Usually, bands come together when a group of friends wants to make music together. Their shared passion for the craft translates into a bond like none other. However, that’s not always the case. Sometimes, egos, money, or countless other factors cause breakups in even the world’s best bands.
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Today, we’re looking back at rock bands who went through nasty breakups. Some have since reunited and are still playing shows. Others may never get back together.
[RELATED: 4 Legendary Bands Whose Members Hated One Another]
1. Live
Live became mainstays of 1990s rock radio with their 1994 album Throwing Copper. The album brought them massive hit singles “Selling the Drama” and “Lightning Crashes.” Then, they followed that album with Secret Samadhi, and its lead single “Lakini’s Juice” both went to No. 1. The band was seemingly on top of the world. Behind the scenes, though, they were falling apart.
Former guitarist Chad Gracey told Rolling Stone that vocalist Ed Kowalczyk was taking most of the money the band was earning because he did the bulk of the songwriting. Later, he told the band he would write the songs solo, and they could be his support band. In 2009, the band went on hiatus and reformed in 2012 without Kowalczyk. Then, in 2016, the original Live lineup reunited and released an EP, Local 717, in 2018. In 2022, Kowalczyk fired the rest of the band, reformed Live with new members, and continues to tour. However, lawsuits, pointed press comments, and bad blood remain the norm between multiple members of the original lineup.
2. Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine was one of the most subversive bands to gain mainstream success in the 1990s and 2000s but they went through multiple breakups over the years. The first split came in 2000 when vocalist Zach De La Rocha left the band. The band reunited in 2007 and toured intermittently until officially parting ways again in 2024. However, they had likely called it quits the year prior. Guitarist Tom Morello was the only member of the band to attend their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 2023.
3. The Eagles
The Eagles are one of the best-selling rock bands of all time, and fans were shocked to see their breakup play. After the success of Hotel California, the band was under pressure to release another landmark album. This pressure and substance abuse issues made tensions between the band’s members worse. Things came to a head after a show in Long Beach, California, on July 31, 1980.
Glenn Frey and Don Felder had been throwing taunts at one another throughout the show. After playing the final song, Felder smashed a guitar backstage and had words with his bandmates before jumping in his limo and riding off into the sunset. That Long Beach concert would be the band’s final show for more than a decade. Fortunately, they reunited in 1993.
4. Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath is arguably the most important band in metal, which made their first breakup hard to swallow for fans around the world. The Birmingham-based band introduced the world to heavy metal and Ozzy Osbourne with their self-titled debut album in 1970. The band released eight studio albums with their original lineup in the 1970s. However, their final two LPs together–Technical Ecstasy (1976) and Never Say Die! (1978)–missed the top 10.
Never Say Die! Peaked at No. 12 in the UK and No. 69 in the United States. More importantly, the band wasn’t pleased with the album or its reception. This led Osbourne and his bandmates to dive deeper into alcohol and drug abuse. However, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward were still able to make new music, and were trying to do so. Unfortunately, Osbourne was caught in a downward spiral and avoided jams and writing sessions. When he showed up, he was too intoxicated to contribute anything to the creative process.
To save the band, the other members of Black Sabbath fired Osbourne. The sacking caused years of bad blood between him and his former bandmates. Fortunately, they’ve reunited several times over the years and seem to have mended fences.
Featured Image by Patrice Lapointe/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock
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