It’s hard to feel sorry for rock stars. They are, after all, rock stars, which usually means they get a paid a lot of money to be pretentious, go out with supermodels and trash hotel rooms.
Or something like that. Very rock and roll.
So when we hear they have somehow come up a cropper, it’s hard to stifle a chuckle. None more so than when they are onstage performing their ‘art’.
And if it’s an injury they inflicted on themselves doing something stupid, then, well, that’s just perfect. Not that we enjoy laughing at the misfortunes of people who are more successful than us.
Actually, that’s a lie ? we dedicated an entire website to doing that.
The point is, we are not cruel people. Actually, just forget it.
Look it’s just another list, enjoy.
24. Noel Gallagher
Where and when: Toronto 2008
Certainly, the funniest mishap to ever happen to an arrogant, self-important member of a Manchester band that are not nearly as good as they think they are.
Thankfully, the whole incident was captured on film, but those of you who were on a different planet when it happened, here’s a recap. Basically, Oasis ‘mastermind’ Noel Gallagher had to be taken to hospital after being shoved into his monitor by a ‘fan’.
He broke some ribs and brother Liam got all angry. Hilarious.
23. Patti Smith
When and where: London 2007
Proof – if it was ever needed ? that it can even happen to the biggest stars – as the Godmother of Punk tripped over a stray speaker onstage and fell flat on her face.
For some reason, her only injuries were a slightly improved face and a badly-cut elbow.
22. Ian Brown
When and where: Sheffield 2008
The former Stones Roses ‘singer’ was left with whiplash and 10 stitches after, in the words of Brown, ‘some crackhead pulled me off stage’.
21. Jim James of My Morning Jacket
When and Where: Iowa 2008
The singer/ guitarist was enjoying his guitar solo so much he fell of stage, badly slicing open his head and forcing the gig to be cancelled. If their music is anything to go by, he was probably falling asleep.
20. Tommy Lee of Motley Crue
When and where: Wyoming 2005
Video star Lee had to be rushed to hospital after being hit in the face with a firework from the pyrotechnics display that was accompanying his mid-air drum solo.
19. Arthur Brown of The Crazy World of Arthur Brown
When and Where: Windsor, England
Burning his face was an occupational hazard for rock’s self-proclaimed ‘God of Hellfire’, who would regularly turn up to gigs with a flaming crown.
However, on one occasion, Brown was very lucky to escape serious injury when the liquid methane which fuelled his crown ran down his face and body. Thankfully for him, some fans in the front row quickly doused him in beer.
18. Gene Simmons of Kiss
Where and when: New York, 1973
The Kiss bassist has always been a bit of a showman. But in New Year’s Eve it cost him his hair and almost his life. In the final throes of Firehouse, the bass player indulged in a bit of fire-breathing on stage.
However, the fireball quickly set his heavily-lacquered locks ablaze. Thankfully, a quick-thinking roadie saved him permanent damage by throwing a wet towel on his flaming hair.
It did not put him off doing it ? and he has since had half-a-dozen similar incidents. The show-off must go on.
17. Jamie Reynolds of The Klaxons
Where and when: France, 2007
Stage-diving is never a good idea, especially when you are the singer of a band which has virtually no fans. Reynolds broke his leg, but bravely tried to carry on regardless, only to find he couldn’t walk.
16. Matt Bellamy of Muse
When and where: 2004
Michael Vaughan lookalike Matt Bellamy accidentally headbutted his guitar while Muse were performing one of their ‘stadium rock anthems’. Funnily enough, I know how he feels.
15. Krist Novoselic of Nirvana
Where and when: Hollywood, 1992
During the 1993 VMA Awards, Nirvana bassist Krist was forced to crawl off stage with a bleeding head after he apparently had forgotten that he had just thrown his bass up in the air seconds before.
14. Shingai Shoniwa of the Noisettes
When and where: London’s Buffalo Bar in 2005.
The Young Knives‘ The House Of Lords poked Noisettes singer Shingai Shoniwa in the eye with a bass guitar string while attempting to kiss her goodbye.
13. Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy
Where and when: New Orleans, 2007
Pete Wenz got so excited jumping up and down he broke his foot. Just brilliant.
12. Gary Jarman of The Cribs
Where and when: England 2007
Not sure if this was actually done onstage, but Jarman once had to be hospitalised while on a UK tour because he got blood poisoning after cutting himself on one of his bass strings.
He discharged himself after an overnight stay in order to attend a gig in Norwich, against doctor’s orders.
11. Mike Skinner of The Streets
Where and when: Cambridge Corn Exchange, 2009
OK, so maybe Mike Skinner doesn’t exactly qualify as a rockstar, but, anyway, while indulging in a bit of crowd surfing, one eager fan grabbed hold of his belt and refused to let go.
In fact, the excited fan pulled so hard, he managed to reopen The Streets singer’s hernia scar. Skinner said: “Looks like a wee organ might pop out of its purpley red, bloody gash.” Nice.
10. Roger Waters from Pink Floyd
When: 1969
The grumpy one from Pink Floyd was hit in the forehead by a penny hurled at him by a disgruntled fan. They must have been playing Money.
9. Lou Reed
Where and when: Buffalo, 1973
We all know Lou Reed has long disappeared up his own arse, but did you know that one crazed fan actually bit him on the bum while he was performing?
8. Iggy Pop
Where and when: London, 2008
The wild rocker has had his fair share of injuries while performing to hostile crowds, but the most recent was of his own making when he hurt his leg badly falling off a speaker stack at the Get Loaded in the Park festival.
7. Till Lindemann of Rammstein
Where and when: All the time
Rammstein’s frontman Till Lindemann is a licensed pyrotechnician who spends entire songs engulfed head-to-toe in flames.
He has burned his ears, his hair and his arms, but as the band frequently incorporates fake accidents into their shows, it’s difficult to know how much of it is planned and which are mishaps.
It doesn’t seem to bother Till though. Bandmate Christoph Schneider explains: “Till gets burned all the time, but he likes the pain.”
6. Aldrin Montecinos of Megiddo
Where and when: Valdivia, Chile, 2004
Montecinos, the singer for Chilean black metal band Megiddo, suffered first degree burns after setting fire to his long beard while performing his fire-breathing routine mid-song.
5. Pete Townsend
Where and when: Tacoma, Washington, 1989
While performing his famous ‘windmill’ guitar-strumming technique, The Who guitarist got a bit carried away when he accidentally impaled his tremolo through his right hand.
Clearly the guitar wanted to get revenge for all the guitars Townsend had destroyed in the past.
4. David Bowie
Where and when: Oslo, Norway, 2004
Bowie is used to having flowers and praise thrown his way, but in 2004 he was almost blinded – by a stray lollipop.
As incredible as it sounds, he was literally millimetres from being having his left eyeball skewered by the sweet’s stick after it was thrown by an ‘adoring’ fan.
Thankfully, it wedged in between his eyeball and eyelid and was removed by one of his entourage. Ever the pro, Ziggy Stardust finished the show.
3. James Hetfield of Metallica
When and where: Montreal 1992
The Metallica frontman suffered second and third degree burns on his hand, arm, eyebrows, face and hair after accidentally stepping into a 12-foot tower of flame that had been rigged to shoot from the lip of the stage at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium in 1992.
Thankfully, his guitar protected him from having worse injuries, but he was unable to finish the tour.
2. Blackie Lawless of W.A.S.P.
Where and when: Someplace during the 80s
W.A.S.P frontman Blackie almost blew his dick off when his flame-throwing codpiece exploded, lifting him several feet into the air.
Thankfully for Blackie, all he got was burnt legs. Apparently, while nursing his wounds offstage he said to bandmates: “If we wrote better songs we wouldn’t have to resort to stunts like this.”
1. Frank Zappa
Where and when: London, 1971
Frank Zappa was forced to stay in a wheelchair for months after being pushed off stage and into the concrete-floored orchestra pit.
The rest of The Mothers of Invention even thought he was dead. But he survived (obviously), but he had to take six months off touring after suffering serious fractures, head trauma and injuries to his back, leg, and neck, as well as a crushed larynx.
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EatingPie says
You missed Patti Smith’s ’70s fall into an Orchestra Pit and breaking her back. It made her rethink her life, and her lyrics took on a deeper spiritual tone afterward.
-Pie
Marko says
Here’s the footage of Pete Townshend’s unfortunate windmilling at Tacoma Dome ’89:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x31hvy_the-who-wont-get-fooled-again-1989_music