Flamboyant frontman David Lee Roth [ tickets ] accidentally whacked himself in the head during a concert last week, leaving the rocker with a bevy of stitches and a batch of canceled shows.

"On Wednesday, Sept. 17 during a show in Philadelphia, I experienced an accident on stage requiring 21 stitches on my face," Roth said in a statement issued on Monday (9/22). "Needless to say, singing and dancing is a bit difficult currently, necessitating the cancellation of the last few weeks of my tour."

According to a message posted at Roth-band drummer Ray Luzier's website, Roth--who for years has incorporated martial arts moves into his onstage performances--had a "slight mishap while spinning the bar during the 'Jump' encore ... [and] did have to get 21 stitches about an inch above his eye ... ."

Roth, who has been on the road almost non-stop since late May, was due to wrap up his U.S. outing early next month. The former Van Halen [ tickets ] singer, who released a new album titled "Diamond Dave" in July, hopes to reschedule the canceled shows for early 2004, according to his statement.