INXS and the bomb: The shocking 1990s moment a fan tried to assassinate Michael Hutchence
An article recounts a frightening incident during INXS's 1993 "Get Out Of The House" world tour, when a suspicious package was sent to a German hotel addressed to frontman Michael Hutchence. The device, described by the band's then-bodyguard as "a clumsy, incendiary device", was reportedly designed to burst into flames when opened, highlighting the darker side of fame the band faced even as the intimate, spontaneously-promoted tour brought them closer to fans than ever before.
The story was revealed in 2014 by Jeff Pope, a former policeman who served as INXS's bodyguard for a decade, during an appearance on Australian programme The Morning Show. Pope, recognising the danger, avoided handling the package and alerted police instead, drawing on his bomb disposal training. He said only he and Hutchence knew of the incident at the time, and that the singer accepted it calmly as part of the "price of fame", with no harm ultimately done.
- A suspicious device was sent to Michael Hutchence during INXS's 1993 tour
- Bodyguard Jeff Pope alerted police instead of handling the parcel himself
- Pope revealed the story in 2014; Hutchence reportedly took it in his stride