Whoops! Iron Maiden's Janick Gers sends his Strat flying in San Antonio

Janick Gers of Iron Maiden is notorious for being the sort of guitarist you need to give a wide berth to onstage as he swings his guitar around and encourages the most demonic mischief out of Eddie. He's the showman extraordinaire.

But you are usually safe enough in the crowd. At least, most of the time you are, just not in San Antonio, Texas, last week, when during the set's climax. 

With Bruce Dickinson exhorting a little more excitement from the crowd, Gers let the occasion get the better of him, and while he was spinning his Fender Stratocaster around his head he lost control and sent it 10, 15 feet through the air, near taking the head off a front-of-stage security guard. 

Luckily, no one was harmed, and in a testament to the build quality of Fender's US plant, the guitar was returned in one piece, to be abused some more, such is its lot in life.

We've all been there. Well, not really, but this is classic Janick behaviour and exactly the sort of unscripted entertainment that the topsy-turvy world of rock 'n' roll is all about.

Just look at his face!