The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Illegal Eagles singer leaves eaterie with concussion.
Illegal Eagles band member suffers concussion while having dinner in Nando’s
An Eagles tribute singer suffered concussion after being struck by a plank of wood which “fell 30ft from the ceiling” of a Dundee restaurant.
Illegal Eagles singer/guitarist Christian Phillips was eating dinner in Nando’s before the band performed the first night of a three-date run at the Gardyne Theatre as part of their 20th anniversary tour.
Mr Phillips suffered a gash on the head and puncture wounds to the arm and was tended to by staff and patched up by paramedics while the area was closed to the public.
He returned to the theatre and performed in the second-half of Thursday’s show but said his head felt like it was “in a vice”.
He later went to accident and emergency at Ninewells Hospital where he was diagnosed with concussion.
He flew home to Wales and will miss the rest of the Dundee shows.
He said: “A piece of wood fell 30ft from the ceiling in Nando’s restaurant.
“It cracked my head open and smashed my arm. Unfortunately, I have concussion so won’t be playing the shows this weekend.”
The drama happened after Mr Phillips finished the afternoon soundcheck on Thursday.
The wood fell from the ceiling without warning and hit him on the head, while nails from the wood gouged his arm.
An ambulance was called and the Welsh musician was checked over by paramedics.
Unwilling to disappoint Thursday’s sell-out crowd, he returned to the theatre and took part in the second half of the show to perform Hotel California and a raft of other classics.
He managed to see the funny side of the accident and came out on stage in a yellow hard-hat while looking tentatively upwards at the roof.
Mr Phillips has been a professional musician for the past 20 years.
He has composed film scores and countless TV signature tunes and in 2009 was awarded a Royal Television Society award and a Bafta.
The Illegal Eagles are in Dundee as part of a UK tour with more than 100 dates.
A Nando’s spokesperson yesterday said: “We sincerely apologise to Mr Phillips for what happened, and regret any distress this accident has caused.
“Immediately after the accident the team at Nando’s Dundee tended to Mr Phillips and closed the affected area to the public.
“A maintenance team has thoroughly checked the restaurant this morning and we are satisfied that it is safe.”