Musicians are famous for their crazy on-stage antics. Kurt Cobain once hit a guy with a guitar and Ozzy Osbourne allegedly bit off a bat’s head. But not everything goes smoothly on the stage and there have been some horrific injuries throughout the years.

Here are the top five rock and roll injuries that should act as a warning for newcomers!

Keith Richards Nearly Gets Electrocuted

Keith Richards is definitely one of the grand old masters of rock ‘n’ roll and you can’t compile any sort of list without including him. His rugged looks show he has been through quite a few tumbles in his life, but his near electrocution in 1965 is perhaps one of the most famous.

Richards accidentally bumped his guitar into a microphone stand and the heavy voltage caused him to fly across the air into the crowd. He was briefly knocked unconscious and afterwards thanked his supposed supernatural healing powers for recovery.

Frank Zappa Smashed on Concrete

Musicians have a reputation of being lucky with the ladies, but it doesn’t always go down well when the woman happens to be dating already! Frank Zappa had the unfortunate luck of getting in the middle of a relationship drama when a ‘fan’ thought this superstar was flirting with his girlfriend during the show in 1971.

The angry boyfriend rushed on the stage and threw Zappa onto the concrete pit below. Zappa suffered a number of injuries from fractures to crushed larynx, proving once more that jealousy is not a pretty thing.

Michael Jackson’s Hair On Fire

Although this injury didn’t take place during a gig, it is still one of the most famous rock and roll injuries of all time – naturally as it happened to the King of Pop himself.

Michael Jackson was shooting a Pepsi commercial in 1984, when his hair caught aflame during a pyrotechnic stunt gone wrong. The firebombs went off too early and ended up lighting up Jackson’s hair. It’s reported that Pepsi had to pay $1.5 million in compensation, which Jackson donated later to a medical centre.

Krist Novoselic Pumps Himself in the Head

Faulty equipment and angry ‘fans’ are not always to blame for injuries. Nirvana bassist ended up hurting himself during the Video Music Awards in 1992. During the band’s performance of the hit song ‘Lithium’, he threw his bass guitar into the air with the aim of catching it; unfortunately, it hit him on the head instead.

Not everything was a disaster though; as Novoselic later reminisced enjoying a glass of champagne with Queen-legend Brian May after the medics stitched him up. How very rock ‘n’ roll!

Patti Smith Breaks Her Back

Men rockers aren’t the only ones to have ended up suffering from rock and roll injuries. The punk legend Patti Smith had such a bad fall during a gig in 1977 that she ended up with a broken back, which still causes problems to her to this day.

Patti was rocking on stage when she tripped on a monitor and fell a staggering 14 feet, breaking two of her vertebrae. Although bad mouths have suggested the punk rocker was on drugs at the time, Patti has told she just didn’t have enough space on stage for her usual energetic performance, as the crew had crammed the stage with equipment.

Rock and roll lifestyle is definitely not easy or pain-free! So, remember to practice well and prepare for the worst if you are planning to get on stage in the near future.