Forget Shark Attacks - Musos Have To Dodge Falling Mirrorballs

Having this week seen the dangers that a surfer can face in their day-to-day work, we got to thinking about the brushes-with-death facing rock stars in their everyday lives...

blood on the dancefloor

A lot has been made of the incident during filming of a Pepsi Cola commercial, which saw Michael Jackson’s hair bursting into flames, as being the beginning of the late singer’s decline. Hair-raising (sorry) footage from inside Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium – where the shoot took place on 27 January, 1984 – shows a pyro exploding prematurely and setting Jackson’s ‘fro on fire. Remarkably, Jackson continues busting a coupla moves with flaming barnet before feeling the physical pain associated with enduring third-degree burns to his scalp. 

the ego has landed

It’s one thing to fall off your own stage, but Robbie Williams was actually pushed by a so-called crazed fan and fell more than five feet into a security pit during his performance at Stuttgart's Schleyerhalle stadium in 2007! He was understandably rattled although the show went on with Williams performing another six songs afterwards. 

do you really want to hurt me?

By far the most shimmering and glamorous onstage mishap of all (although this one happened during a Culture Club rehearsal in 1999), Boy George nearly exited this earth in spectacular fashion when the wire holding a massive mirror ball above his head snapped. The Culture Club singer himself agreed, when talking to UK tabloid The Sun after the incident: “It would have been both ironic and glamorous to be finished off by a four-foot glitter ball”.

livin' it up when he's goin' down

We can’t be the only ones who watched video footage of Steven Tyler’s legendary stack at Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, South Dakota (2009) more than a few times. The fact that the Aerosmith frontman hit the deck during Love In An Elevator, after executing some boy band-inspired dance moves at the end of the catwalk. He jumps into a cross-legged standing position before spinning then (quite literally) spiralling outta control and into the crowd. Riveting repeat viewing.

Whaddayamean it’s happened more than once? As it happens, almost a year to the day later during Aerosmith’s show at Toronto's Air Canada Center – and (remarkably) during the same song (“Livin’ it up when I’m goin’ dooooown”) – Tyler tumbled after a bit of friendly bandmate biffo. Tyler playfully pushed guitarist Joe Perry, who retaliated with a little too much force and sent Tyler sideways off the catwalk. Again. Tyler was unharmed this time, however (he broke his shoulder and required stitches in his head following the Sturgis fall), and The Globe newspaper reported the dude (who may or may not look like a lady) clambered back up and cheekily acknowledged, "It ain't gonna happen again, baby."

love to see you cry

So Enrique Iglesias tried to grab a drone camera while performing in Tijuana, Mexico this year and fractured his hand in the process. So much for trying to give fans a point-of-view shot from the stage! What the punters ended up with was a gory spectacle during which Iglesias decorated his white t-shirt with claret. And he somehow created a cool design that looked like a heart! Is this shirt on eBay? Want. 

my hero

Somehow managing to turn a gig injury into a, ‘Jeez, what a deadest legend!’ update, Dave Grohl kissed the dirt during the Fooeys’ second song in Gothenburg, Sweden earlier this year. “I think I really broke my leg,” Grohl announced to the crowd. “So, look! You have my promise that the Foo Fighters – we’re gonna come back and finish the show.” Cue Wayne and Garth’s “We’re not worthy!” routine from Wayne’s World.