10 Music Moments That Shocked The World
5. Alice Cooper's "Chicken Incident"
In the late 60's, Alice Cooper was a meager garage act looking for their big break. After getting signed to Frank Zappa's record label, the band began to tour America with a theatrically shocking stage show. Then everything blew up once they hit Toronto.
The band's manager had put together a star-studded lineup for the Rock and Roll Revival Festival, including the Doors and John Lennon's first solo show. Alice Cooper came onstage playing their destructive brand of garage rock, which climaxed with opening up several feather pillows, which filled up the arena.
Amid the chaos, Cooper found a chicken at the lip of the stage, and proceeded to throw it into the crowd, thinking it would fly away. It did not.
As the chicken jettisoned towards the crowd, the front of the audience (mostly wheelchair-bound) tore the bird to pieces and threw its entrails back onstage. With many fans elated and a touch disturbed, the band retreated to their bus and awaited their next gig.
The next day, Frank Zappa calls the band's manager asking if the alleged poultry killing actually happened. After denying it, Zappa told Cooper "Don't tell anyone, they love it." The band's shock-rock legacy was secure.