Stage diving and crowd surfing can be an amazing part of the gig-going experience: jumping into a sea of people and have them carry you aloft around the room. mind you, it's often easier achieved by the artist than us mere mortals - simply because it's more likely that an excitable crowd would be willing to support their body weight.
Take the story of one man in Adelaide, who wanted to see whether the crowd would catch him. The only problem was that Joel Forster dived from a very big height and expected someone to break his fall. Shocking footage has emerged of a Dune Rats gig in the Thebarton Theatre, where the 20-year-old man jumped off a balcony onto concert-goers below.
Credit: Channel 7
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The shirtless bloke can be seen with his arms in the air (like he just didn't care), before leaping into the crowd who were several metres below - however, everyone dispersed and the man ate the deck hard.
To be fair, even the most famous musician in the world might struggle to get fans to catch them from that kind of height.
Security staff immediately alerted on-site paramedics, who rushed to ensure Forster hadn't broken his neck or sustained any other serious wounds. Brendon Maczkowiack witnessed the terrifying moment, telling News Corp: "He just took his shirt off and started standing on the balcony and everyone, though he was just dancing. His face was covered in blood. They had to keep wiping it away. It was intense."
Credit: Channel 7
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The man was taken to Royal Adelaide Hospital and was treated for facial injuries. He was discharged a short time later, but not before sharing a picture on Snapchat of him in a neck brace, with the caption: "Neck one."
People on social media have mixed opinions on the dramatic attempt at crowd surfing. Some have labelled him a 'fool', 'wally' and 'idiot', whereas others are calling him a 'legend' and a 'national gem'. Joel saw the funny side though, posting a status on Facebook saying: "It's all fun and games until nobody decides to catch you."
One person commented on the post, pointing out that the stunt could have ended very differently: "You could potentially ruin some innocent person's life who just came to enjoy themselves at a concert. You're a fucking idiot, mate."
The Thebarton Theatre has been contacted for a statement on the issue.
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Topics: Idiot