Bring Me the Horizon frontman Oli Sykes suffered a concussion after a phone thrown from the audience struck him on the head during a concert in St Louis on Monday. Despite the injury, Sykes continued performing but cut one song and a fan interaction segment from the set.
Sykes later wrote on social media: “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 … I was struggling a bit on stage afterwards because singing was putting a lot of pressure on the wound and making things feel a bit disorienting while performing, so I’m sorry on my part for what may of seemed like a half-hearted performance.”
Eric Clapton was also hit by a thrown object during a concert in Madrid on 7 May. A vinyl album in its sleeve struck him in the chest, thrown by a member of the audience towards the end of his set. Clapton ended the concert without an expected encore, but it did not affect his next performance in Barcelona on Sunday.
These incidents are part of a growing trend of objects being thrown at performers. In 2023, Bebe Rexha was left with a cut and swollen eye after a phone was thrown at her, while Harry Styles, Cardi B, Lady Gaga, Kelsea Ballerini and Steve Lacy all faced objects or drinks thrown at them. Ava Max was slapped by a fan on stage, and Pink received a bag of ashes thrown on stage.
Billie Eilish, who has been hit by objects on stage for years, said in 2023: “It’s absolutely infuriating when you’re up there … But you know it’s out of love, and they’re just trying to give you something.” She was again hit by an object at a concert in December 2024 but continued performing. Adele warned fans during her Las Vegas residency: “I fucking dare you. Dare you to throw something at me and I’ll fucking kill you.”
In March, country singer Riley Green was hit on the head by a phone thrown from the audience, causing him to bleed, though he continued the Melbourne concert. Last year, Zach Bryan, Azealia Banks and Sabrina Carpenter also faced thrown objects during their performances.
