In the world of rock, smashing a guitar on stage became a symbol of rebellion and defiance. This act, which unites destruction with music, has its origins in the 1960s, specifically associated with Pete Townshend of The Who. However, this action was not initially born as such; in fact, The first time Townshend destroyed a guitar was almost by accident: while performing on a stage with a low ceiling, accidentally hit his instrumentthen deciding to complete its destruction to the amazement and delight of the public.
This spontaneous act gave rise to a tradition that other artists would adopt and adapt in the following years. Jimi Hendrixfor example, took guitar destruction to a new level by setting fire to his Fender Stratocaster in a ritual that became almost a rite of passage in the world of rock.
The proliferation of this practice caused moments of euphoria on stage to materialize in the physical breakdown of the instrument, a phenomenon that would spread to numerous musical genres and artists, such as Kurt Cobain, Matthew Bellamy and Caleb Followillwho destroyed his precious Gibson ES-325 during a concert.
However, instruments are not always destroyed in a performance context. Brian Adamsfor example, experienced the unfortunate breakage of his instruments under much less dramatic but equally dramatic circumstances. heartbreakingwhen they were damaged by customs officials at an Egyptian airport.
This vulnerability was further reflected when the American band The Black Crowes He lost a large part of his team due to Hurricane Sandywhich means that, although the destruction on stage can be seen as an act of passion or spectacle, off stage, the loss of musical instruments does not carry the same symbolism.
Beyond the spectacle, the restoration and repair of destroyed guitars became an important facet of this peculiar tradition. gibson and other manufacturers frequently collaborated in the reconstruction of damaged instruments, whether due to accidents on stage or catastrophes.
The leader of the English band Muse, Matthew Bellamy He took his love of breaking guitars to an extreme by destroying 140 guitars during a tour in 2004, setting a world record. The reason Bellamy decided to break so many guitars is because they were bad gigs where he experienced “negative energy” or sometimes just for fun.
What began almost as an accident transformed into an established practice, turning the act of breaking instruments from a moment of outrage to an intended and sometimes expected expression of art and emotion. From The Who until Guns n’ Rosesthrough moments of natural disaster or negligence, each broken guitar tells a story, a piece in the narrative of rock and roll.
- Kurt Cobain: He is not the most remembered for breaking guitars, but he is a great rocker, which is why he did it on multiple occasions and it was documented on several cameras during his scandalous shows.
- Billie Joe Armstrong: The Green Day frontman got (rightly) angry when he was told the band had to cut their show from 45 minutes to 25 to give Usher more time during the iHeartRadio Festival, so he destroyed his guitar on stage.
- Pete Townshend: The pioneer in using this resource on stage did not do it once, not twice, but breaking guitars became a constant for him. From smashing them against the floor to hitting them against speakers and even destroying it and his partner’s drum kit, Townshend set about breaking his musical instrument in various ways.
- Oasis: It was broken on August 28, 2009 after a violent argument between the brothers. Noel and Liam Gallagher and was later restored in London by the talented luthier Philippe Dubreuille.
