All the Venues Where Pink Floyd Were Banned, From a Canadian Stadium to Royal Albert Hall

Pink Floyd were known in their time for theatrical, well-orchestrated productions that often involved props, costumes, lasers, and the occasional cannon. Were you aware that some of these extravagant live shows got them banned from a few venues? Here’s exactly where Pink Floyd have been banned over the years and why.

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Ivor Wynne Stadium in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

In 1975, Pink Floyd played a show at Ivor Wynne Stadium in Ontario. People came from all over the territory to see them, filling the stadium and spilling over onto the lawn, about 55,000 in total. However, Hamilton apparently wasn’t prepared for this huge number of people.

“Residents were really upset about the mess and the people,” said Hamilton resident Dave Elley, speaking to CBC in 2012. “I don’t think the city was prepared for the amount of people that showed up.”

Hamilton was overrun with Pink Floyd fans. They were hanging out on front lawns, gathering in the streets, drinking and doing drugs in the open. Neighbors who lived near the stadium complained, and the city council banned concerts at Ivor Wynne indefinitely.

In 2012, Ivor Wynne retired as a venue. After 33 years with no concerts, the venue lifted the ban for one single night as a proper send-off.

Royal Albert Hall in London

In 1968, Pink Floyd performed at the Royal Albert Hall. They put on a spectacular show, but the result was a ban that is allegedly still in place. Although singular members of the band have since played there, as a whole, they were ousted for life. The Royal Albert Hall forgives, but it never forgets.

According to David Gilmour, who played the hall in 2006, the punishment partially came after they nailed Nick Mason’s drums to the new wood floor.

“It was partly to do with nailing the bass drum onto a brand-new stage that had new wood put on,” Gilmour told the BBC. “One of our road crew was finding that Nick’s drums were moving as he was thumping that bass drum. So, they got some of those great big, huge nails and hammered a few of them in to stop the bass drum moving. That didn’t go down at all well.”

Additionally, the band set off cannons inside the hall, “which,” Gilmour said, “I guess we probably didn’t have permission for.”

Queen Elizabeth Hall in London

In 1967, Pink Floyd were recording their debut album when they were approached with an idea for a live show at the newly opened Queen Elizabeth Hall at the Southbank Centre. Games For May was a psychedelic light show the likes of which no one had seen before, but it led to Pink Floyd being banned from the theater.

The show was billed as a “space age relaxation for the climax of spring,” according to a report from the Southbank Centre. It incorporated “electronic compositions, color and image projections, girls,” and Pink Floyd.

The finale to the show, however, involved bubble machines and flowers thrown into the audience. The crowd and critics were impressed, but those in charge at the Southbank Centre were, reportedly, not as thrilled.

A combination of water and flower petals left permanent marks on the hall’s new leather seats. The damage led to a 49-year ban from Queen Elizabeth Hall. Pink Floyd were allegedly allowed to play the Royal Festival Hall, also located in the Southbank Centre. But Queen Elizabeth Hall was off limits until 2016.

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