Dec. 9, 1967: Jim Morrison Famously Maced and Arrested On Stage in New Haven, CT
On December 9, 1967, The Doors were hanging out backstage at the New Haven Arena as their opening act finished up their set. To pass the time, frontman Jim Morrison was "making out" with a fan in a backstage shower stall. Then, when police confronted Morrison, it all went downhill from there.
According to todayincthistory.com, after the confrontation with police, Morrison and the Doors took the stage at the New Haven Arena when Morrison delivered an obscenity-filled rant.
Then, while on stage at the show, when Morrison spotted police officers in the rear of the venue, he began verbally taunting them, calling the officer who pepper-sprayed him earlier "a little blue man in a little blue hat" and "a little blue pig." Finally, the police officers had heard enough. As they approached the stage, the show came to an abrupt halt.
They took Morrison into custody, causing a mini-riot as the angry and disappointed crowd took to the streets of New Haven, resulting in 13 additional arrests.
Morrison was charged with inciting a riot, indecency, and public obscenity. He posted bond, but the charges were later dropped.
From there, The Door's song, "Peace Frog," from their album, 'Morrison Hotel' released in 1971, references the 1967 arrest with the lyric, "Blood in the streets of the town of New Haven." Unfortunately, Morrison continued his love affair with drugs and alcohol and on July 3, 1971, he was found dead in a Paris bathtub at the age of 27.