The Night Keith Richards Was Electrocuted—Then Played a Show the Very Next Day

The lore surrounding Keith Richards‘ heyday with the Rolling Stones is unparalleled. The guitarist has more than enough antics to keep fans talking about him for the foreseeable future. Perhaps one of his most consequential anecdotes comes from the mid-’60s, when Richards nearly died and yet lived to play a show just a day later. Learn more about this harrowing Richards moment below.

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The Time Keith Richards Defied Death

Richards has had many close calls with the Grim Reaper, by his own admission. He, like many rockers, has lived a life that most of us can’t imagine surviving. But perhaps his nearest brush with death came during a 1965 concert in Sacramento, California. This incident was no fault of his own; it was purely accidental.

During the show, Richards struck his guitar against an ungrounded microphone stand. The instrument ignited, sending Richards flying backward before an awestruck crowd.

“I was right there in the front row, in front of Keith,” Sacramento blues musician Mick Martin once recalled. “I saw the blue light. I literally saw Keith fly into the air backward. I thought he was dead. I was horrified. We all were. Silence fell over the crowd.”

Richards’ Speedy Recovery

Though it was surely memorable, it wasn’t the concert experience anyone was hoping for that night. Understandably, the show was abruptly stopped, and Richards was rushed to the hospital.

There was uncertainty about whether Richards would wake up, but he persevered. The guitarist brushed off the massive electrical shock that would’ve killed most mere mortals and got back on stage the next night in California.

This isn’t Richards’ only close call. His track record isn’t glowing, with endless examples of drug abuse and other on-stage injuries.

“Several times I’ve thought, ‘This is it,’”  Richards once said. “And it’s quite a comforting feeling, actually, thinking, ‘Jesus Christ I’m getting out of it now.’ I’ve no pretensions about immortality – I’m the same as everyone else – same as you, same as everybody, I’m the same old bugger, just kind of lucky. I tens Number one on the Who’s Likely To Die list for 10 years, I mean, I was really disappointed when I fell off the list.”

Though no one can in good conscience condone that kind of behavior, it certainly adds to the mystique of Richards as a rock star. We rely on emblems like Richards to do what we all can’t. We rely on them to live fast so we can vicariously experience the rush.

(Photo by Ali Lorestani/TT/Shutterstock)