10 Huge Songs That Bands Refused To Play Live

Seeing a band live in concert is one of the best parts of being a music fan.

Hearing what certain songs sound like in a packed room or huge stadium can completely change the experience of listening to them, as you rejoice in the knowledge that you're not the only weirdo out there who likes this sort of thing.

Part of the fun of attending gigs is trying to work out in advance what tracks the band or artist will play. They might sneak in a couple of deep cuts every now and then, but there's always a core setlist that includes all of their biggest hits.

Well, in some cases, that's not true.

The following ten artists have all removed some of their most famous tunes from their live show repertoires for a variety of reasons. Whilst a few of these tracks have returned over the years, some have remained banished to the shadow realm, never to be heard by paying customers ever again.

Pop those earbuds in and get ready to pay extortionate prices for food and drink - we're going to a gig.

For anyone who knows even the first thing about this song, you'll know exactly why this is a tough one for Eric Clapton to bust out.

In 1991, Slowhand suffered a horrific tragedy. His 4-year-old son Conor was staying with a family friend when he accidentally fell out of a window on the 53rd floor of an apartment block.

Traumatised by his infant son's sudden death, Clapton isolated himself away from the public before expressing his grief in song form.

Tears in Heaven was written for the movie Rush and drew on Clapton's experiences dealing with Conor's accident. Through the power of music, the guitarist was able to heal his broken heart and the song's powerful backstory resonated with millions around the world.

In 2004, Clapton retired the song from his live setlist, along with a song written for his dad called "My Father's Eyes". He said that "I didn't feel the loss anymore, which is so much a part of performing those songs."

Both tracks have subsequently worked their way back into his live performances, but nobody would have argued if they'd never been played again.