Songs That Bands Refuse To Play Live

Ever go to a concert and leave disappointed because the band didn’t play your favorite song? The folks at Ultimate Classic Rock listed a few examples of artists that refused to play their biggest hits live.

AC/DC won’t play “Long Way To The Top” out of respect for late lead singer Bon Scott.

Eric Clapton stopped performing his mega-hit “Tears In Heaven” because it was too painful to revisit the memory of his son’s death, which inspired the song.

Robert Plant won’t sing “Stairway To Heaven” at his solo shows – though Led Zeppelin played the song at its reunion shows in 1985, 1988, and 2007.

In the 90’s, refusing to play your hit was almost standard practice – Nirvana hated playing “Smells Like Teen Spirit” while Radiohead refused to perform “Creep”.

Do you prefer bands to ‘play the hits’, or branch out with new material in concert?