When the mic drops: Celebrity stage drama —
When Peter Frampton, pictured here in January, tells you to stop videotaping during a show, you should do what you're told. One fan in the front row at Frampton's August 3, 2014, show in Carmel, Indiana, learned this the hard way. After the fan refused to stop taping the show, Frampton took his device and threw it offstage. It looks like the audience supported Frampton's decision: He posted a thank you on Facebook to the "eyewitnesses who came forward to explain how annoying 'Team Distraction' actually were." Frampton's not the only celebrity who's had some stage drama -- which sometimes even results in a walk-off:
When the mic drops: Celebrity stage drama —
In 1991, Axl Rose kicked off a "full-fledged riot" at a Guns N' Roses show in Missouri when he stormed off the stage. According to the Los Angeles Times, the rocker didn't like that security allowed a video camera onto the premises, jumped off stage to try to grab it from the fan himself and, when failing to recover the camera, went back on stage only to drop his mic and march straight off.
When the mic drops: Celebrity stage drama —
The Windy City turned cold on Fred Durst and Limp Bizkit when they performed in the area in 2003. The band was forced to vacate the Summer Sanitarium show after a half-hour of dodging the bottles being thrown at them and weathering the chants of "F*** Fred Durst." Durst is seen performing earlier that year.
When the mic drops: Celebrity stage drama —
While in Vancouver in 2009, Britney Spears strongly wished her audience had said no to drugs. The pop star was so aggravated by the smell of cigarette and other kinds of smoke that she cut the concert short 15 minutes in. Spears did eventually come back to the stage, but she didn't sound too happy about it -- she ended the concert by saying, "Vancouver, don't smoke weed." She is seen at an earlier show on the tour.
When the mic drops: Celebrity stage drama —
In 2009, Morrissey, too, vacated the stage after an audience member used a plastic beer bottle as a projectile. The Smiths singer had barely made his entrance on stage in Liverpool when he was pelted by his fan/assailant and promptly decided to end the show then and there.
When the mic drops: Celebrity stage drama —
There was something "On Fire" for Kings of Leon's Caleb Followill alright when he walked out of a Dallas concert in July 2011. The artist, pictured later that year, complained that the intense Texas heat had gotten to him, and that he'd left the stage to vomit and drink a beer. But when he never came back, his fellow bandmates had to apologize on his behalf, saying: "Hate Caleb, not us."
When the mic drops: Celebrity stage drama —
Fiona Apple, pictured in 2012, won't tolerate a noisy audience during a show. While performing at a Louis Vuitton-hosted party in Tokyo on August 29, 2013, the singer grew so irritated with the ceaselessly chattering audience that she shouted "Predictable! Predictable fashion, what the f***?" before storming off. It wasn't as epic as her 2000 disruption, but still quotable.
When the mic drops: Celebrity stage drama —
Glenn Danzig isn't into having his picture taken, but the Bonnaroo organizers failed to mention that to a photographer covering his 2012 set. The rocker jumped off stage to confront the cameraman, and security had to be called to hold him back. He stormed off to his trailer, but luckily for fans, did return to the show.
When the mic drops: Celebrity stage drama —
At the iHeartRadio festival in September 2012, Billie Joe Armstrong didn't just storm off stage -- he ruined some instruments and dragged Justin Bieber into it along the way. Angry that his band was given one minute left to wrap, Armstrong cut off his own song with a profane tirade, reminding everyone that he's not "f*****g Justin Bieber, you mother******s."
When the mic drops: Celebrity stage drama —
When Jack White was performing at Radio City Music Hall in 2012, he decided to abruptly conclude the show after an hour on stage. Judging from the tweeted reactions of attendees, he picked the wrong fans to walk out on. He is seen here at a performance later that year.
When the mic drops: Celebrity stage drama —
Fans are usually ticked when a performer pulls out of a gig, but when Jonathan Knight did it in April 2013, concertgoers were just concerned. The New Kids on the Block member, seen in July, was performing in New York with his reunited bandmates when some of the audience began to notice that Jon was "visibly out of sync" with the rest of the group. When the other members tried to encourage him to sing, he lost his nerve and walked off stage. Later, Jon tweeted a simple apology to his fans: "I'm sorry......"
When the mic drops: Celebrity stage drama —
If you're given the option between sitting perfectly still or drumming loudly during a Helen Mirren stage performance, you'd be wise to choose the former. A troupe in London learned as much in May 2013 when the actress stormed out of a theater where she was portraying Queen Elizabeth II and used "a few thespian words" to tell the crew where they could place their drumsticks. She is seen here in March.
When the mic drops: Celebrity stage drama —
In August 2013, Brandy was all set to perform in front of a stadium of 90,000 in Johannesburg, South Africa. The only problem was her gig to close the tribute to Nelson Mandela's life had been kept a secret. So when the singer showed up on stage, most of the crowd had left. Rather than do a full show in front of the 40 people who were there, she reportedly "sulked" after two songs and walked off.
When the mic drops: Celebrity stage drama —
Given how rowdy the crowd was at Dave Chappelle's August 2013 show in Hartford, Connecticut, his abrupt exit speech was remarkably polite. "I like some of you, I hate some of you. I forgive some of you, but I don't forgive all of you." And then, amid escalating boos, the comedian dropped the mic and cued Kanye West's "New Slaves." Chappelle is seen here at an earlier performance.
When the mic drops: Celebrity stage drama —
One Neil Patrick Harris fan got carried away during an April performance of Harris' "Hedwig and the Angry Inch." When the audience member yelled out, "I love you Neil!" in the middle of the show, they got a perfectly in-character response: "I'm doing something up here, motherf****r!"
When the mic drops: Celebrity stage drama —
Like Harris, Kevin Spacey isn't afraid to shut down an out-of-line audience member. When a phone began ringing during a performance of Spacey's one-man show, "Clarence Darrow," the actor swiftly threatened -- while still in character -- "If you don't answer that, I will!"
When the mic drops: Celebrity stage drama —
If you try to covertly tape James McAvoy on stage, he has no problem with abruptly stopping the show. That's what happened in 2013, when an attendee at a performance of McAvoy's "Macbeth" was trying to film the show. Once McAvoy spotted the filmographer, he yelled at the person while still in character, completely holding up the production until the camera was removed.
