Legendary ’60s Rock Band Was Surprisingly Banned From Multiple Venues — Here’s Why initially appeared on Parade.
Pink Floyd could also be certainly one of rock’s most iconic bands, however they weren’t precisely recognized for dwelling the wild life-style usually related to the style.
The group principally stored a low profile throughout their peak years, however that doesn’t imply they didn’t get into hassle now and again.
In actual fact, a number of venues ended up banning the band totally — and the explanations would possibly shock you.
In 1967, whereas engaged on their debut album The Piper on the Gates of Daybreak, Pink Floyd was invited to carry out on the Video games For Might occasion at London’s Queen Elizabeth Corridor.
The present was branded as a “house age rest for the climax of spring,” which felt like an ideal match for the band’s psychedelic sound.
Through the efficiency, the band crammed the venue with bubbles and scattered flowers into the viewers — which the gang loved, however not for the venue employees. The stunt left marks on the brand new leather-based seats, and Pink Floyd was promptly banned from the corridor for 49 years.
Only a yr later, they acquired into hassle once more, this time at London’s Royal Albert Corridor. David Gilmour later revealed what occurred that evening.
“It was partly to do with nailing the bass drum onto a brand-new stage that had new wooden placed on,” he advised the BBC in 2014.
“One in all our highway crew was discovering that Nick’s drums had been shifting as he was thumping that bass drum. So, they acquired a few of these nice massive, big nails and hammered a number of of them in to cease the bass drum shifting. That didn’t go down in any respect properly.”
Whereas Gilmour was finally invited again to the Corridor, it was solely as a solo artist — not with the remainder of the band.
Their final reported ban got here in 1975, although it wasn’t totally their fault. That yr, Pink Floyd performed an enormous present at Ivor Wynne Stadium in Hamilton, Ontario, drawing a crowd of 55,000 — greater than the venue might deal with.
After the live performance, the encompassing streets had been overwhelmed with followers. “Residents had been actually upset in regards to the mess and the folks,” native resident Dave Elley advised CBC in 2012. “I don’t assume town was ready for the quantity of those who confirmed up.”
The chaos led to a 33-year live performance ban on the stadium, which formally closed in 2012. It did host one remaining present, that includes The Tragically Hip and Sam Roberts Band, earlier than shutting its doorways for good.
Legendary ’60s Rock Band Was Surprisingly Banned From Multiple Venues — Here’s Why first appeared on Parade on Jun 30, 2025
This story was initially reported by Parade on Jun 30, 2025, the place it first appeared.
