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 :'( :'( :'( I don't like how the video describes the fall (saying that he fell on his ass) , but it is sad to see,,,,I'm wondering if it's time for him to retire from touring... maybe JUST do studio stuff... Poor Guy first footage of him in a wheel chair, now this footage,,,God bless him..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6E4DB_Smchg

It appears he couldn't get up without help either. Getting old can be hard. I'm 68 and certainly don't move as well as I once did. You have to respect him for going out there night after night. Maybe he should cut back a bit in the future, fewer shows and time off between them.

Well that happened to me at least once at work, going backward to the floor.. And I needed help getting back up. In my forties. Fortunately more embarrassed than hurt.

He showed that he's the ultimate trouper, and did okay with GV.
That said, I'm glad that this was the second to last concert on this leg, and that he can get home and get some TLC for his back.

Not too surprising or concerning since he is an elderly man with severe back problems. It is interesting to see, though, the dynamics of who comes to his aid. Al is first -- his oldest friend on the bandstand (but of course he is also standing the closest). Meanwhile, Darian rushes over. Paul Von Mertens immediately puts his horn down, hesitates a bit, then takes over when Darian and Al can't get Brian upright. Finally Matt Jardine comes over, seemingly playing the Foskett role of giving Brian a pep talk and a shoulder rub.

Is Matt Brian's touring assistant/carer the way Foskett was (as acknowledged in the autobiography), or has Paul taken over that role?

Hi everyone,

I saw him last week in Paris, the show was great -
I am so sad to know that he fell from his chair recently in Oslo, the video is hard to watch
Fortunately he has great people around him. 

No, I don't believe Matt or anyone in the band is Brian's PA. I think it's another guy (Jerry Weiss apparently at the moment?). Though, as Ray Lawlor has mentioned in the past, different folks come and go. Not uncommon for celebrities and touring artists to have various PAs coming and going.

As for the fall, the "maybe he should retire" stuff was being said almost TEN years ago after the gig I attended in Saratoga, CA in 2007, after the infamous "Brian decides to lay down on stage" incident.

If anything, this recent issue is even less nefarious. He clearly just stumbled and missed his chair. I'm surprised that sort of stuff doesn't happen more often, considering young folks stumble too, and Brian has pretty noticeable back issues and is nearing 75 years old.

Again, I wonder if people who think there's something super wrong here aren't familiar with back problems. I've seen people in their 30s and 40s with no health issues other than back problems who have *less* mobility than Brian does, who would take *even longer* to get up from a fall.

I think the main reaction worth looking at here is that perhaps he should have someone walking with him more often when he moves to and from his seat on stage. And/or, go the Ringo route of dispensing with the pretense of "encores" and just do the entire set without leaving just to come back three minutes later.

I'm not making excuses; I'm not opposed to calling something out if it seems like a tipping point has been reached. But while concern for Brian can't be faulted, I sense maybe some folks aren't piecing together Brian's advanced age and back problems. If anything, the guy is pretty resilient if he got back up and kept going.

I think Brian's difficulty getting up has far more to do with his back problems than his age.

Doing fewer shows wouldn't have made him not miss his chair.

Obviously, if this sort of thing happened more often, then the idea would be to maybe *not* be touring at all.

But, while it's impossible to know, I don't sense he fell on stage because of fatigue or anything. It looks like a good old fashioned *accident*. Other younger artists have slipped and fallen on stage. McCartney fell into a pit on stage back ten years or so ago.

Watched the video...he missed his chair.  That can happen to anyone.

I noticed this dude in the front kept clapping when Brian fell...

Also, Brian is a big guy. Not that he's overweight in 2016 by any means, but he's got a solid build and is quite tall. I'm sure he had the wind knocked out of him a bit and even without the back problems, he would probably have difficulty getting himself back up without at least a hand to grab for support. This could've happened to anyone. When I saw Sir Paul in St. Louis a few years ago he came bustling down the steps from the piano to grab his guitar moving from Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight into The End, and missed the last step and face planted right on stage...hopped right up and shook it off!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dyl_tQr3rvE

Great to see Paul recover himself by striking an epic pose  :lol

Wow. That's just horrid to watch :(. Hope Mr. Wilson recovers

As mentioned in the Tour thread, I saw Brian at the next show after the fall.
He was absolutely in his normal (frail) physical shape and in excellent mood.  There doesn't seem anything to recover from.
Seems that his hand just slipped from the chair while he was going to sit, which caused the the chair to move. 

elderly???? 74  isn't that old .  70 will be the age of max social security soon.  Brian is a good sized person and how much muscle mass he kept I really don't know.  Just keep achieving, going, and using your skills.  We've got your back!

Apologies for the outright vagueness of that comment. By "recover", it wasn't of intent to assume quite literally that Mr. Wilson were in bad shape health-wise (after all, consider his touring schedule and his age), I just used that term in mere hope that he'd feel much more better the day after that fall, and not as an assumption that there is a technical problem with his health. My sentiments are very much the same.

Is it me (or to quote Simon & Garfunkel) or do my words seem to come back at me with shades of mediocrity? I'm sorry if someone else here feels the same way about my comments.

people are young until they turn 100, then they are elderly  :lol :lol

I don't want to watch the video, but from what people are saying it sounds like an accident, rather than "old age" creeping up. 74 is old for some people, not so old for others. Some people (including Brian) are traveling and working and such at that age, while others are in retirement homes.  I know my 80-year-old father takes exception to being called "elderly," as he's in better shape than some 60-year-olds.

I'd say Brian is in pretty good shape, though contrary to what some have said here, he IS overweight (which means that even if he voluntarily sat down on stage or on the ground, he'd probably need help getting up), and he does have spinal stenosis (he confirms this in his book). I had an acute lower back injury a couple years ago, after carrying my large dog down 4 flights of stairs, and it knocked me out for about a week (and I was only about 38 at the time). I could barely move, let alone sit for hours like Brian does at shows.

At 74, bones are becoming more brittle, and falls can lead to broken hips. Thank goodness it appears that Brian is strong enough that he was OK the following night.

Looking at photos of him the last couple of years, I'm pretty sure he is at least technically obese.  Maybe his legs are shot and he can't walk/run enough to stay in shape or perhaps just eats too much.  Wish for his health he could get in better shape!  I'm 64 and in better shape now than when I was 40, so it doesn't necessarily have to be age related decline, but yes, impairing injuries (back, legs)....can be next to impossible to overcome at a certain age....

Al next to him - who is the same age - is looking just fine. Saw Paul Simon in concert over the summer ... despite also being the same age he was looking just fine, too.

Doesn't Brian have spinal stenosis? My father, who is 10 years older than Brian, has the same thing. It's a real bitch, he can't walk very far and is really hunched over. We're going to have to get used to seeing Brian like that more and more.

Page 264 in Brian's book - Yes, and Carl had it too.

Who is Brian Falls?

Neil Young fell 3 weeks ago at Desert Trip, Steven Tyler fell off the stage a few years ago. Madonna also. There would be others. It happens.

I'm 57 but I still look and feel like a teenager. I believe it's not Brian's ago, but his condition. After all, Al does look spunky at 74.

He's going to need a long break after this tour.

I said the same thing.

I think he is a psychiatrist that travels with the band.

Really, this says it all.    Keith Richards had to explain over and over about the coconut tree.    So.   BW fell off his piano stool.  So what?    He got up and and got right back into the song.     Hope he ain't too sore!

Agreed!

Here are 3 McCartney falls:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dyl_tQr3rvE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBEKS3-8ICU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EgSHBOyk-0

Good catch, Myra. :) Al looks like he's 60, tops.

He pulls it off though, and is more physically fit.

I'm just glad that Brian didn't fall into the piano. Or Probyn's French Horn

At least we know how to get him out  :)

Brother of the famous sisters, Niagara and Betty Falls

And cousin of Dick Swallows

Dick Reising!