One of the most notorious moments in Limp Bizkit‘s already turbulent history took place on July 26, 2003, during the Summer Sanitarium tour stop at Hawthorne Racetrack in Chicago, IL. Half an hour into their set, frontman Fred Durst walked off stage amid boos, flying bottles, and coins from a hostile crowd – namely Metallica fans who couldn’t wait for the headliners.
According to the Chicago Tribune, the animosity started early, with audience members waving “Fred Sucks” banners and booing whenever Limp Bizkit was mentioned by earlier acts.
The Chicago Sun-Times reported that Durst initially met the hostility with bravado: “Bring it on!” But the situation quickly escalated. He reportedly called fans “fucking pussies,” insulted their throwing skills, and launched a profanity-laden, homophobic tirade.
It’s worth noting that at one point, Durst even pretended to be Kermit The Frog while antagonizing the crowd.
Anders Smith Lindall of the Sun-Times described the scene as a “self-destruct” moment for Durst. According to his report, the band performed six songs before leaving the stage. Durst continued his invective from the wings until he was removed from the microphone. The crowd’s anger forced a 90-minute delay before Metallica took the stage.
Media outlets at the time noted that part of the Chicago crowd’s hostility was fueled by radio personality Matthew Erich “Mancow” Muller‘s ongoing criticism of Durst in the days leading up to the concert. Namely that the guy was telling people to attend the show and throw shit at Limp Bizkit. Which wasn’t exactly cool.
Mancow elaborated on why he hated Durst so much in a 2025 interview, saying in part: “Fred Durst was a record executive, and he was a suit. They did a research study: kids wear their hats backwards. What do young men like to do? They like to break stuff. BREAK STUFF! And it was all… I’m not kidding you — it was all fake. It was all record [labels], just like the Monkees or any other manufactured band.
“So it was engineered for angry 15-year-olds, and it was fake. It wasn’t a real thing. It wasn’t organic. The Offspring, of that same ilk, were real — those were real guys. Limp Bizkit was a fake deal.”
Even worse, Limp Bizkit then faced a class breach-of-contract lawsuit over the performance. Chicago lawyer Michael Young filed the action on behalf of 40,000 attendees, claiming the band incited an “uprising” during the set.
According to Young, the group displayed “obscene and profane messages to the crowd via four giant monitors,” shouted “disgusting homophobic and anti-gay statements,” and left the stage after only 17 minutes of a scheduled 90-minute performance. Young sought a $25 refund for each $75 ticket.
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