U2 guitarist The Edge falls off edge of stage in Vancouver

Talk about going off the edge.

Longtime U2 guitarist The Edge tumbled off the stage during last night's launch in Vancouver of the Irish band's world tour, but says he's "OK," albeit slightly bruised. 

The rockers were midway through their anthem I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, when the 53-year-old British-born musician walked right off the stage at the Rogers Arena during the encore.

Fans can be heard gasping as The Edge, born David Howell Evans, went down, whacking the neck of the guitar on the stage as he fell. Oblivious to the accident, lead singer Bono kept singing, but eventually caught on when the band stopped playing.

After getting a hand from security guards, The Edge climbed right back on stage to finish the show.

Shortly after the accident, the band posted an image of The Edge's badly bruised arm on its official Instagram feed. "Didn't see the edge," the caption reads, "I'm ok!!"

It's not the first time the stage has proved dangerous for U2, which formed in 1976, and also includes drummer Larry Mullen and bassist Adam Clayton. 

Lead singer Bono tumbled backwards off a stage in Miami in 2001. He has taken similar spills in Germany and Washington.

• Bono undergoes surgery after Central Park cycling accident
• Bono, U2 frontman, may never play guitar again

A bicycle crash in New York late last year shattered the frontman's eye socket, broke his arm in six places and left him with a titanium elbow.

Tour continues

An audience of some 19,000 fans filled the arena for Thursday's Vancouver show, the first on U2's "Innocence + Experience" tour. The band is scheduled to play a second sold out gig in the city tonight.

• U2 fans flock to Vancouver
• VIDEO | U2 fans sing-along outside Vancouver's Rogers Arena

The tour will take the group to some 70 dates in Europe and North America, including gigs in Montreal and Toronto.