Pete Malandrone, the long-time guitar technician for Brian May, has shared a distressing incident involving the Queen guitarist. During a tour with former Free and Bad Company frontman Paul Rogers, Brian fell into an open slot on stage that was designed to elevate a piano.

Pete recounted the incident on The Darkness frontman Justin Hawkins’ podcast last year, reports the Express. He said: «He (Brian) went in, luckily, went in on his back, and he landed half on the piano and half on Paul’s tech Marcus.

«And it was horrible, because it looked horrendous. But we got him out and it was dark on the stage. He just didn’t see the hole. We got him out, and the guitar was really badly out of tune and he was obviously pretty shaken», adding that Brian was visibly shaken and his guitar was severely out of tune.

Despite the fall, Brian declined to stop the show or seek immediate medical attention. Pete said: «I asked him, ‘Do you want to stop? Do you want to see a doctor? What do you want to do?’ And he said: ‘No, I’ll be fine’.»

However, a paramedic was called to the scene as a precautionary measure. The incident was particularly traumatic for Pete, who considers Brian not just his boss, but also a friend.

He said: «I said, Do you want to stop? Do you want to see a doctor? What do you want to do? And he said: ‘No, I’ll be fine’. But we had (to get) a paramedic up there, just in case there was stuff (wrong wth him). And it was quite traumatic to see, because he’s not only my boss, he’s my mate as well. And it’s horrible to see your mate in a situation like that. And it just wasn’t funny.»

Brian May and Queen drummer Roger Taylor toured with Paul Rogers from 2004 to 2009. Since 2011, they have been touring with American Idol alum Adam Lambert. In a 2014 interview with Ultimate Classic Rock, Paul recounted a potentially dangerous incident involving Brian. He explained how the piano would be raised from beneath the stage through smoke by a hydraulic lift.

«(We) would have the piano under the stage, and it would be lifted through smoke on a hydraulic up to stage level…They’d ask you to keep your elbows and arms in, because the hydraulic will snap them off if you’re not careful,» he said.

Paul described how he began playing as the piano was being lifted, only to look up and see Brian perched on the end of the piano. The crew had to hit an emergency stop to prevent any injury, as anyone hanging over the edge could have their knees severed.

He went on to describe how the roadies rushed to help Brian while he debated whether to continue playing, which he eventually did. «It wasn’t funny at the time – it was scary, actually,» he recalled.

[Leicestershire Live – original article]

[Photo – Leicestershire Live]