Miguel shocked fans by 'hanging like a rotisserie chicken' from wires pierced directly through his back during a live performance
Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for Sony
- Miguel shocked fans by hanging from metal wires pierced directly through his skin during a performance.
- The R&B singer pulled off the body suspension stunt to promote his upcoming album, "Viscera."
- "Ummm why does Miguel have hooks in his back like somebody about to smoke him over mesquite charcoal?" one X user posted.
Miguel shocked fans by hanging from wire harnesses attached directly to his skin during a live performance to promote his upcoming album.
The "Sure Thing" singer hosted "The Viscera Experience" concert in Los Angeles last Friday, where he previewed songs from his upcoming fifth studio album, "Viscera," per Billboard.
After Miguel took the stage in a white tank top and baggy pants, the R&B singer had his back pierced in front of the live audience by two men who inserted metal hooks into his skin, as seen in an Instagram video that he uploaded today.
The R&B singer's onstage assistants then attached the metal hooks in his back to wires that were suspended from the ceiling, before he was lifted into the air — in an act that could rival illusionist Criss Angel's "Mindfreak" body suspension stunt.
Miguel hung in the air for almost five minutes while singing an unreleased song, before he was finally lowered to the ground as applause erupted from the crowd, Vibe reported.
On Tuesday, the "Sky Walker" singer also posted some Instagram photos about the aftermath of the stunt, with images depicting the cuts on his back as well as his bloodied tank.
"What is your relationship to pain ? What is your relationship to change ?" Miguel wrote in his caption.
Miguel's stunt sparked chatter across various social media platforms, including in the comments section of the Instagram post, with over 80,000 likes and close to 5,000 comments as of August 30.
"You ain't got not one song for you to be doing all this.." one user commented.
"Yeah this album bout to be crazy. You outta your mind," another user said on his Instagram post.
Fans even took to X — formerly known as Twitter — to express their thoughts about his performance.
"Ummm why does Miguel have hooks in his back like somebody about to smoke him over mesquite charcoal?" one X user posted.
Another X user replied to a close-up image of Miguel's back piercings, saying that the singer "has no songs in his catalog that involve him hanging like a rotisserie chicken."
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times earlier this month, Miguel spoke about his experience with body suspension, which he describes as "an exercise in trust."
"How far can I go in demonstrating how far I'm willing to go for art, for conversation? I couldn't have known how committed I was to the real purpose of this s— until I had hooks in my back," Miguel told the Los Angeles Times.
He added that his body suspension practices have been "scary and freeing" and have "so much to do with pain."
This is not the first time that the 37-year-old singer has generated controversy with his onstage antics.
In 2013, Miguel landed on two fans in the crowd after he leaped off the stage during a performance at the Billboard Music Awards. The singer's right leg landed on top of one woman's head as he crashed into another fan's arm, Billboard reported.
Miguel did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment sent outside of regular business hours.