Oasis singer Noel Gallagher attacked on stage
TORONTO (Reuters) - Oasis singer Noel Gallagher was attacked on stage in Canada during a concert by the British band on Sunday night, sending him to hospital with a suspected broken rib.
Video on YouTube showed a man running hard from the back of the stage and knocking Gallagher from behind while the band was playing its hit song "Morning Glory" for the 40,000-strong audience at Toronto's V Festival.
Gallagher, 41, who had his guitar strapped on, landed heavily onto speakers. The unidentified attacker fell into a microphone stand as security staff rushed to grab him.
Gallagher's brother Liam ran at the man and threw a punch, which failed to connect, before all three left the stage.
The band said in a statement on its Web site www.oasisinet.com that Gallagher returned a few minutes later and Oasis completed its set.
The singer was later taken to hospital where he was examined for a suspected rib fracture and ligament damage. The statement did not specify the results of the examination.
A police spokesman said a 47-year-old Toronto man had been charged with assault and released without bail. He is due to appear in court next month.
The motive for the attack was not known and Oasis said no decision had been made about Tuesday's concert in London, Ontario.
Oasis, one of Britain's biggest bands of the 1990s with hits like "Wonderwall" and "Don't Look Back in Anger," is playing several concerts in Canada and the United States before a sold-out British and European tour in late September to promote the upcoming album "Dig Out Your Soul."
(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte and John O'Callaghan)
