The Lead: The Ecstasy Of The Agony: When Musicians Get Hurt (Too)

Musicians constantly injure themselves while going haywire onstage, but we’re here today to celebrate those who soldiered through the pain and persevered. Whether they broke bones and finished the show or retooled their instrument to fit their injury without stopping a tour, we’d like to salute the following seven rockers for showing some serious dedication to their craft.

[MC] Matthew Colwell, web editor
[BK] Brian Kraus, weekend web editor
[TC] Tyler Common, contributing writer
[MB] Michele Bird, contributing writer

Andrew W.K.
At the House Of Blues in Los Angeles on November 23, 2003, during his tour in support of The Wolf, party aficionado, rock star and general badass Andrew W.K. got tangled in his own microphone cord during his set and broke his right foot. He ended the night signing autographs from the ambulance and finished the next 60-plus dates of the tour in a wheelchair. [MC]

Travis Barker, Blink-182/+44
While filming the video for +44’s “When Your Heart Stops Beating” in 2006, Travis Barker began to feel an extraordinary pain in his right forearm. He finished the shoot and didn’t look into the injury any further, as they were about to embark on a European tour. Even after being told by a doctor in London not to play for three weeks, he pushed through the pain and iced the painful limb throughout their European tour. After coming back home, Barker was finally fitted with a cast and instructed not to use his right arm for six-to-eight weeks, so he didn’t. Instead, he soldiered on playing drums with only one arm. Barker’s drum set was fitted with special equipment so that his left foot would assist with using the snare drum. Barker didn’t miss a single show. [MC]

Erik Henning, Polar Bear Club
Back in the spring of 2010, Polar Bear Club were on tour with Every Time I Die, Trapped Under Ice and Four Year Strong. Each night, ’90s hip-hop was played over the PA in between bands, which wasn’t a problem until the Eugene, Oregon date. “The masterpiece most commonly known as ‘The Humpty Dance’ was playing in between bands, and I jumped on a bench in front of the soundboard to ‘do the hump’ as Digital Underground would have wanted,” remembers Polar Bear Club bassist Erik “Goose” Henning. “Seconds into this proactive dance, my knee buckled and I fell to the ground.” As if one freak accident wasn’t enough, a random showgoer took it upon himself to punch Henning in the back of the knee. “I chipped my knee cap, and after going to the ER, I was told I must fly home immediately and have surgery.” Henning would follow doctor’s orders, but not before playing one more show so the band could get a replacement up to speed. He played the next show in Sacramento, Califnora, sporting a cast and supported by a stool. Henning then flew home from Sacramento, leaving Dan O’Connor and Alan Day from FYS to fill in for the rest of tour. Henning took the opportunity to learn to keep himself grounded while dancing. “Moral of the story: drink your calcium for strong bones and stay ground level when doing the Hump.” [BK]

Derek Jones, Falling In Reverse 
The punk-rock summer camp known to us as Warped Tour was just kicking off as the post-hardcore titans in Falling In Reverse took the stage in Salt Lake City. All seemed to be going well until guitarist Derek Jones fell 11 feet from the stage during the performance, leaving three broken bones in his foot and his skull fractured. Despite these casualties, Jones is soldiering on with the help of his bandmates to brave the scorching heat for the rest of the summer while conquering the mainstage in a wheelchair. [TC]

Ryan Key, Yellowcard
Yellowcard frontman Ryan Key had an unnamed medical procedure done on the bottom of his right foot at the beginning of June 2012. Though saying it was “nothing too serious,” Key stated he would have to be seated at Warped for the first couple of weeks. No shows were canceled, and you can see in the picture that Key seems to have recovered great, as he is standing and running around the stage throughout their set. [MC]

Brendon Urie, Panic! At The Disco
On May 29, 2011, high-spirited Panic! At The Disco frontman Brendon Urie broke his ankle at Pompano Beach Amphitheater in Pompano Beach, Florida after playing an acoustic track for fans and losing his balance on some stairs. Urie then proceeded to reveal his swollen ankle to concert attendees and went on with the show as if nothing was wrong. Doctors advised Urie not to walk on his broken ankle for a period of three weeks, but the tour continued with no hindrance from the injury. This goes to show not even a painful ankle can deter Urie from putting on a lively and unforgettable show. [MB]

Pete Wentz, Fall Out Boy
On October 28, 2007, Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz took a jump that broke the bone connecting his shin and foot at the Voodoo Festival in New Orleans. Despite suffering the painful injury, Wentz let the show continue and kept rocking. No shows were canceled following his swollen foot and Wentz proceeded to use a rocker boot to continue his crazy onstage antics. [MB]