Why Does A Tackled Slash Recall Painful Concert Memories?

After watching this video of Slash getting tackled in Milan last week I think it’s time we revisit a few painfully strange and hurtful onstage moments endured by bands and fans.

Last week in Milan, Guns N’ Roses famed ax shredder and journey man rocker Slash was tackled by a fan halfway through his solo during “Sweet Child O’ Mine.”

The video wasn’t at all what I expected.

And as the bizarre event unfolded, I felt like I was watching some type of slow motion scene from a live concert b-movie horror flick where I can see the heroine about to get slaughtered by the quickly approaching evil madman, but she has no idea what’s coming. Kinda like the fan who was stabbed at Altamont. I’ll never forget that scene in Gimme Shelter that shows the moment chillingly unfolding as the enraged Hell’s Angels biker rears up and gets ready to stab his victim.

To be honest I expected the fan who attacked Slash to run from the crowd and not from the side of the backstage area. It all happened so fast and looked so odd and freaky. And luckily, according to this interview with iheartguitar, only Slash’s guitar was broken and he suffered no busted bones, only a busted solo.

Like we always do, we’ll continue to keep an eye on the fan development and see if that drunk fan pops up anywhere else or if any other fans try to do anything crazy again.

Speaking of crazy fans and feeling pain on stage, when I heard about the Slash in Milan tackling, I instantly remembered all the other painful moments we’ve reported on here at Live Fix.

Let’s Revisit The Pain, Shall We?

What do Aerosmith, My Morning Jacket, Drake and No Age all have in common? Whether they’ve busted a leg, a rib or an ACL they’ve all endured pain on stage during a concert in the last year or two. And I offered this as a reason why concert fans feel pain and pleasure, yet respond emphatically when they see their favorite artist writhed in agony or fall on their face during the peak of their performance.

In some ways I completely empathized with Slash because I know what it’s like to get blind-sided and run over by the Michigan State police at a concert. It sucks. It hurts. Did I mention it sucks?

But ya know what? Sometimes there are lines that fans just shouldn’t cross. Just take a look at this fan who found out the hard way at Bumbershoot 2009 when he couldn’t resist the urge to surge.

But what happens when fans do successfully rush the stage from the crowd? A few months before his untimely death Jay Reatard was caught in a brawl with fans after a show in Austin, Texas. And things got really ugly.

Then there are artists, usually punk rockers, who get caught up in the moment, like the Jesus Lizard frontman David Yow who was injured last fall at a concert at Metro in Chicago after stage diving with abandoned into a crowd that eventually let him plummet to the ground. It’s hard to have sympathy for guys like him.

But I always do. And I’m sure you do too.

Because most of us are wired up to have at least some sympathy when a fellow human being goes down in the name of live rock and roll.

I’ve had enough pain chat for now.

How ‘Bout You?

What are some of your most painful moments at rock concerts?