When a Stage Just Can't Contain an Artist's Awesomeness
Earlier this month, My Morning Jacket frontman Jim James fell off a stage in Iowa City and “suffered traumatic injuries to his torso,” according to a statement from the band. After cancelling a couple of gigs in Chicago, the band has just announced that they’re also scrapping their European tour, “in hopes of re-scheduling at some point.” Now, we’d never poke fun at the mishap, were we not confident of James’ ultimate recovery. And we should point out that, as with anything, his outcome could’ve been much worse. In 1978 Meat Loaf had to cancel his tour after falling off an Ottawa stage, breaking his leg. This lead to an alleged coke-fuelled nervous breakdown, during which he’s said to have threatened to jump off a building ledge.
That said, James can at least take comfort knowing that he’s entered a storied class of well-humored (we hope) musicians who’ve taken the plunge—and survived! The most recent inductee: Alice Cooper, who soldiered on through a few shows after unwittingly breaking his rib and tearing a ligament doing the Rock God’s good work.
Click here to see Blender’s less-casualty-ridden hall of fame. And while we’re at it, let’s add to that master list, shall we? My four nominees:
Kevin Jonas of the Jonas Bros. literally embraces his following by accidentally toppling over into the audience. The chaos that unfolded is alternately hysterical and terrifying.
