Legendary '60s Rock Band Was Surprisingly Banned From Multiple Venues — Here’s Why
- - - Legendary '60s Rock Band Was Surprisingly Banned From Multiple Venues — Here's Why
Isabella TorregianiJune 30, 2025 at 12:48 AM
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Legendary '60s Rock Band Was Surprisingly Banned From Multiple Venues — Here's Why originally appeared on Parade.
Pink Floyd may be one of rock's most iconic bands, but they weren't exactly known for living the wild lifestyle often associated with the genre.
The group mostly kept a low profile during their peak years, but that doesn't mean they didn't get into trouble every now and then.
In fact, a few venues ended up banning the band entirely — and the reasons might surprise you.
In 1967, while working on their debut album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, Pink Floyd was invited to perform at the Games For May event at London's Queen Elizabeth Hall.
The show was branded as a "space age relaxation for the climax of spring," which felt like a perfect fit for the band's psychedelic sound.
During the performance, the band filled the venue with bubbles and scattered flowers into the audience — which the crowd enjoyed, but not for the venue staff. The stunt left marks on the new leather seats, and Pink Floyd was promptly banned from the hall for 49 years.
Just a year later, they got into trouble again, this time at London's Royal Albert Hall. David Gilmour later revealed what happened that night.
"It was partly to do with nailing the bass drum onto a brand-new stage that had new wood put on," he told the BBC in 2014.
"One of our road crew was finding that Nick's drums were moving as he was thumping that bass drum. So, they got some of those great big, huge nails and hammered a few of them in to stop the bass drum moving. That didn't go down at all well."
While Gilmour was eventually invited back to the Hall, it was only as a solo artist — not with the rest of the band.
Their last reported ban came in 1975, though it wasn't entirely their fault. That year, Pink Floyd played a massive show at Ivor Wynne Stadium in Hamilton, Ontario, drawing a crowd of 55,000 — more than the venue could handle.
After the concert, the surrounding streets were overwhelmed with fans. "Residents were really upset about the mess and the people," local resident Dave Elley told CBC in 2012. "I don't think the city was prepared for the amount of people that showed up."
The chaos led to a 33-year concert ban at the stadium, which officially closed in 2012. It did host one final show, featuring The Tragically Hip and Sam Roberts Band, before shutting its doors 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 originally reported by Parade on Jun 30, 2025, where it first appeared.
Source: AOL Entertainment
