Pink Floyd fans can’t stop raving about how creative and mind-blowing their music is. But few know that one of their greatest albums, The Wall, was sparked by a scandalous moment that nearly wrecked the band’s unity.
In 1977, Pink Floyd was on tour to promote their album Animals. Crowds were huge, noisy, and (in Roger Waters’ eyes) more interested in partying than in actually listening to the songs.
This all came to a head at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal on July 6, 1977, when Waters’ frustration boiled over. A rowdy fan got too close to the stage, and the fed-up musician leaned down and spat on him, a moment Waters would later recall: “Some kid was scrambling up the front, and I think I spat on him. Who knows whether I did or not?”
He immediately regretted it, describing how he felt disgusted by what he’d just done to a person who had paid to see the band: “Immediately afterwards, I was shocked by my behavior”. This horrifying incident left Waters reeling, and he began to feel completely burned out by the entire rockstar lifestyle.
That single act planted the seed for The Wall. Waters realized that he wanted to construct a literal or figurative barrier between himself and the audience, which became the foundation of the rock opera we know today.
Looking back, he also admitted, “It is (true), to my eternal shame”, acknowledging that spitting on a fan is a pretty big no-no. This shame was the fuel that powered an album all about isolation, stress, and the madness lurking behind success.
Tension in the group skyrocketed once the new project began. Roger Waters demanded his bandmates follow his vision, leaving Richard Wright especially drained and depressed, which only caused more friction.
At one point, Wright was so fed up that, according to band legend, he told manager Steve O’Rourke to deliver the message, “Tell Roger to fuck off”. By the time they finished The Wall, Pink Floyd wasn’t the same close-knit group that had taken the world by storm with earlier classics.
Ironically, The Wall made fans feel even closer to their music, thanks to its raw lyrics and cinematic live shows. But behind the scenes, the cracks among band members had grown larger, sparked by that shocking act of spitting and an ongoing sense that Waters was losing patience with everyone.
The Montreal spitting incident has become a strange “origin story” for one of rock’s most famous albums. It’s a timeless reminder that personal rage and regret can sometimes lead to legendary art, even if it comes at a huge emotional price.
The open secret is that Pink Floyd’s music, while often soothing and otherworldly, also captures the dark side of fame and the strain that success can impose. You could say that one fan, in the wrong place at the wrong time, was the single spark that lit up The Wall.
People today still marvel at how a moment so cringe-worthy could lead to an epic narrative of alienation and self-exploration. After all, noone expects a rockstar to turn around mid-show and literally spit in their face.
Watch Roger Waters discussing the incident in an interview.
