Suit: Stage-Diving Singer Injured Philadelphia Audience Member

The lead singer of the band Fishbone fractured a woman’s skull and broke her collarbone while performing a stage dive at a concert last month in Philadelphia, according to a federal lawsuit filed Friday.

Kimberly Myers, 42, of Voorhees, N.J., also suffered a perforated eardrum and other minor injuries when Fishbone frontman Angelo Moore jumped from the stage at the World Cafe Live concert venue on Feb. 23, according to the complaint.

Myers is suing the band, Moore, and the band’s management company, Silverback Artist Management, claiming negligence and claiming assault and battery against Moore and the band.

Silverback said Wednesday it does not comment on pending litigation.

The University of Pennsylvania, which owns the venue, and the company that manages World Cafe Live are also named in the suit.

According to the complaint, Fishbone is well-known for stage diving and World Cafe should have advised concertgoers that it could happen.

World Cafe Live general manager Neil Sulkes said the venue does not condone stage-diving and had no advance warning there would be stage-diving or crowd-surfing at the show.

“We feel horrible this young lady got hurt,” he said. “We don’t condone it.”

Sulkes said World Cafe includes a provision in its contracts stating negligence on the part of performers is the responsibility of the artists.

“We cover ourselves if something like this happens,” he said.

Myers’ attorney, Neil Jokelson, declined comment on the suit.