It’s not exactly a rare occurrence when rock stars get injured during their performances. Some accidents aren’t too bad, while others have required hospitalization and could have been fatal. These four rock stars, however, trucked on through their live performances despite secret (and not-so-secret) on-stage injuries.
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1. Frank Zappa
Back in 1971, famed rock star Frank Zappa was on tour through Europe with his band The Mothers Of Invention. Zappa had to deal with not one, but two accidents just weeks apart on that tour.
While in Switzerland, Zappa ended his set early after a fan fired a flare gun at the ceiling of the casino where the concert was taking place. The whole place erupted in flames. But luckily, nobody was hurt.
The second incident resulted in Zappa getting injured. Just a week after the flare gun fiasco, Zappa arrived in London and made his way to the stage. By the time he was visible to the crowd, someone in the audience leaped to the stage, accusing Zappa of “eyeing” his girlfriend. The perpetrator pushed Zappa off of the stage and straight onto the concrete floor.
Zappa sustained head trauma and fractures, and his voice was altered for the rest of his life due to a crushed larynx. Zappa didn’t finish that set, but we’re going to count it simply because he continued to tour and perform despite his voice-altering injuries.
2. Dave Grohl
When it comes to rock stars who kept performing despite their injuries, this example takes the cake. Dave Grohl has always loved his fans and has done his best to put on a killer show with both Nirvana and Foo Fighters. But at one 2015 set in Sweden, the show almost didn’t go on. Grohl accidentally fell off of the stage. Through his mic, he very calmly told the crowd that he had just broken his leg.
Grohl was rushed backstage and treated. The remaining band members performed a few covers in the meantime. Surprisingly, Grohl hobbled back on stage to finish his set.
“I may not be able to walk or run but I can still play guitar and scream,” Grohl told the crowd.
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3. Krist Novoselic
Dave Grohl isn’t the only Nirvana member to have had an accident while performing. Back in 1992, Krist Novoselic and the rest of Nirvana performed at the MTV Music Awards. During a rendition of “Lithium”, the bassist decided to throw his heavy bass around 25 feet into the air.
Novoselic had done this trick before. Unfortunately, this time, it didn’t go smoothly. The bass landed directly on his head and knocked him unconscious. He went on to say later that he faked being knocked out, but we’re not so sure. Novoselic didn’t finish the set, but the rest of Nirvana did, so we’ll go ahead and count this one.
4. Rob Halford
Judas Priest’s Rob Halford once got knocked out during a live performance in 1991. During the famed Toronto concert, Halford rolled in on a Harley Davidson motorcycle. Considering that motorcycles aren’t exactly safe to drive on a stage, it’s not surprising that the stunt ended in an injury. The stage was covered in fog, visibility was low, and the motorcycle struck part of a drumset and sent Halford flying to the ground. He broke his nose and was knocked unconscious.
Glenn Tipton managed to revive his bandmate. Halford decided to finish his set before taking a trip to the hospital. The stunt was widely considered at the time to have been a contributing factor to Halford’s departure from the band the next year.
Photo by Marcelo Hernandez
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