Guinness World Record Day is celebrated in the month of November.  Deep Purple, KISS, and Ozzy Osbourne are all rock stars with world records.  I always thought the idea of having a Guinness World Record would be amazing, but I am not “world record” proficient at anything that I can think of. From what I understand, the process is pretty intense these days to get Guinness to give you a World Record.

Alice Cooper went for a Guinness World Record a few years back.  The record was for the most rubber chickens flying in the air at the same time, but he didn’t get it because Guinness said they couldn’t verify that all 1,014 chickens were in the air at the same time. There’s always next time…

How Did This Become a Thing?

The Guinness Book of World Records started up back in the 1950’s by Sir Hugh Beaver (I kid you not).  He argued with friends over what bird was the fastest gaming bird.  Sir Hugh Beaver worked for Guinness Brewery.  The Guinness Book of World Records actually started out as a promotion for Guinness Beer. The thought was “settling pub arguments” by providing definitive answers to questions of the best, the fastest, the biggest, etc.  That promotion was the beginning of one of the most well-known collectives of knowledge in history.

Who do you think holds the Guinness World Record for Shortest Concert?  Biggest concert (most people attending)?  Biggest selling song of all time?  Scroll down to check out our list of “Rock Stars with World Records” to find out.

For more rocking Guinness World Records, check out Loudwire.com: biggest Amp, guitar, and of course more rock stars and rock-related records.

Rock Stars With World Records

• Largest rock concert attendance: Sir Rod Stewart

  Sir Rod Stewart made it onto the Guinness World Records website with his 1994 New Year’s Eve concert on Copacabana Beach, Brazil. With a crowd of 4.2 million, it became the biggest live performance ever.

• Most Expensive / Highest Pyrotechnics: KISS

  Pyro for the win: On New Year’s Eve 2020, KISS held a massive live stream event in Dubai, which set two Guinness World Records.  The ‘KISS 2020 Goodbye’ live stream show reportedly featured $1 million worth of pyrotechnic effects. The performance broke the world records for the highest flame projection in a music concert and for most flame projections launched simultaneously in a music concert.

   

• The Globe's Loudest Band: Deep Purple

  The “Loudest Band in the World” is a subject of some dispute in musical circles. Many bands have claimed to be the loudest, measuring this in various ways including with decibel meters at concerts. The Guinness World Records no longer celebrates “The Loudest Band in the World” for fear of promoting hearing loss. Having said that…

   

  Deep Purple was recognized by The Guinness Book of World Records as the “globe’s loudest band” for a concert at the London Rainbow Theatre in 1972, during which the sound reached 117 dB and three members of the audience fell unconscious.

• Most Ever Performances at Madison Square Garden: Billy Joel

  Most MSG: Billy Joel holds the Guinness World Record for the most ever performances at New York City’s Madison Square Garden, with more than 100 shows at the venue. He also holds the distinction of being the first non-classical composer to be inducted into NYC’s Steinway Hall. 

• Best Selling Song: Elton John

  Still considered the best-selling song since the inception of the singles chart in the 1950s, Elton John’s tribute to Princess Diana,  “Candle In The Wind 1997,” has sold more than 33 million copies across the globe. It’s also the best-selling CD single of all time.

• Longest Crowd Scream: Ozzy Osbourne

  The longest scream by a crowd is 8 min 45 sec and was achieved by Drayton Manor Theme Park on April 12,  2014. The previous record holder was Ozzy Osbourne and 52,000 of his fans at Dodger Stadium with about 2 minutes of screams. Check out Ozzy leading the crowd:

• First Artist to Broadcast Live to Space: Paul McCartney

  Sir Paul McCartney holds the world record for being the first artist to broadcast live in space. The former Beatle woke up the crew of the international space station with the track ‘English Tea’ as well as the Beatles classic ‘Good Day Sunshine’ from a US gig in Anaheim.

• Performing Live From Seven Continents in a Year: Metallica

  In 2013, Metallica became the only band to perform on all seven continents in a year. The Mighty Metallica are in the Guinness Book of World Records after finishing the tour with a 10-song set in Antarctica in December which was attended by “300 very curious penguins” according to frontman, James Hetfield.

• Most Grammy Wins by a Rock Band: U2

  U2 holds the record for more Grammy wins than any other rock band in history with 22 (Jay-Z holds the top win spot with 24). U2’s 360° tour which ran from 2009 to 2012 held the record for high-grossing tour from 2011-2019.  It grossed an incredible 622 million dollars and broke the record for the highest-attended tour with over 7.2 million tickets sold.  Ed Sheeran broke their record in 2019.

• 100 shows in 50 days and 21 Concerts in a 24 Hour Period: Jackyl

   Currently, Jackyl holds two Guinness world records, one for playing 100 concerts in 50 days and another for performing 21 concerts in a 24-hour period. “We were just seeing book dates and I kept telling them we could do 100 shows in 100 days,” says Dupree.

• Shortest Concert in The World: The Who

  In 2007, The Who set the Guinness World Record for the shortest concert in the world.  The concert started and ended in just 13 seconds. Roger Daltrey called it off when he realized he couldn’t sing.  The band rescheduled the concert for two weeks later and rocked it.

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