The Show Mustn't Go On: A Brief History of Concert Censorship from Elvis to Gaga

Posted on Jul 5th 2012 4:00PM by Sarah Kurchak
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AFP

For as long as the kids have wanted to rock, The Man has wanted to stop them from (party) rockin'.

From the bare leg-fearing Malaysia to the God-fearing American South to the Slim Shady-fearing Toronto, people in power have tried to protect concertgoers from public displays of semi-nudity, naughty lyrics, suggestive dance moves and anything else that might work them up into a lewd frenzy of shameless go-go dancing, potential gayness and iniquity over the years by either censoring performers or outright canceling their shows entirely.

Some of these attempts are amusing in hindsight -- such as Bill Haley being banned in the mid-50s for fear his music would "inspire young females in lewd bathing suits to perform obscene dances" on Jersey shore beaches (yes, that Jersey shore). But they've continued right through this summer.

What this all means is that it's a scary world out there, almost like the plot of Footloose, except real life. (Sorry, Footloose is not real life, though it once seemed that way to us, too.)

Click on the gallery below to see the 10 most egregious examples of concert censorship: