A Brief History of Foot Injuries in Metal

Five years ago today, on April 27, 2011, high school senior Boozeman was playing a game of mat ball in gym class and slid into third base a little bit too late. I was running full speed and my ankle got caught on the base while my body kept going. My ankle snapped, crackled and popped harder than a bowl of Rice Krispies and that slide resulted in an ankle break (shown above) that is the most gruesome of all the many injuries I’ve had over the years.

So, in nostalgic celebration of sliding out of the last two weeks of high school and riding into the graduation sunset with with all the legal Vicodin in the world, I thought I’d take you all on a brief tour of foot injuries throughout the history of metal. Or at least the ones I can remember off the top of my head.

Axl Rose, Guns N’ Roses

The most recent of these injuries belongs to none other than Axl Rose, who (allegedly) fractured his foot after a slipping at the GNR reunion show at The Troubador earlier in April. Fortunately for GNR fans, Axl is a trooper and the tour will continue with Axl sitting on a throne of guitars that was lent to him and used previously by none other than Dave Grohl.

Dave Grohl, Foo Fighters

Speaking of Dave Grohl, in the summer of 2015 the Foo Fighters were playing a show at Ullevi stadium in Sweden. Grohl appeared to miscalculate a jump off stage and broke his leg in the process just two songs into the set. Not to be outdone by a broken bone, Grohl came back from the hospital an hour later and proceeded to play for another two-and-a-half fucking hours. Even if you don’t care for the Foo Fighters, that’s worthy of anyone’s respect.

Thank you Gothenburg. That was amazing. pic.twitter.com/BXvuxIfVEv

— Foo Fighters (@foofighters) June 12, 2015

Sid Wilson, Slipknot

Mayhem Fest had its first run back in 2008, with Slipknot — returning from a three year hiatus — the festival’s biggest draw. On the very first date of the tour — the first time the band had played together since the Vol. 3 tour cycle ended — everyone’s favorite insane masked DJ jumped off a riser onstage and shattered BOTH of his heels. Wilson was able to finish the tour in a wheelchair and two casts and prompted Corey Taylor to give him the nickname “DJ Moon Boots.”

Ben Weinman, The Dillinger Escape Plan

Weinman broke his foot in 2007 while filming a video for TDEP’s Ire Works when he dropped a guitar on his foot, resulting in the cancellation of a U.S. and European tour. Weinman has a history of injuries, as he’s broken two ribs, two feet, three fingers, his hand AND his skull over the years. I might have missed a few, but you get the idea. More broken bones than dragon bones you can’t carry in Skyrim.

You have to give a hand to all of these musicians. Breaking your bones and continuing to play takes some grit, but these guys are professional musicians and we love them for a reason. As I said, these were just a few of the foot/leg-related metal injuries I know off the top of my head. Feel free to let me know which ones I missed in the comments.