Billy Strings broke his leg on Saturday while attempting a trick on his skateboard backstage at John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, VA.
Fans were puzzled when Strings didn’t return to the stage for an encore at the end of the two-night run, which saw the bluegrass star debut a new song, “Sorrow And Me”, on Friday. Concern grew as crew members reportedly wheeled a stretcher backstage.
Accounts posted on social media confirmed it was Strings who was injured, with some fans claiming to have seen him take “a nasty spill” first hand. “I was in section 102, he was going to do an encore, tried to do a kick flip on his skateboard and it shot out from underneath him and he landed right on his head,” one attendee wrote. “He didn’t move on the ground for like 30 seconds and was clearly unresponsive. They moved him over with a barrier blocking our view and then brought a wheelchair in a stretcher [sic].”
A video posted to Facebook appears to show Strings carefully scooting himself off the stage. Radio traffic obtained via Broadcastify indicates medical personnel were dispatched backstage for an “unknown issue.” Responders said “the artist” had “a broken leg” and placed him on a stretcher. Another commenter reported seeing an ambulance leaving the venue.
Strings acknowledged the mishap on Sunday, posting Saturday’s setlist along with an x-ray appearing to show a fractured tibia, possibly with an associated fibula fracture—an injury that typically requires prompt stabilization and sometimes surgery, depending on severity.
Strings has a couple days off before his spring tour is scheduled to conclude with four more sold-out shows—one at Charleston Coliseum in Charleston, WV on Wednesday, April 22nd, and three at Fishers Event Center in Fishers, IN on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, April 24th–26th.
