10 Famous Songs That Bands Refuse to Play Live

It’s important to remember that seeing your favorite band live doesn’t always mean getting to hear their most famous songs live. Concerts are only so long, and many famous bands simply don’t have the time to play all of their biggest songs. For some fans, finding out which songs will be played at a given concert is almost as big of a draw as the acts themselves.

However, there are some famous songs you can practically guarantee you will never hear live. While it’s rare for the biggest acts to straight-up refuse to play their biggest hits, these artists have reasons for diving a bit deeper into their catalogs and skipping that song you thought was guaranteed to make the setlist.

Related: 10 Albums by Great Bands That Were Never Released

10 “Living Loving Maid (She’s Just a Woman)” by Led Zeppelin

There are quite a few songs Led Zeppelin never—or rarely—played live. For the most part, that’s because those songs were too complex to be played live or simply weren’t popular enough to make the shortlist for the band’s competitive live setlists. “Living Loving Maid (She’s Just a Woman)” is one of the few songs the band skipped solely because one of them hated it.

Despite being a hit from the band’s beloved Led Zeppelin II album, guitarist Jimmy Page was never fond of the track. It’s been reported that Page felt it was a throwaway song, though some believe it may have been written about one of the band’s most adamant groupies and eventually became something of a sore subject for the group.^[1]

9 “Hit Me with Your Best Shot” by Pat Benatar

“Hit Me with Your Best Shot” is one of Pat Benatar’s most popular songs and the track that helped make her a global singing sensation. However, in 2022, Benatar shocked many when she revealed that she had decided to no longer sing the song during her live shows.

Why? According to Benatar, her refusal to continue performing the song live is a form of protest against the rise of mass shooting incidents in the United States. While the song and its title are not specifically about gun violence, Benatar suggests the track’s “tongue-in-cheek” association with firearms is strong enough to make her uncomfortable with singing it as freely and as often as she has in the past.^[2]

9 “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)” by the Beastie Boys

“(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)” is more than just the biggest hit from The Beastie Boy’s breakout 1986 album Licensed to Ill; it’s arguably the track that many people think about when they hear the band’s name. According to the Beastie Boys, that’s a big part of the reason why they stopped playing it live.

The Beastie Boys have said that “Fight for Your Right” was meant to be a parody of frat boy-like culture but ended up being embraced by the very people the song was meant to mock. As the band’s style quickly became far more creatively ambitious, their breakout song started to feel like an even bigger relic. They didn’t even play it during their final live show.^[3]

7 “Cleanin’ Out My Closet” by Eminem

Eminem’s 2002 track “Cleanin’ Out My Closet” became a somewhat surprising hit given that it features nearly five minutes of Eminem airing his grievances toward his parents (especially his mom). Many connected to the track just as they quickly connected to the singer who became famous for putting so much of his trauma into his music. Yet Eminem doesn’t play “Cleanin’ Out My Closet” at live shows anymore and reportedly hasn’t since 2013.

There is no mystery as to why. In his 2013 song “Headlights,” the rapper mentions that he doesn’t play “Cleanin’ Out My Closet” at live shows and doesn’t even like hearing it on the radio. Given that “Headlights” deals with Eminemen’s desire to forgive his late mom, he doesn’t seem to feel as strong about “Cleanin’ Out My Closet’s” lyrics as he did when he wrote the track.^[4]

6 “Hurricane” by Bob Dylan

There are quite a few songs that Bob Dylan has never played live, hasn’t played live in a long time, or only plays live with a notable degree of reluctance. Yet, “Hurricane” may be the most notable song Dylan seemingly refuses to play live these days. Dylan’s legendary protest song about boxer Rubin “Hurricane” Carter is considered one of the artist’s greatest tracks, but he hasn’t played it live since the 1970s.

It’s not clear why this one hasn’t transitioned into Dylan’s modern era. Some say the legal complications involving the song hindered the spirit of the track, while some have suggested that it is just one of those songs Dylan has moved on from. Still, others argue that the long, story-driven nature of the track simply doesn’t make it an ideal live track.^[5]

5 “Like a Virgin” by Madonna

As the first single from the 1984 album of the same name, “Like a Virgin” put Madonna on the path to becoming one of the biggest and most influential pop stars ever. It’s considered by many to be one of Madonna’s best songs and a track that almost perfectly summarizes what made the performer so different and unique at that time. However, you shouldn’t expect to hear Madonna sing it live anytime soon.

According to Madonna, this is just one of those songs from the early part of her career that she just wants to move on from simply because it has gotten so much play over the decades. While she doesn’t seem to hate the song as much as other musicians hate their breakout hits—and may play it again for the right amount of money/opportunity—it’s a major missing piece from her live setlist.^[6]

4 “It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll)” by AC/DC

If “It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll)” isn’t AC/DC’s best song, it certainly belongs near the top of that list. It’s that kind of epic rock ballad that so many bands chase but few ever find. It also perfectly summarizes the spirit of AC/DC and their music. Yet the band hasn’t played it live since 1979.

Simply—but sadly—put, the song was heavily inspired by AC/DC vocalist Bon Scott’s lifestyle and experiences (as well as the band’s experiences up until that point). When Scott died in 1980, new singer Brian Johnson felt it would be disrespectful to Johnson to continue playing the song live. That’s understandable, but it’s hard to deny this would be an incredible live song.^[7]

3 “Shiny Happy People” by R.E.M.

1991’s “Shiny Happy People” wasn’t REM’s breakout song, but it certainly helped the band reach new levels of mainstream success. Even at that time, though, the poppy, upbeat track wasn’t exactly representative of the group’s other work. That’s a big part of the reason why they have only played it live a couple of times and will likely never do so again.

R.E.M. lead singer Michael Stipe has called “Shiny Happy People” a “fruity pop song written for children.” The band reportedly created the song in a hurry and simply doesn’t seem to like it all that much. Perhaps more importantly, they don’t believe it represents who they are or the kind of music they typically aspire to make.^[8]

2 “Eat It,” “Fat,” and All His Other Michael Jackson Parodies by Weird Al” Yankovic

While comedian singer “Weird Al” Yankovic has always been popular, the performer’s longevity has been remarkable. He’s arguably more popular now than he has ever been before and is still churning out hits and selling out shows. If you do go to one of those shows, though, don’t expect to hear “Fat,” “Eat It,” or any of Yankovic’s other popular Michael Jackson parodies.

In 2019, Yankovic told Billboard that he decided to retire his Jackson parodies following the release of Leaving Neverland, an HBO documentary that shed new light on Jackson’s history of sexual abuse allegations. Yankovic says that he didn’t want to make people feel uncomfortable by singing Jackson parody songs at that time, though he hasn’t ruled out the possibility of bringing them back at some point.^[9]

1 “Brown Sugar” by The Rolling Stones

“Brown Sugar” is one of the greatest examples of an upbeat song with surprisingly dark lyrics. The song is a rollicking, racially-driven collection of controversial topics that include slavery, drug use, and various sexual acts. After being a staple of the Stones’ tours for years, the band announced they would no longer play “Brown Sugar” during their U.S. tours due to the various controversies surrounding its lyrics.

The band seems a bit split on the decision. Mick Jagger has changed some of the song’s lyrics in the past and has previously stated he wouldn’t write a track like that today. Keith Richards seems to feel that the song is a biting commentary on the horrors of slavery and hopes that it will eventually make it back onto the global setlist.^[10]