10 Rock Stars That Almost Died On The Road

Considering how big the Beatles were getting by the day in the mid '60s, you can understand why they had to eventually leave the touring life behind. By the time they were playing stadiums around the world, the band could no longer hear themselves over the screaming, and the entire idea of giving a show didn't have the same appeal anymore. It always sucks when your passion stops being fun, but their trip to Japan was legitimately terrifying.

After already causing up a stir for playing in the legendary Budokan arena at the time, manager Brian Epstein got into a world of trouble when he had to decline an invitation from the President's wife, leading to the band getting a nasty reputation with the government and barely escaping out of the country in one piece. Even when they made it out of Japan though, they had a whole different problem waiting for them when they toured the States.

Since this was around the time that John Lennon was getting into controversy for his "bigger than Jesus" statement to the press, there was a 50/50 chance of the band being ridiculed at some of the venues, including one occasion in the Deep South where the band dispersed after a firecracker went off in the stadium, thinking that one of them had been shot. You can always count on the road being chaotic, but being the biggest band in the world also comes with having some of the biggest threats in the world as well.