musical #tbt: May 9

1964

Chuck Berry kicked off his first UK tour. The Animals, The Swinging Blue Jeans, and Karl Denver and the Nashville Teens performed in support. C’est la vie.

1978

The Tubes’ larger-than-life frontman, 6’4’’ Fee Waybill, tumbled from the stage while performing in London. Performing as his british parody character Quay Lewd, Waybill was brandishing a prop-chainsaw when he fell to the floor of the Hammersmith Odeon and broke his leg. Read up on The Tubes - this is the tip of the iceberg for these San Francisco gonzo rock gods.

How this towering troubadour took a tumble remains a mystery to this day.

2013

YouTube pulled David Bowie’s video for “The Next Day” over what they deemed graphic content. The video depicted Bowie performing in a basement bar surrounded by religious imagery. Gary Oldman, playing a priest, starts the show by punching a hungry beggar. He then dances with a hooker, played by the radiant Marion Cotillard, shown bleeding from stigmata. YouTube later admitted their mistake, reposting the video complete with an adult content warning. Apparently they made the “wrong call.”