Stage falls: They happen to even the best rockers out there.
Sometimes, they’re hilarious. However, there are times when a tumble will literally have you scream, “OH, SH*T!” out loud.
Here’s a look back at some of the nastiest stage falls in recent years.
Tom Morello
Morello took a nasty spill from the stage during Rage Against The Machine’s July 23, 2022 show in Toronto, but it wasn’t really his fault. A fan had run up on the stage, and when security tackled the fan, Morello was taken out in the process. Singer Zack de la Rocha briefly stopped the show to make sure his bandmate was okay. Morello popped back up, was clearly not phased and then whipped the crowd up into a frenzy.
Vince Neil
This was a scary one. Neil was performing a solo set in October 2021 when he fell through a small gap between a speaker and the stage that resulted in a four-foot drop onto a cement floor. He was taken to a nearby hospital and fortunately didn’t sustain any serious injuries.
James Hetfield
On September 4, 2017, Papa Het fell into a hole on stage during Metallica’s show in Amsterdam. Thankfully, he was okay, but it certainly could’ve been worse.
😮😮😮 JAMES turns away from his mic and walks right into the hole...😮😮😮SEP 04 2017AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDSZIGGO DOME
Posted by MilanicaChannel on Monday, September 4, 2017Kirk Hammett
Speaking of Metallica, Hammett took a spill on stage during a May 2019 show in Milan, Italy. Mid-solo on “Moth Into Flame,” Hammett slips on his Wah Wah pedal due to heavy rain that was passing through. He would write in the caption on the Instagram post below, “It rained so much I felt like I was playing guitar in the shower.”
The Edge
Another fall that could’ve been a lot worse was this misstep by The Edge on opening night of U2’s 2015 “Innocence and Experience” tour.
Steven Tyler
Steven Tyler has fallen off the stage A LOT in his storied career. One of the worst times occurred in 2009 when Aerosmith played Sturgis, and Tyler’s fall landed him in the hospital with head, neck and shoulder injuries.
Axl Rose
Like Steven Tyler, Axl Rose has fallen off stage a lot. Here’s some grainy footage from a Guns N’ Roses show from 1989, which looks frightening. (Side note: Axl has a long history of just wiping out on stage, period. Seriously, Google it!)
Dave Grohl
Who could forget this moment? Dave Grohl’s major fall off stage during a 2015 show in Sweden may have resulted in a broken leg, but it gave us the Foo Throne, so we’ll just chalk this up to taking the good with the bad.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vdi9Qjs8q68
Plus, he had THE BEST reaction to falling off stage, too. Even in tons of pain, Grohl manages to be the most charming mofo in the room!
BONUS: Krist Novoselic
Alright…so this isn’t a proper stage fall, but as far as stage injuries go, Krist Novoselic’s bass toss at the 1992 MTV VMAs is always worth mentioning.