Inadvertently stepping off the stage is always a bad look, and when it involves a super group such as U2 right at the start of its world tour, it is even worse. Just a couple of weeks ago, their lead guitarist, Dave Evans, known by U2 followers as The Edge certainly lived up to his name. Video footage shows the guitarist slowly strolling along the stage, obviously totally absorbed in his music.
"No, stop, stop," his audience would have been thinking as he stepped off the edge and fell to the floor below. So embarrassing too, that the song at the time was their hit I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For. In the true spirit of professionalism - and as the saying goes - the band played on. Fortunately, he got away with just a grazed and cut right arm - plus a somewhat bruised ego, so the world tour is able to continue.
Accidents involving fire are always a possibility on stage and this can be affirmed by guitarist Michael Clifford of an Australian rock band. The concert at London's Wembley Arena was forced to be cut short after the performer's hair caught fire when moving too close to a pyrotechnic display on stage during the Saturday night stadium show. Being part of the group, 5 Seconds of Summer, perhaps a name change to 5 Seconds of Terror would be more appropriate.
Many years ago, I remember another guitarist (what is it about guitarists?) doing a gig in Palmerston North who stood too close to the microphone stand. He reinvented the name electric guitar when the strings on his instrument came into contact with the metal stand. Sparks flew and he got an almighty shock. On reading these unfortunate on-stage incidents, it would be fair to say the price of stardom can be high, if performers don't keep their mind on the job while strutting their stuff.
Police are hot on the heels of two young men who were recently caught on camera illegally "train surfing" on a freight train from Auckland to Palmerston North, saying the pair are lucky to be alive.
The video shows two freight-hoppers, whose faces have been blurred, running from nearby bushes and jumping on to a moving freight train, in Manukau.
The daredevils are shown to spend most of the ride perched between carriages but are seen moving round the train and dangling their heads out the side.
Police "want to speak to the men involved about their actions" and want to hear from anyone with information. For the life of me, I cannot understand then why their faces were pixilated out on the video. How can anyone be expected to identify them?
Or did these dudes have the technology to do that themselves on their phones? Somehow I doubt it.
-Brian Holden has lived in Rotorua for most of his life and has been writing his weekly column for 11 years
