My Morning Jacket frontman Jim James fell from the stage last night (Oct. 7) during the group’s show in Iowa City, necessitating a trip to a local hospital and the cancellation of the rest of the gig.
James slipped and fell about 45 minutes into the show at the University of Iowa Recreation Building. He was taken to University Hospitals, treated and released.
The other members of My Morning Jacket returned to the stage to tell the crowd the show was canceled, with drummer Patrick Hallahan admitting, “We’ve never had to do this before.”
“Jim went to get closer to the audience on his side of the stage, and as he moved forward to step onto the sub-woofer the lights darkened, and he inadvertently stepped off the stage,” the band says in a statement. “Upon falling, he suffered traumatic injuries to his torso.”
The band was scheduled to perform tomorrow and Friday in Chicago but those shows have been postponed. James is also backing out of a performance at Chicago’s Schuba’s tonight as part of a Barack Obama benefit.
As the schedule would have it, MMJ has no other shows on tap until Oct. 29 in Dublin, the start of a two-week European tour. “Per the doctor’s orders, Jim will be off the road and recovering from his injuries for the next two to three weeks,” the band says.
In other MMJ news, the group has confirmed dates in New Zealand, Australia and Japan early next year, including a run on the Big Day Out tour and three shows opening for Neil Young.
Here are My Morning Jacket’s 2009 tour dates:
Jan. 16: Auckland (Big Day Out)
Jan. 18: Gold Coast, Australia (Big Day Out)
Jan. 21: Brisbane, Australia (Entertainment Center, w/ Neil Young)
Jan. 22: Sydney (Metro Theatre)
Jan. 23: Sydney (Big Day Out)
Jan. 24: Sydney (Entertainment Centre, w/ Neil Young)
Jan. 26: Melbourne (Big Day Out)
Jan. 27: Melbourne (Billboard)
Jan. 28: Melbourne (Myers Music Bowl, w/ Neil Young)
Jan. 30: Adelaide, Australia (Big Day Out)
Feb. 1: Perth, Australia (Big Day Out)
Feb. 4-5: Tokyo (Duo)
Feb. 6: Osaka, Japan (Club Quattro)
