Top 10 Pyrotechnic Bands

Music tends to excite us enough, but with these bands, there’s nothing short of fire, flames and explosions as we look at the Top 10 Pyrotechnic Bands.

10. The Who

The Who aren’t known for frequent use of pyrotechnics as they appear at number 10, yet the crazy antics of Keith Moon get them on this list. A performance of My Generation in 1967 on American TV saw an ending like no other, when the band was smashing up their instruments, Keith had secretly packed three times the usual amount of explosives in his drum set which let off a bang like no other.

9. Iron Maiden

After being completely pyro-free on their 2010 tour, Iron Maiden realized people come to see the pyrotechnics and they brought back the act in 2012 with flames coming out of guitars and all sorts of live excitement.

8. The Crazy World of Arthur Brown

This band released the single ‘Fire’ which has since been covered by many musicians including Ozzy Osbourne, The Who and Marilyn Manson. When performing this on Top of the Pops in 1968, a flaming helmet was used by Arthur Brown proclaiming to be ‘the God of Hellfire’.

7. Avenged Sevenfold

This band was so into their pyrotechnics that they had special effects firm Pyrotek design a fiery Death Bat for the A7X’s 2011 Uproar festival, where Gatling guns shot flames into each claw of the skull wings on stage. Now that’s a pyromaniac.

6. Def Leppard

Recent tours have showed light shows more than pyrotechnics, yet with an album titled Pyromania it is known they featured a lot of Pyrotechnics in their shows. Fire, fireworks and explosions, nothing was off limits.

5. Metallica

Known for being one of the best thrash metal bands ever, Metallica quickly earned a resume for loud explosion on their songs for most of the thrash and fast parts of certain songs. This is proven when in 1992, James Hetfield accidentally stood directly on a pyrotechnic blast and suffered second and third degree burns. This didn’t stop the band as they continued to use pyrotechnics for all of their shows.

4. Mötley Crue

This band was arguably as well known for their off stage drama as their on stage antics, nonetheless they developed an over the top stage show that had clear influences from bands like Kiss and AC/DC. Plenty of pyrotechnics played a huge role in the shows, along with other on stage antics.

3. Rammstein

A German band formed in Berlin, Rammstein were heavily influenced by American hard rock, as Kiss being their biggest inspiration. Their controversial and taboo nature has matured into on-show antics like no other, with vocalist Till Lindemann spending entire songs on fire, pianos being played on fire, breathing fire out of their mouths all results sometimes in fans needing medical attention. Now that’s pyromania.

2. Kiss

With Kiss being known for their crazy outfits and antics, it isn’t a surprise they’re on this list. Gene Simmons was known for breathing fire (setting his own hair on fire a few times), Ace Frehley shooting fireworks from his guitar and many other things to cement themselves as pyromaniacs, as proven from when they let of all the fireworks at the end of a Bremen concert earning them bans.

1. Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd being the top of this list was the easiest decision as they were the pioneers of using pyrotechnics at large scale shows, starting in 1968 with experimental light shows, continuing in the 70s with a prop plane crashing on the stage exploding with beds being blown up on stage and all sorts of pyrotechnic experiments, these guys were the kings of pyromania. With all these bands being incredibly talented, it goes without saying that they want their fans and concert goers to leave their show dumbfounded and shocked with the pyromania going on throughout the show, only being done for our enjoyment and for entertainment purposes only.

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