On September 24, 2026, former Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman performed piano for over 150 rescued moon bears at the Animals Asia sanctuary in Vietnam. In contrast, a North Carolina man used metal guitar riffs and pinch harmonics to scare off Black Bears earlier this year. In a video posted to Instagram on April 22, 2026, Andy M. Phail used his guitar and a half-stack guitar amp on his porch in North Carolina. For those unfamiliar with the term, a half-stack includes a speaker cabinet and a separate amplifier head mounted on top. Together, they produce a heavy guitar sound, loud enough for genres like heavy metal.
In the video caption, Phail explained, “Dude, since these dudes broke into my Jeep and ate 5 chocolate cakes, they will not leave my complex alone. Halfstack vs da bears, (I think they call her stumps cause she has 3 legs).” Playing metal riffs on his porch worked, driving the bears back into the woods behind the dumpster.
Viewers took to the comments to point out a hilarious minor detail. It soon became the focal point of the video. The guitarist appears to have an ankle monitor attached to his right ankle. Viewers joked, with comments such as “The ankle monitor makes this go harder” and “The ankle monitor is there for the bear’s protection.” Another commenter hilariously referred to the ankle monitor as the “Irish Rolex”. Given this minor detail, it now makes sense why the guitarist is safely positioned on the porch, aside from the obvious threat of a bear. It adds to the overall success of the guitar playing, driving the bears away from a safe distance.
Other Instances Where Instruments Have Been Used To Scare Away Bears
This isn’t the only time music has been used to drive away bears. In 2024, a trumpet player used this technique at Lake Tahoe in California when a bear got too close for comfort. Mateo Mavero Duran, trumpet player for The Outlaw Mariachi Band, whaled on the trumpet, defending their campsite. Much like the video from earlier this year, this successfully scared the bear away. With these three examples, we can easily determine that bears don’t like heavy metal or mariachi. However, they do respond and take interest in classic piano playing.
Photo by George Rose/Getty Images
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