So many of our favorite artists have embarked on world tours this year, from Taylor Swift and Beyoncé to BLACKPINK and the Jonas Brothers. They’ve been performing back-to-back concerts in various cities around the world. Since stars often prepare for their tours weeks or even months in advance, their performances usually go without any mistakes. In order to double-check that everything is running smoothly, they also perform a soundcheck hours before their concert officially begins. However, a few mishaps here and there are pretty much inevitable because sometimes things happen that aren’t in their control.
For example, at the Jonas Brothers’s Aug. 15 concert in Boston, a trap door broke down, which left a gap in the floor. Nick Jonas accidentally backed up into it, causing him to fall down. Thankfully, he didn’t get seriously hurt and was able to prop himself back up to join Joe Jonas and Kevin Jonas at the center of the stage. While he was obviously caught by surprise, he didn’t let that stop him from continuing with the performance. Moments like this show how stars handle mishaps with a bit of quick-thinking skills like the consumate professionals they are.
Ahead, you’ll find 12 of the most memorable concert mishaps of 2023.
Getty Images for Coachella / Kevin Mazur
January 2023: Harry Styles Rips His Pants on His Love On Tour
During a concert in Inglewood, California on Jan. 26, Harry Styles experienced a wardrobe malfunction when his pants ripped on stage while performing “Music For a Sushi Restaurant.” The star was bending down on both of his knees when he accidentally caused his leather pants to stretch too much near his crotch area that it tore the seam. Styles laughed it off and then quickly improvised by covering the tear with a t-shirt.
February 2023: Ed Sheeran Experiences Technical Issues on The Mathematics Tour
Ed Sheeran uses loop pedals during his live performances in order to create layers of his vocals and guitar melodies. During his Feb. 10 concert in Eden Park, his loop pedal malfunctioned while he was performing “Bloodstream.” Since it caused an unpleasant noise to play over the speakers, Sheeran was forced to pause his performance in order to address the issue. After trying multiple times to fix the audio, however, the noise still wouldn’t go away. Sheeran then improvised by performing the rest of his set acoustically.
Getty/ Kevin Winter / Kevin Winter/TAS23
May 2023: Taylor Swift's Piano Malfunctions on The Eras Tour
Swift didn’t let the rain stop her from finishing her May 20 concert at Gillette Stadium. However, the weather did cause some of her instruments to malfunction. The following night, Swift tried to perform one of her surprise songs on the piano, however, when it began playing notes by itself, the singer was forced to swap the instrument for her guitar instead. “So, this is broken. I’m just gonna get the guitar. It’s gonna be fine,” Swift told the audience before performing “I Think He Knows” and “Red.”
June 2023: Taylor Swift's Microphone Stops Working on The Eras Tour
While performing in Chicago on June 4, Swift experienced technical difficulties when her microphone stopped working during “Lover.” Swift playfully screamed into her microphone when she realized that no one could hear her, which caused the crowd to erupt in laughter. She then made a hand gesture to notify someone about the audio issues. A few seconds later, a crew member appeared on stage with a replacement microphone and Swift continued on with the show.
July 2023: Shania Twain Falls On Stage on "Queen of Me" Tour
On July 1, Shania Twain accidentally slipped on stage while performing “Don’t Be Stupid (You Know I Love You)” in Chicago. The singer was walking across the stage in thigh-high boots when she lost her balance and fell. After the mishap, Twain sat down and yelled out, “Don’t be stupid, Chicago! You know I love you!” before getting back up to perform.
June 2023: Beyoncé's Prop Tank Breaks Down on "Renaissance" Tour
On Aug. 1, Beyoncé experienced a mishap at her Boston concert when her prop tank malfunctioned, which caused her to remain stuck on the platform. After noticing the machine broke down, the singer took it upon herself to climb down the tank. Once she got down safely, Beyoncé rushed off the stage so she can do an outfit change before continuing with the next song.
While performing at Baja Beach Fest on Aug. 12, Becky G accidentally slipped on stage but luckily caught herself, so nothing serious happened. Her recovery was so smooth that the singer even seemed to be impressed with herself. After looking at fans in disbelief over her quick reflexes, Becky G got back to dancing and enjoying the rest of her concert.
August 2023: Soulja Boy Almost Falls on "SouljaWorld" Tour
Soulja Boy’s skateboard stunt didn’t turn out as expected during his Aug. 13 concert in Denver, Colorado. The rapper tried to skate across the stage, but he slipped and almost fell. Thankfully, he recovered quickly and was able to laugh off the mishap on Instagram afterward. “Almost fell off my skate board lmao ? ?? I love y’all! ?,” he wrote alongside a video of the moment.
Getty/ Kevin Mazur
August 2023: Nick Jonas Falls Into Hole on "The Tour" Tour
Nick experienced an embarrassing on-stage moment at the Jonas Brothers’s Aug. 16 concert in Boston when he accidentally fell into a trap door. A security guard tried to warn him, but since he was focused on singing, he didn’t notice until it was already too late. He recovered quickly, however, and even laughed off the moment with his brothers shortly afterward.
