Elton John had sparked fears he had been assassinated on stage by a crazed fan after he was left with blood streaming down his face in a shocking gig attack via Radar Online. John recently discussed the past incident.
The Rocket Man was hauled away from his piano in the middle of a concert in Greensboro, North Carolina, as members of his band thought he had been shot. It later emerged a drug user in the crowd had chucked a metal hash pipe at him that struck him directly in the temple, causing the music legend to “black out” while blood poured down the side of his face.
John said: “Fans have often thrown things onstage when I’m playing, but usually it’s been something reasonably soft. Not in Greensboro.
“As we plowed through a rendition of Burn Down the Mission, someone hurled a metal hash pipe toward the stage from the crowd. I didn’t see it coming.”
He continued: “The silver pipe smashed against my temple, drawing blood, and I completely blacked out. The band kept playing because it took them a second to realize what had happened.
“They told me later they thought I’d been shot because they saw blood pouring down my face.”
John added his bodyguard at the time, Jim Morris, a former Mr Universe, was a big part of his show. After John was knocked out, Morris Dragged him, in his full feathered suit, to the side of the Coliseum stage.
John recalled: “There were feathers everywhere. A paramedic was bandaging my head.”
Despite the circumstances, John stated that it has now become one of his “favorite” memories during his time on tour. He details the incident in his new book, Farewell Yellow Brick Road, which is packed with shocking moments from his time on the road as a global sensation, including a recollection of how he battled painful vocal cysts during a run of shows in Australia.
The I’m Still Standing hitmaker stated that while he had battled vocal fatigue before, things got more serious once his tour hit Sydney. On the first night between shows, John said he realized he needed medical attention when he “coughed and spat up wads of gunk”.
He explained how he “couldn’t carry on croaking his way through shows”, adding he went to see a doctor in Sydney who found cysts on his vocal cords.
