Concert controversies: 9 times stars and fans behaved badly at shows
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British band The 1975's same-sex kiss and tirade against the Malaysian government's LGBTQ laws and policies resulted in the cancellation of the Good Vibes Festival in KL.
PHOTO: JORDAN CURTIS HUGHES
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SINGAPORE – British pop-rock group The 1975’s recent onstage outburst which led to the cancellation of a music festival in Malaysia is just the latest in a string of incidents that have marred concerts all over the world in recent months.
Frontman Matty Healy’s tirade
And it is not just the stars who are behaving badly. Fans, and sometimes concert promoters, have also been taken to task for putting a downer on what was supposed to be an enjoyable experience.
Here are other instances of on- and off-stage showtime shenanigans.
1. Fans taking selfies at Miranda Lambert concert
When eagle-eyed American country singer Miranda Lambert spotted fans taking a group photo while she was singing at her Las Vegas show on July 15, she stopped her performance to lash out at them.
In a TikTok video that has since gone viral, she is heard saying: “I’m gonna stop right here for a (second). These girls are worried about a selfie and not listening to the song, and it’s pissing me off a little bit.”
While some in the audience can be heard cheering, other fans walked out in protest. In the video, one fan can be heard saying: “Let’s go. C’mon. You don’t do that to fans.”
American country singer Miranda Lambert’s fans were unhappy when she stopped her set to call out audience members who were taking a selfie.
PHOTO: AFP
Lambert was also lambasted online for what was seen as diva behaviour. They argue that fans should not be publicly shamed and put on the spot for taking a harmless selfie.
As one TikTok user wrote: “Is she going to call people out for going to the bathroom too? That was so uncalled for... if I paid… I will take as many (photos) as I want.”
2. Bebe Rexha, Ava Max and Kelsea Ballerini get hit
Singer Bebe Rexha was taken to the hospital after a fan threw a phone at her while she was performing in New York.
PHOTO: AFP
Performing on stage is becoming a real physical hazard for some.
American singer Bebe Rexha had to be rushed to the hospital after a man threw a phone at her during her New York concert in June. She was struck in the face near her eye, and her injuries required stitches. A 27-year-old man from New Jersey was arrested and charged with assault.
In Los Angeles that same month, fellow American pop singer Ava Max was slapped by a member of the audience who rushed onstage. She continued dancing as the offender was dragged away by security.
She later tweeted: “He slapped me so hard that he scratched the inside of my eye. He’s never coming to a show again.”
In another incident in June, this time in Idaho, American country singer Kelsea Ballerini had to leave the stage after a fan threw a bracelet at her.
Ballerini later wrote on Instagram: “It hit me in the eye, and it more so just scared me than hurt me.”
She added that she walked offstage to calm down and ensure that the band, crew and crowd “all felt safe to continue”.
In July, a video circulated of an object hitting English pop star Harry Styles
Fellow British pop diva Adele is having none of it. In July, she issued an expletive-laden warning to her Las Vegas residency audience not to pelt artistes with objects.
In a fan video posted to TikTok, the balladeer said people seem to be “forgetting show etiquette at the moment”.
“I dare you to throw something at me, I’ll f***ing kill you,” she said jokingly. “Stop throwing things at the artiste.”
3. Drake scolds fan who threw a vape at him
Canadian rapper Drake was not happy when a fan threw a vape at him during a concert in New York.
PHOTO: CHAMPAGNEPAPI/INSTAGRAM
At a show at Barclays Center in Brooklyn in the United States, Canadian rap star Drake stopped his set after a fan threw an e-cigarette at him on Tuesday.
“There’s no way you’re taking life seriously if you think I’m gonna pick this vape up and vape with you at the f***ing Barclays Center,” he responded angrily, kicking the vape aside. “You got some real-life evaluating to do, throwing this f***ing lemon-mint vape up here, thinking I’m about to vape with you at the Barclays.”
The music star was decidedly less incensed when a female fan threw a bra at him a day later at the same venue. “Locate this woman immediately,” he joked.
4. Mirror fans irked by no-show at JJ Lin concert
Hong Kong boy band Mirror’s fans saw red when the group’s Ian Chan failed to appear as a guest at a JJ Lin concert.
PHOTO: SONY MUSIC
Fans of Hong Kong boy band Mirror were up in arms when a member of the group, Ian Chan, failed to appear at home-grown singer JJ Lin’s concert
Chan was scheduled to be a guest at Lin’s concert, but the segment was dropped due to what was explained as a “miscommunication”. The pop septet had earlier turned up for rehearsals.
The incident led to an online feud between fans of Mirror and Lin.
Mirror member Stanley Lau also came under fire
Lau later touched on the incident in an Instagram Stories post. “Firstly, I apologise for the misunderstanding caused by the previous post. To be honest, it was definitely our honour that JJ was willing to invite Mirror to be with him on the same stage, an absolute honour no matter which angle it was looked at.”
5. “Unfair” treatment at Bruno Mars’ Seoul gig
Fans who were at American singer Bruno Mars’ concert in Seoul accused the organisers of giving celebrities in the audience preferential treatment.
PHOTO: BRUNOMARS/INSTAGRAM
Many fans were unhappy that celebrities were close to the stage at American funk-pop star Bruno Mars’ concerts in Seoul on June 17 and 18.
Spotted in the crowd were members of K-pop groups BTS, Blackpink, Seventeen and Got7, as well as South Korean actress Song Hye-kyo and actor Yeon Jung-hoon.
Fans accused the organisers of unfairly giving the stars preferential treatment, especially since many of the ticket-holders had to put up with less-than-stellar seats that were either far from the stage or had blocked views.
Some celebrities, such as Song, later clarified that they had purchased their own tickets.
Still, the uproar led to an apology from Hyundai Card vice-chairman Jung Tae-young. Mars’ gigs were part of Hyundai Card’s Super Concert series.
6. Lana Del Rey late because of her hair
American singer Lana Del Rey had her microphone cut off after she busted the curfew at Britain’s Glastonbury Festival.
PHOTO: HONEYMOON/INSTAGRAM
American singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey was forced to cut short her headlining closing set at music festival Glastonbury on June 24 after she came on stage 30 minutes late.
Because of a strict curfew, the organisers of one of England’s most prominent music festivals switched off her microphone at midnight while she was still singing.
The reason for her tardiness? She blamed her hair.
“I was so f***ing late that I am about to rush this set to death,” she told the audience soon after she walked on stage. “If they cut the power, I’m super f****ing sorry, my hair takes so long to do.”
Bizarrely, she got her stylist to go up on stage to continue working on her luscious locks while she was performing.
7. Monica jumps offstage to stop an assault
Do not mess with American singer Monica – or her fans.
When the Grammy-winning R&B artiste witnessed a man hitting a woman in the audience during her gig in Detroit, in the US, on July 22, she did not hesitate to call the offender out.
She asked the venue’s security to escort the man out, before jumping into the crowd to confront him herself.
American R&B singer Monica jumped into the audience to confront a man who had hit a woman.
PHOTO: MONICADENISE/INSTAGRAM
She later spoke to news outlet CNN about the incident, explaining that she was trying to de-escalate the situation.
She said: “You know, these concerts have become what almost feels like a dangerous space and place, and I just really want that to change.”
8. Roger Waters’ Nazi-like stage costume
Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters says that the Nazi-style uniform he wore at a recent Berlin concert was a critique on fascism.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Veteran English rocker Roger Waters found himself in hot water after he wore a costume that resembled Nazi-era uniforms
Because symbols evoking the Nazi era are a crime in Germany, the country’s police are investigating the co-founder of rock icons Pink Floyd for incitement to hatred.
Waters has denied the accusations, pointing out that he was playing the role of “an unhinged fascist demagogue”, something that has been a staple of his live shows ever since Pink Floyd released their seminal album The Wall in 1980.
“The elements of my performance that have been questioned are quite clearly a statement in opposition to fascism, injustice and bigotry in all its forms,” he said in a statement.
He dismissed the criticism as “bad faith attacks” from people who disagree with his political views and moral principles.
9. Travis Scott concert at the Pyramids cancelled
Rapper Travis Scott’s plans to launch his new album at the pyramids in Egypt sparked a backlash among the locals.
PHOTO: AFP
When American rapper Travis Scott announced that he was going to launch his new album, Utopia, at Egypt’s Pyramids of Giza on July 28, it did not sit well with the locals, who launched an online campaign to get it cancelled.
The Egyptian Musicians Syndicate, an organisation that oversees music affairs in the country, then banned the performance, arguing that the concert would “go against our traditions”.
Concert promoters Live Nation Middle East at first countered that the concert would carry on, before eventually pulling the plug on the show. In a statement released on Wednesday, it blamed the cancellation on “complex production issues”.
However, Scott insists that the show will still go on at a later date, writing on Twitter that rescheduling it will take some time due to “demand and detail logistics”.
Scott is no stranger to concert controversy. In 2021, 10 people died and thousands were injured during a crowd crush while he was performing declined to press charges against the rapper.
