End of an Era – Iggy Pop Says He Will Never Do a Stage Dive Again
For years, Iggy Pop has been one of the more energetic and dynamic stage performers, but one aspect of his shows will no longer happen again. The 75-year-old Pop revealed in a chat with NME that his days of stage-diving are over.
Pop is often thought of as one of the forefathers of the stage dive concert move, utilizing it in shows throughout a career that has now spanned into six decades. Speaking as part of NME's "Big Read" cover article, Pop confirmed that he will not be catapulting himself off the stage into the crowd at his London "Dog Day Afternoon" performance next year.
“I’ve left the proscenium a few times if the crowds were too dull just to whip ’em up, but mostly I didn’t have to,” he explained, then adding, “I won’t do the dives again, I’ve managed to survive it mostly and I’m too rickety for that now.”
This isn't the first time that Pop has sworn off stage diving. Back in 2010, the energetic rocker took a leap into the crowd a New York's Carnegie Hall, but unfortunately nobody caught him and Pop commented afterward that at the age of 62, he would no longer stage dive due to injuries.
The iconic rocker still continued to perform well past that incident, though he has spoken about his career winding down in recent years. In 2016, while promoting his Post Pop Depression album, Pop was quoted in an interview as stating, "I feel like I'm closing up after this. That's what I feel. It's my gut instinct." Luckily for fans, that instinct was off.
Pop is currently building up to a new album, Every Loser, that is due on Jan. 6 and features guest contributions from the late Taylor Hawkins, Red Hot Chili Peppers' Chad Smith, Pearl Jam's Josh Klinghoffer and Stone Gossard, Guns N' Roses' Duff McKagan, Blink-182's Travis Barker and Jane's Addiction's Dave Navarro and Eric Avery. The album is available to pre-order here and you can also catch Iggy playing select shows in 2023 as well.