JANICK GERS falls on stage during IRON MAIDEN's Mexico City concert
25-11-2024
IRON MAIDEN guitarist Janick Gers lost his footing and fell on stage during the band’s November 20 concert at Estadio GNP Seguros in Mexico City, Mexico. Fan-filmed video of the incident is now available.
Watch the incident below.
Back in September 2019, Gers, who is always swinging and throwing his guitar during MAIDEN live performances, lost grip of his instrument during a San Antonio, Texas concert and it flew off and hit a security guard in the back of the head and upper torso.
Gers has often been the subject of criticism for his flashy performance style which many fans feel is out of step with MAIDEN‘s more traditional approach. Radio personality Eddie Trunk gave his opinion on the matter in a 2009 blog entry after seeing MAIDEN perform in Florida. He wrote at the time: “As much as I love MAIDEN. I must state what has been so obvious to so many for so long. Nobody can figure out why the band tolerates Janick Gers‘s performance style. Don’t know the man and I hear he is a nice guy, but he behaves like he is auditioning for ‘Dancing With The Stars’ on stage and not playing guitar in MAIDEN. Not even sure what he is doing. Cannot possibly be turned up in the mix much of the time. I know so many that have said the same thing. It’s just not right for MAIDEN, especially with other MAIDEN guitarists Adrian (Smith) and Dave (Murray) in classic mode on stage. I’m sure he’s talented and a good guy, but it’s way over the top and painful to watch that side of the stage. I love some of the things he has written with MAIDEN and I’m not for a minute saying he should be out of the band, but someone dancing and spinning his guitar just seems so out of place in MAIDEN.”
Adrian Smith later defended Janick‘s performance style, telling Trunk in an interview: “Some people enjoy it. I think it’s interesting to have contrasting styles and different personalities within the band.”
He added: “We actually have to be quite disciplined when we play. I mean, I do, because the songs, some of the arrangements are quite complex and we play ’em very fast, and if I start throwing my guitar around, I just lose the plot, so I don’t. Janick‘s fine with it, and it’s what he does, and it’s cool.”
Janick was the lead guitarist of the band WHITE SPIRIT before joining GILLAN, a group formed by then-former DEEP PURPLE vocalist Ian Gillan. After GILLAN disbanded, he played in the group GOGMAGOG (with former IRON MAIDEN singer Paul Di’Anno and drummer Clive Burr) and with various artists, including Fish of MARILLION. In 1990, he played guitar on MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson‘s first solo album, “Tattooed Millionaire”. During the recording of the LP, he was asked to join MAIDEN in place of departing Adrian Smith. He has remained with the band ever since, even after Smith rejoined the band in 1999.
“Run For Your Lives” 2025 tour dates:
May 27 – Budapest Aréna, Budapest, Hungary *
May 31 – Letnany Airport, Prague, Czech Republic *
Jun. 01 – TIPOS Arena, Bratislava, Slovakia *
Jun. 05 – Trondheim Rocks, Trondheim, Norway (Festival)
Jun. 07 – SR-Bank Arena, Stavanger, Norway *
Jun. 09 – Royal Arena, Copenhagen, Denmark *
Jun. 12 – 3Arena, Stockholm, Sweden *
Jun. 13 – 3Arena, Stockholm, Sweden *
Jun. 16 – Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland *
Jun. 21 – Utilita Arena, Birmingham, England ^
Jun. 22 – Co-op Live, Manchester, England ^
Jun. 25 – Malahide Castle, Dublin, Ireland *^
Jun. 28 – London Stadium, London, England *^
Jun. 30 – OVO Hydro, Glasgow, Scotland ^
Jul. 03 – Eurockéennes Festival, Belfort, France (Festival)
Jul. 05 – Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano, Madrid, Spain **
Jul. 06 – MEO Arena, Lisbon, Portugal **
Jul. 09 – Hallenstadion, Zurich, Switzerland **
Jul. 11 – Veltins-Arena, Gelsenkirchen, Germany **
Jul. 13 – Stadio Euganeo, Padova, Italy **
Jul. 15 – Bürgerweide, Bremen, Germany **
Jul. 17 – Ernst Happel Stadium, Vienna, Austria **
Jul. 19 – Paris La Défense Arena, Paris, France **
Jul. 23 – GelreDome, Arnhem, Netherlands **
Jul. 25 – Deutsche Bank Park, Frankfurt, Germany **
Jul. 26 – Cannstatter Wasen, Stuttgart, Germany **
Jul. 29 – Waldbühne, Berlin, Germany **
Aug. 02 – PGE Narodowy, Warsaw, Poland **
Support acts:
* HALESTORM
^ THE RAVEN AGE
** AVATAR
Having been established in 1975 in the East End of London, IRON MAIDEN have, over the course of 17 studio albums, more than 110 million records sold and some of the greatest world tours that music has ever witnessed, become one of the greatest and most influential British rock bands of all time. Yet despite their enormous success, they have remained down to earth and true to their roots throughout their career.
IRON MAIDEN are currently on the road completing their acclaimed “The Future Past Tour” dates, which started earlier this month in Australia and New Zealand and continue through Japan, Canada, United States, Mexico, Colombia, Chile and Argentina before concluding in Sao Paulo, Brazil with two concerts at the huge Allianz Parque Stadium in December.
IRON MAIDEN‘s latest album, “Senjutsu”, was released in September 2021 via BMG. The band’s first LP in six years was recorded in 2019 in Paris with longstanding producer Kevin Shirley and co-produced by Harris. It features three tracks whose running time exceeds 10 minutes each.
For “Senjutsu” — loosely translated as “tactics and strategy” — the band once again enlisted the services of Mark Wilkinson to create the spectacular Samurai-themed cover artwork, based on an idea by Harris.
“Senjutsu” topped the charts in several European countries upon its release, including in Belgium, Finland, Germany, Italy, Sweden and Switzerland.
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