Oli Sykes, the frontman of Bring Me the Horizon, has revealed that he sustained a mild concussion after being struck in the head by a phone thrown from the crowd during Monday's concert in St. Louis, Missouri.
Incident Details
The 39-year-old British rocker was kneeling at the front of the stage when a large smartphone launched from the audience hit him. Footage of the incident shared on social media captures the moment. After finishing the song, Sykes picked up the phone and said into the microphone: "Who the f*** just threw a phone at my f***ing head?"
Singer's Update
Sharing an update with fans on Tuesday, Sykes wrote on his Instagram Stories: "Alright everyone — just wanted to let you know I’m all good. The phone to the head definitely smarted and I ended up with a mild concussion, but the swelling’s gone down a decent amount already."
He explained that he was "struggling on stage a bit" afterward because "singing was putting a lot of pressure on the wound and making things feel a bit disorienting while performing." Apologising to fans, he said: "So I’m sorry on my part for what may have seemed like a half-hearted performance. Appreciate everyone checking in and worrying about me though."
He added that "everything should be fine" for Wednesday's gig in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
Rising Trend of Thrown Objects
The dangerous trend of tossing phones and other objects at artists on stage has surged in recent years. In June 2023, Bebe Rexha was badly injured when a phone thrown by a concertgoer struck her in the eye. She was taken to hospital and received three stitches. A 27-year-old man from New Jersey, named Nicolas Malvagna, was arrested and charged with the attack.
According to the filed complaint, Malvagna told a New York police officer at the scene: "I was trying to see if I could hit her with the phone at the end of the show because it would be funny."
The following month, Harry Styles was hit in the face by a thrown object during a live performance in Vienna. Pop-rock singer Pink was shocked when a fan threw what she claimed was a bag of her mother’s ashes onto the stage. A few days later, singer Ava Max said an alleged stage invader "slapped her so hard" during a show in Los Angeles that it scratched the inside of her eye. Country-pop singer Kelsea Ballerini also took a friendship bracelet to the face during a concert in Idaho.
More recently, over the weekend, Eric Clapton ended a performance in Madrid early after being struck by a vinyl record thrown from the audience. The "Wonderful Tonight" singer-songwriter was originally expected to return to the stage for a planned encore performance but instead skipped it.
