Watch The Black Crowes' Rich Robinson use his guitar as a weapon to repel a stage invader during Melbourne gig

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By ( Classic Rock ) published

Channelling the spirit of Pete Townshend at Woodstock, The Black Crowes' Rich Robinson uses his guitar to twat an unwelcome stage invader at Australian show

Rich Robinson
(Image credit: Javier Bragado/Redferns)

The Black Crowes' guitarist Rich Robinson was involved in a minor skirmish with an uninvited stage invader during his band's show in Melbourne, Australia on November 20: as security sought to wrestle the man off the stage, Robinson took matters into into his own hands, and smashed the individual in question in the chest with his guitar, forcing him back into the audience.

Readers with long memories might recall The Who's Pete Townshend famously employing a similar tactic to remove political activist Abbie Hoffman from the stage at Woodstock festival in 1969, when the Youth International Party spokesman hijacked Townshend's microphone to protest at the imprisonment of MC5 manager John Sinclair for marijuana possession. Townshend cracked Hoffman with his guitar and warned the crowd: ""The next fucking person that walks across this stage is gonna get fucking killed."

The incident in Melbourne occurred as the band struck up Stare It Cold, the tenth song of their set at the Palais Theatre. As the man ran across the front of the stage, Black Crowes frontman Chris Robinson swiped at him with his microphone stand, but failed to connect. His brother had no such problem. 

Watch the skirmish below: 

The Black Crowes Shake Your Money Maker reunion tour resumes in Georgia on December 15, with dates in both North and South America scheduled for spring 2023. 

Paul Brannigan
Paul Brannigan
Contributing Editor, Louder

A music writer since 1993, formerly Editor of Kerrang! and Planet Rock magazine (RIP), Paul Brannigan is a Contributing Editor to Louder. Having previously written books on Lemmy, Dave Grohl (the Sunday Times best-seller This Is A Call) and Metallica (Birth School Metallica Death, co-authored with Ian Winwood), his Eddie Van Halen biography (Eruption in the UK, Unchained in the US) emerged in 2021. He has written for Rolling Stone, Mojo and Q, hung out with Fugazi at Dischord House, flown on Ozzy Osbourne's private jet, played Angus Young's Gibson SG, and interviewed everyone from Aerosmith and Beastie Boys to Young Gods and ZZ Top. Born in the North of Ireland, Brannigan lives in North London and supports The Arsenal.