Total Point Urgent Care wants you to know mishaps can happen anytime, whether you’re hanging out at home or blowing away stadium crowds. For instance, in 1992 at the MTV Video Music Awards, Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic tossed his instrument into the air, only to have it land not in his hands but on his head. Krist stumbled off stage where his cranial wound was bandaged rudimentarily and he was handed a glass of champagne. Thankfully, he was fine – but the famous string-plucker could have undoubtedly benefited from a quick-acting, high-quality resource like Total Point, as we all can. Here are five more examples of onstage mishaps that prove accidents don’t discriminate.
1. Dave Grohl breaks his leg in front of 52,000 fans:
In the summer of 2015 – only two songs into the Gothenburg, Sweden stop of their Sonic Highways World Tour – Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl tripped, stumbled, and tumbled over the lip of the stage, badly breaking his right leg in the process.
Grohl, repeatedly dubbed “the nicest guy in rock,” remained in good spirits, even apologizing to the 52,000 hopeful yet hesitant fans looking on.
“I think I just broke my leg,” the “Everlong” singer announced into the microphone, surrounded by medics and late bandmate Taylor Hawkins. “I think I really broke my leg.”
Still, despite the would-be definitive injury, Grohl went on to promise the crowd that he would return to finish the show…and that he did – seated in a school chair, guitar in hand, against the medics’ advice.
Throughout Grohl’s recovery, he performed from a massive custom throne sprouting guitar necks, a relic which he later lent to Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose who took a similar spill the following year.
2. Lady Gaga gets cracked in the cranium by a big pole:
During Lady Gaga’s 2012 Born This Way Ball in Auckland, New Zealand, the singer was accidentally struck atop the head by a large pole, forcing her to momentarily evacuate the stage. The incident resulted in a confirmed concussion.
The weapon in question – a stage prop meant to aid the singer’s eclectic “Judas” performance – was wielded by one of her world tour backup dancers who was trying, unsuccessfully, to remove the item from center stage. Instead, he managed to render Mother Monster momentarily speechless as the dizzied singer recoiled, seemingly seeing stars.
Despite her injury, Gaga returned to the stage moments later to perform another 16 songs, but not before simultaneously informing and reassuring her audience.
“I want to apologize,” she told the crowd. “I did hit my head and I think I may have a concussion but don’t you worry, I will finish this show.”
3. Big Boi blows out his knee big time:
Hip-hop star and one-half of the group OutKast, Big Boi is better known for his bars than his boogie. But at Cincinnati’s 2013 Summer Camp Festival, the Atlanta-based rapper decided to try out a new move: a jump-kick emphasizing the percussive end of a song.
Unfortunately, upon landing, Big Boi immediately tore the patellar tendon in his left knee. He then limped stageside, visibly in pain but still (sort of) smiling.
Following the incident, Big Boi was seen using crutches and a wheelchair, eventually undergoing months of rehab to treat the dreaded knee injury.
“For the last four months, I have been in rehab and doing physical therapy,” Big Boi stated in an interview. “But now I’m back, getting stronger and getting back in the groove of things.”
The mishap also forced the MC to reschedule the remaining dates on his 2013 Shoes for Running Tour in support of his then-new LP – Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors. Naturally, there’d be no “running” for the rapper this time around.
4. Post Malone takes a bad tumble
In 2022, Post Malone brutally bruised his ribs during a show at St. Louis’ Enterprise
Center when the “White Iverson” singer fell into a stage hole that housed his guitar.
Immediately following the mishap, Malone rolled onto his back and writhed in agony as shocked concertgoers looked on, perhaps wondering if it was all part of Posty’s sometimes heart-wrenching performance.
One fan, Tana Cantrell, recalled, “At the time, from my angle, it looked like he just collapsed on stage, grabbing the middle of his chest…[but you could see] his legs were trembling from the pain.”
Moments before the accident, Malone’s guitar had been lowered beneath the stage, leaving a cavity that was flush with the floor, almost invisible to both the crowd and the casualty.
After exiting the stage for a handful of minutes, escorted by panicked staff, Malone returned to finish his performance – purpled sternum and all.
5. Enrique Iglesias slices his fingers on drone blades
Certainly the bloodiest of the bunch, Enrique Iglesias’ drone accident happened at a 2015 concert in Tijuana, Mexico. As the “Hero” singer serenaded the crowd, he reached up to grab a drone floating near his face. Unfortunately, Iglesias took hold of the device’s high-speed blades instead, instantly slicing up the fingers of his right hand.
“During the show, a drone is used to get crowd shots, and some nights Enrique grabs the drone to give the audience a point-of-view shot,” a representative for Iglesias said in a statement. “Something went wrong and he had an accident.”
Iglesias was semi-treated stageside before being advised to end the show. But, like many of his committed cohort, he went on to perform for another 30 minutes, wearing an ensanguined t-shirt with his bloodied hand tucked behind his back.
It was later revealed by Iglesias’ team that the then-40-year-old singer had done more than slice a few fingers. He fractured his hand during the mishap – an injury that eventually required reconstructive surgery.
Just like music, everyone has a preference when it comes to their healthcare. Total Point provides a versatile collection of urgent care and emergency centers throughout Texas, each offering the highest level of attentiveness at an affordable price with little to no wait time. Total Point’s top-of-the-line facilities issue services ranging from cold and flu to casting, splinting, and bracing; from wound care to school physicals and beyond. Just like music, Total Point is a resource that endeavors to not only improve quality of life but also facilitate community wellness.
