Aerosmith's Steven Tyler was airlifted to hospital last night after falling from a stage at a concert in South Dakota.

The 61-year-old fell while trying to entertain the crowd with a dance on the stage catwalk after the sound system failed half way through their show at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.

Tyler fell backwards and onto the crowd and sustained neck and shoulder injuries – the extent of which is not yet known.

Mike Sanborn, spokesman for the Buffalo Chip Campground where the Rally was held, was at the scene when security stretchered Tyler off.

He told the Associated Press: "He (Tyler) was good natured about it. He was in good spirits when he got in the helicopter. He was talking and joking with the physician.

“It was an unfortunate end to an extraordinary evening."

Explaining how the incident happened, Sanborn continued: "He does a lot of dancing on the stage and he does a lot of stuff with his mike stand. He put his stand down and twirled around and stepped backwards off the stage."

The singer was taken away at 12.15am local time, shortly before guitarist Joe Perry told the crowd the rest of the show had been cancelled.

Tyler is currently being treated at the Rapid City Regional Hospital.

(by Scott Colothan)