Top 10 Musicians Who Suffered Serious Injuries Performing Live
#10: Corey Taylor
Scary masks, stage dives, and shattered bones are part of the package when it comes to Slipknot, whose members are well versed in the art of on-stage injury. Percussionist Shawn Crahan, aka the Clown, has simply accepted his carpal tunnel and tendinitis caused by the reverberating shock of smashing metal on metal. Turntablist Sid Wilson’s feet will never be the same after he broke his heels jumping off a platform in 40-pounds of chains and leather. Front-man Corey Taylor may have had the riskiest accident of them all when he took a nasty fall off stage, landing on his head and twisting his neck. Though the singer had broken his neck, he realized he could move his fingers and finished the show, like the true metalhead he is.
#9: Adele
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She has a voice that blows us all away… but maybe those pipes are a bit too powerful. The chart-topping singer has struggled with vocal problems for years, even requiring surgery in 2011. But during her 2017 Wembley shows, the issue took another devastating downturn. Having to constantly clear her throat, the English star felt like she was pushing harder than usual. Doctors determined that her precious vocal cords were shot. Cancelling the last two shows, the beloved singer took to Twitter to deliver the heartbreaking news. Though she isn’t sure that she’ll ever tour again, her smooth, soulful tone will surely echo through the digital streaming world for decades to come.
#8: Iggy Pop
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Take your traditional rock n’ roll, sprinkle in some primal anti-establishment grit, and there you have it—punk. Inventor of the stage dive and pioneer of the genre, Iggy Pop, has earned a reputation for his wild stage antics. Unlike other entries on this list, the Stooges frontman probably knew what he was in for when he tested the twisting limits of his joint sockets. Today, his body is basically a walking museum of his rambunctious career as the Godfather of Punk. This self-sacrificial icon claims to have a dislocated shoulder, very little cartilage in his hip, weak knees, a twisted spine, and one leg that’s around an inch and a half shorter than the other.
#7: Patti Smith
Legendary singer/songwriter Patti Smith may have had one of the worst slip-ups in live music history when she mis-stepped off a monitor, falling 15 feet straight into an orchestra pit made of cold, hard, concrete… Ouch. Having broken both her neck and back, the singer required months of physical therapy after the incident. Though she still experiences pain in her neck to this day, the punk poet was probably lucky to not have come out paralyzed and was able to stand in front of live audiences for decades after the 1977 accident.
#6: Enrique Iglesias
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Latin pop star Enrique Iglesias might have thought he was dealing with a remote-control plane when he attempted to catch a drone camera from the air during a concert in Tijuana, Mexico. It was in fact, not a toy but rather a military-grade piece of machinery that sliced his hand open, spewing blood onto both himself and… hopefully not the fans in the front row. Though the incident left him with a fractured hand, the need for reconstructive surgery, and no feeling in one of his fingers, the star proceeded to paint a bloody heart onto his t-shirt, wrap the wounded hand, and finish the show… which unofficially secured his well-deserved spot as an international heartthrob.
#5: Frank Zappa
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Known for diverse musical styles, Frank Zappa seems to have also attracted a diverse range of fans, from the subdued to the unhinged. The Mothers of Invention was just getting into a Beatles cover at the Rainbow Theater in London when a crazed fan rushed on stage. Apparently, his girlfriend had professed her love for Zappa, and in fit of jealous rage, he flung the singer into the depths of an orchestra pit. The scene was so gruesome that onlookers thought he was dead. Luckily, the musical virtuoso would live to see another day despite the fractured leg, paralyzed arm, and crushed larynx, which permanently altered his voice to a lower register. We can rest easy knowing that security decal at concerts has improved since this 1971 attack.
#4: Pete Townshend
The Who is known for being one of the first groups to bring instrument destruction into the world of rock n’roll. The band’s drummer, Keith Moon, had the radical idea to fill his kit with ten times the standard dose of explosives for a show on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. No, we are not sure exactly how the stunt was intended to go. But the way that it unfolded was that the explosion left singer Pete Townshend permanently deaf in one ear and caused him to develop tinnitus. Sounds like any musician’s nightmare but luckily, he was left with another fully functioning ear!
#3: Prince
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Famously known for his unique aesthetic, Prince’s high heeled shoes are a staple of contemporary music history. The pop legend was known for his signature look as well as his funky dance moves. He may have paid the price for his unrivaled showmanship however, after sustaining chronic hip and ankle injuries from consistently performing in heels. They say beauty hurts, but they don’t tell you just how much. The injuries eventually led the pop star to become addicted to opioid painkillers, which tragically led to his death in 2016.
#2: Michael Jackson
Steve Stevens Working with Michael Jackson on Dirty Diana
Fire is cool and all... but only from a distance. Michael Jackson’s hair catching fire after getting too close to a pyrotechnic display may be one of the most frightening images in live music history. The incident left this pop king with third degree burns on his scalp and chronic migraines. You’d think one on-stage accident is enough, but fifteen years after nearly being fried to a crisp, a giant suspended bridge collapsed on MJ, leaving him with some nasty bruises and chronic back pain. Maybe stage props had something against the moonwalking maestro, but nevertheless he stood right up and finished the show. Talk about bouncing back!
#1: Curtis Mayfield
One of the most influential artists of his generation, Curtis Mayfield’s sweet falsetto tone and socially conscious message wasn’t his only legacy. The singer’s life took a devastating turn during a 1990 outdoor concert in Brooklyn when hurricane-level wind caused a lighting fixture to fall onto him. The soul legend was paralyzed from the neck down and developed a condition called ‘phantom hands’, which he said feels like placing your hands in buckets full of snakes. Though he could no longer play the guitar, he discovered that by lying on his back and allowing gravity to push on his lungs, he was still able to sing. Talk about strength of soul.
