Former Roadies and Fans Name the Worst-Behaved Artists on Tour

Touring can bring out the best in performers, but it can also expose the worst. Long hours, packed schedules, backstage pressure, and constant attention have all contributed to some infamous stories about artists acting badly on the road. Over the years, former roadies, crew members, and fans have shared accounts of musicians who allegedly made life difficult behind the scenes or left audiences with a very different impression than their public image suggested.

For this list, 24/7 Tempo is looking at artists who have been described as difficult, rude, demanding, or chaotic while on tour. From backstage blowups to fan encounters that became part of music lore, these stories show how the road can sometimes reveal a side of famous performers that listeners never hear on the album.

Axl Rose, the lead singer/songwriter of Guns N' Roses, has had a terrible reputation for years. He's been known to yell at roadies, start fights with fans, and overall give unnecessary attitude. He is also known for coming to practices and even not showing up to shows. For instance, in 1986, for a show for Alice Cooper, he didn't show up to open!

Another artist with a terrible reputation for his outbursts and the way he treats people is Kid Rock. He's had scandal after scandal, including getting into fights with people outside of Waffle House. He isn't any better to his fans or roadies. Rock will stop a concert if he's mad and doesn't feel like the audience is as excited as they should be.

Jennifer Lopez is also named quite a lot on Reddit and other social media platforms as having a rude and stuck-up personality. Some fans have regretted meeting her as she acted like she looked down on them.

Demi Lovato has calmed down over the years, but not enough for stories to continue to emerge. On a Reddit post, she was included as one of the hardest celebrities to work for because of her demanding personality. Like most celebrities, fame must have gotten to her head. In 2021, she started drama with a fro-yo company, The Bigg Chill, because they offered sugar-free options.

Ariana Grande has a lot of experience meeting fans, and not all of them are positive. She previously would snap at them or give fake smiles, which made some fans feel uncomfortable. Of course, there are also positive interactions.

Although not the most well-known name here, while reviewing Reddit posts, Mattie Montgomery's name popped up many times as being rude, from both former fans and workers. He's allegedly thrown tantrums when he didn't get his way and gave a lot of attitude to fans who met him outside of a show.

Marilyn Manson has always been shocking. He seems not to care who's watching or who gets hurt as long as he gets a big reaction. Some people who have worked or met Manson haven't been too pleased with his over-the-top personality. He's also assaulted people working on his tours, like in 2001 when he rubbed his private parts on a security guard.

Adam Levine, the lead singer for Maroon 5, is also known for his bad attitude and behavior. Stories online highlight his snobbiness and diva personality as he ignores fans or even snaps at them just for wanting to say hello.

A long list of people in the industry world, and some fans, feel negatively about Christina Aguilera because of her wrong attitude. She's been noted to ignore workers and fans, and give attitude to other artists. Avril Lavigne, for instance, has talked about Aguilera in an interview, recounting the first time they met. Lavigne went to say hello and introduce herself, and Aguilera just laughed.

Justin Bieber's been through a lot as he became an international pop star in his young teenage years. Still, that doesn't excuse rude and bad behavior. He's been known to yell and curse at fans and roadies, citing anger issues as his reasoning.

Another one of the worst-behaved artists while on the road (or really in general) is Kanye West. When he isn't yelling on social media and using slurs or backhanded comments, he's ignoring workers or giving them faces. He has apologized a few times, though, for his behavior.

Mariah Carey is probably the artist who's most notoriously known for her diva antics and rude behavior. This pop legend, especially known for her festive hit, is hard to work with and very particular about everything. Roadies dread working with her as she can be hard to please.