Pentagram’s Singer Shares Consequences Of Going Viral And Needing Police Escorts

Bobby Liebling, the eccentric and enigmatic frontman of cult doom metal legends Pentagram, has lived a life often teetering between myth and madness, a journey partly chronicled in the 2011 documentary “Last Days Here”. For decades, Liebling and Pentagram remained largely known only to die-hard fans, partly due to Liebling‘s unpredictable behavior and controversial past. However, that changed dramatically when a short meme clip from a Pentagram show—featuring Liebling in a wide-eyed, animated stare with flailing hair—exploded online, turning him into an unexpected internet sensation. Check out the clip and interview below.

In a recent interview with Altars of Metal, Liebling opened up about the surreal experience of becoming a meme and the drastic shift in public perception for him and his band.

“The whole thing flipped me out at first,” Liebling admitted (as transcribed by Ultimate Guitar). “It was pretty weird. I always had this dream of maybe someday I can have a post on Instagram or Facebook, and it will be viral. And it was like… Jesus, wow… Careful what you wish for, because it kind of blew up more quickly than I expected it to for damn sure. But it was pretty cool, you know? And it’s really fun, though, playing music for over half a century and then becoming famous for being a joke.”

While the newfound viral fame didn’t necessarily boost ticket sales for tours that were already largely sold out when the meme hit, the increase in visibility had profound real-world effects. Liebling explained that the band’s profile “went through the roof immediately.”

“And we got stopped in airports by TSA people, and we’ve gotten stopped on planes by pilots coming out of the cockpit to say hello, and soccer moms in the airport and groups of little kids and stuff like that,” he shared. “It’s pretty wild, man. I really didn’t know how to react, and I still kind of don’t because everywhere we go, it’s someone [saying], ‘Aren’t you that guy?’”

The heightened attention even led to more intense crowd situations, requiring intervention for his safety. “People are clawing, trying to get through crowds. And you got police escorts surrounding you to get to a van when you leave a gig,” Liebling recounted. “It was wild, man. It still is.” He noted that during their West Coast and South American tours, when the meme gained traction, shows were mostly already sold out, so the impact wasn’t on attendance for those specific runs but rather on his general recognizability.

Capitalizing on this wave of attention and in support of their latest album, Lightning In A Bottle (which was released this past January 2025), veteran doom pioneers Pentagram are currently embarking on a U.S. tour this spring.

Pentagram U.S. Tour Dates – May 2025:

• May 11 – Austin, Texas – Come And Take It Live
• May 12 – Houston, Texas – Last Concert Cafe
• May 13 – San Antonio, Texas – Paper Tiger
• May 14 – The Colony, Texas – Lava Cantina
• May 15 – Springfield, Missouri – The Regency
• May 16 – Milwaukee, Wisconsin – The Rave (‘Milwaukee Metal Fest‘)
• May 17 – Flint, Michigan – Machine Shop
• May 18 – Syracuse, New York – Lost Horizon
• May 19 – Portland, Maine – Geno’s Rock Club
• May 20 – Braintree, Massachusetts – Widowmaker Brewing
• May 21 – Baltimore, Maryland – Baltimore Soundstage (‘Maryland Deathfest‘ pre-fest)
• May 22 – Lynchburg, Virginia – Super Rad Arcade
• May 23 – Summerville, South Carolina – Trolley Pub
• May 24 – Atlanta, Georgia – 529
• May 25 – Nashville, Tennessee – The Cobra