30 albums to his name. He has sold a staggering 300 million records all over the world, and topped the UK charts not once, but well over fifty times. In February 2020, Elton John cut a performance at Mount Smart Stadium, Australia, short. The singer, in his seventies, had a hard time getting his vocals in check mid-concert, forcing him to end the show abruptly. He said he was suffering from ‘walking pneumonia’.
3 Selena Gomez
Recently, singer Selena Gomez revealed her intention to step away from the world of music, much to the disappointment of her loyal fanbase. At the 2013 Jingle Ball concert, the former Disney child star seemed to have problems with her microphone. When the difficulty persisted, the singer ungraciously treated her audience to the F word before storming off stage. Lucky for her fans, the singer did return to the stage and finish her set.
2 Willie Nelson
American musician Willie Nelson is an iconic figure when it comes to outlaw country, a 1960s subgenre of country music. In 2018, the country singer was booked to play at the Outlaw Music Festival in Charlotte, North Carolina. After his second attempt at taking to stage, the singer flung his cowboy hut into the crowd and left, according to Taste of Country. His inability to perform was blamed on an illness.
1 Justin Bieber
Justin Bieber rose to fame through the hard work and toil of top manager Scooter Braun. At the height of his Purpose World Tour in 2016, Justin Bieber had a tough time controlling a crown in Manchester. As a result, the artist, frustrated by the constant screaming, left the stage. “I don’t think it’s necessary when I’m trying to say something and you guys are screaming. “he said. Later, the singer came back and finished his set.