Two bands whose fanbases don’t have a whole lot of overlap are Metallica and The Black Crowes. That didn’t stop the blues-rock band from opening for the thrash legends back in the 90s, however, much to the dismay of Metallica’s fans.
In fact, Black Crowes frontman Chris Robinson says they were mercilessly heckled at the gig, quipping, “We were the worst thing they’ve ever seen.”
Robinson shared the story during a May 2024 appearance on the Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend podcast. During the conversation, Robinson recalled playing a stacked lineup show, opening for Aerosmith and Metallica, in the early 90s.
The Black Crowes were first on a bill that included Aerosmith and Metallica
“We played a gig in Rochester, New York. There’s a baseball stadium there, and it was Black Crowes, Warrant, Metallica, [and] Aerosmith. We’re on first,” Robinson explained. “And I remember, I remember this, I come out of the thing, and I’m, like, wearing my bell bottom, you know. And people are, like, snickering at me. I’m like, ‘y’all motherf***ers, laugh all you want. I look cool,’ you know, like, I feel cool.”
The overwhelmingly heavy metal crowd did not love what The Black Crowes were putting out. “We went up and did the gig,” Robinson recalled, “and a lot of Metallica fans are, like, carving pentagrams and bleeding in their hands [and yelling], ‘F*** you!’ I hate you!’ We were the worst thing they’ve ever seen. But we’re still kind of street, you know, we’re from Atlanta.”
Did that ire get Robinson down? Oh, quite contrary. “I get up there, and I’m, like, rubbing my butt and looking at them, like, kissing them,” he joked. “I’m like, ‘Bring it up here, big boy.’” In response, the crowd went completely unhinged. “They’re f***ing throwing tennis shoes and golf balls and s*** at us,” he recalled. “I’m like, ‘Who’s bringing golf balls… who brought a pocket full of f***ing golf balls to this gig?’”
“So we do the gig, though. You know, some people like it, I imagine, we’re still here. But we were like… ‘F*** y’all. We’re gonna do our f***ing thing, and you can’t stop us!’ That’s part of this weird rock and roll thing.”
Chris Robinson recalled 80s hair-metal band Warrent Faring about as well
Robinson then shared what happened to Warrant, who went after them. The crowd turned on that band by name, he remembered, and chanted, “Warrant Sucks!” Immediately after their set, Warrant ran back to their bus and high-tailed it out of the venue, Robinson recalled.
Offering his take on the situation, Robinson explained that The Black Crowes probably would have received a personalized chant. The crowd just wasn’t familiar enough with them. “They didn’t even know we were The Black Crowes enough to say we sucked,” he quipped. “We would have gone out anyway. We just would have.”
“These people wanted Metallica and Aerosmith,” Robinson concluded, “which is totally cool, of course it’s, but if you really believe in what you’re doing, you go, you weather the storm.”
The post Chris Robinson Recalls Black Crowes Getting Mercilessly Heckled by Metallica Fans: ‘We Were the Worst Thing They’ve Ever Seen’ appeared first on VICE.
