Aerosmith's Steven Tyler,61, fell backwards off the stage

In the latest injury to befall Aerosmith's star-crossed summer tour, lead singer Steven Tyler, 61, fell backwards off the stage on Wednesday night during the band's show in Rapid City, South Dakota, and was airlifted to a hospital for treatment.

According to The Associated Press, Tyler was dancing around in an attempt to entertain the crowd at the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally after the sound system failed during the song "Love in an Elevator" when he fell backwards off the stage.

"He does a lot of dancing on the stage and he does a lot of stuff with his mic stand. He put his stand down and twirled around and stepped backwards off the stage," said Mike Sanborn, spokesman for the Buffalo Chip Campground, which hosted the outdoor concert. About halfway through the show, Tyler reportedly stepped backward off the stage's catwalk and fell onto a couple of fans.

Security guards rushed in to help the singer, and the fans cheered when Tyler got back up. Though Sanborn said he was in good spirits and was joking with a physician when he was loaded onto a helicopter bound for Rapid City Regional Hospital, Tyler suffered minor head and neck injuries and a shoulder injury in the fall. The AP said it was not known how serious the injuries were. Shortly after the incident, Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry came out to inform the crowd that Tyler had been airlifted to a hospital and that the show was over.

The Tyler tumble is the latest injury to befall the veteran hard rockers on the road. In February, the international kickoff in Venezuela was canceled because of an infection sustained by Perry that required emergency surgery related to a knee replacement he underwent in 2008.

Last month, the band was forced to cancel seven shows due to an unspecified injury, rumored to be a pulled leg muscle, sustained by Tyler onstage. That was followed by bassist Tom Hamilton's departure for a handful of dates in order to recuperate from unspecified "non-invasive surgery." Earlier in the trek, guitarist Brad Whitford was forced to sit out the initial dates due to a head injury, which required surgery, sustained when he was getting out of his Ferrari.

Several months before the tour, Tyler checked into rehab to recuperate from foot surgery. In March he contracted pneumonia, which pushed back sessions for the group's new album.

A spokesperson for the group could not be reached for comment at press time, and the hospital, citing privacy rules, would not comment for this story
From:www.mtv.com