Fans keep throwing stuff at artists onstage. Will it ever stop?
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Bebe Rexha was spotted wearing protective goggles at her concert Friday — and it wasn't just a fashion statement. Instead, it was a reminder of recent injurious interactions between artists and some overzealous fans who crossed the line at recent live shows.
Rexha is one of several artists who were recently struck in the face at their concerts. Videos of the events went viral, prompting viewers to ask, once again, whether people have forgotten how to behave at concerts. Artists, fans and experts alike are calling on concertgoers to be respectful of the musicians they come to see, noting that many people forget that celebrities are also human.
"This trend of throwing things at performers while they are on stage must come to an end. (Bebe, Ava, AND NOW Kelsea Ballerini…) It's so disrespectful and very dangerous. Please just enjoy the music I beg of you…" pop singer Charlie Puth tweeted last week.
While throwing objects onstage at concerts isn't new, experts say the way we feel about the act and how we treat artists is changing.
"People forget pop stars are people," said Kristin Lieb, a marketing professor at Emerson College in Boston and the author of "Gender, Branding, and the Modern Music Industry. "Audiences think: 'I paid for this. She needs to do what I want now.'"
Fans online expressed safety concerns for touring artists, specifically female musicians, several of them pointing out that most of the viral videos involved women being struck.
Ava Max and Kelsea Ballerini were also hit in the face while performing. Rexha and Ballerini were struck by thrown objects, while Max said a concertgoer slapped her in the face.
Others bemoaned concertgoers' trying to get "TikTok moments" by throwing items to get good videos. Many have also simply urged people to stop throwing things at artists altogether.
"Can people just...stop throwing things at artists during their concerts? Like, y'all are getting WEIRD with all of this. It's scary, honestly," a person tweeted.
"This whole era of throwing things at performers while they are on stage needs to stop. Concerts are supposed to be a safe space and we need to provide that for each other and the artists that are helping us to create that safe space," another tweeted.
Morgan Milardo, the managing director at the Berklee Popular Music Institute at the Berklee College of Music in Massachusetts, said artists often understand throwing objects at concerts is an occupational hazard to some extent.
Milardo doesn't think fans are acting out of malice in most instances; rather they are trying to give tokens of their adoration to their favorite artists. However, she added, the desire for virality feeds into a lot of aspects of life today.
As a society, we need to work to overcome these attention-grabbing moments and look beyond that and really get back to the root of why we go to concerts.
Morgan Milardo, managing director at the Berklee Popular Music Institute
"As a society, we need to work to overcome these attention-grabbing moments and look beyond that and really get back to the root of why we go to concerts," Milardo said. "And it's not so that we can have a viral moment on TikTok for ourselves. Concerts are supposed to offer a community where people can come together to share in the magic of live music."
Lieb said some fans, like the one who injured Rexha by throwing a phone, are more interested in "prioritizing entertainment over an artist's comfort."
Lieb said people want female artists, in particular, to be vulnerable, gracious and open with their fans. The expectation, she said, is that "she should be able to withstand anything" fans want from her.
People's perception of throwing objects has also changed as they've grown more aware of safety issues at concerts after high-profile incidents like the Astroworld tragedy.
"Every day we turn on our phones and TVs and we see news of violence in the world," Milardo said. "I think that because of this, these types of circumstances that are happening at concerts are sort of a reminder of why folks might feel more unsafe in large gatherings and crowds than they used to."
Some fans wondered whether the recent incidents of artists' getting hit might affect how concerts are organized. Several fans feared that such behavior would push artists to put up higher barricades at concerts or stop touring altogether.
"Stop throwing things at our girlies or they'll make us go back to concerts on Zoom," a person tweeted.
Lieb speculated that the behavior might encourage artists to institute new rules for their concerts, such as no-phones policies or even netting onstage to make sure people don't hit them.
"There's so much to be lost by not behaving properly," Lieb said.
Will things change any time soon?
It's unlikely, Milardo said, though individual artists may choose to incorporate more security measures based on their own experiences.
Still, "with every incident that happens, the industry responds in a really professional and appropriate manner to help keep everybody safe," Milardo said.
Ultimately, culture at concerts is set by fan-driven norms, meaning change is in the hands of the fans themselves.
"It's supposed to be a community-building moment where the love and respect for the artist is shared across the entire venue," Milardo said. "We shouldn't have to worry about a chicken nugget hitting somebody in the eye or the back of their head, right? I mean, it's more than these viral sensations on social media platforms. And with that said, ultimately everyone in attendance at a concert is responsible for keeping one another safe."
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I've been to hundreds of concerts. Rock (i.e. Aerosmith, Ratt, W.A.S.P.), Metal (Slipknot, Megadeth, 5FDP), Thrash Metal (Exodus, Death Angel, Testament), Death Metal (Obituary, Morgoth, Death), Hardcore (Agnostic Front, Sick of it All, Madball) and I have NEVER seen anything thrown on stage aside from the occasional person crowd surfing. That person stands up, turns faces the crowd then jumps right back in.
But I hear about things being thrown on stage for various rap and R&B shows. I'm not a fan of this music so I wonder what the difference is.
I've been to a few rock concerts where items were thrown on stage. The worst was when Cheap Trick were playing and someone threw a cassette tape on stage and hit Robin Zander in the face. They stopped playing and walked off stage. Rick Nielson came back out on stage and started yelling at the guy to did it, saying that the band was never going to listen to that tape or any tape thrown on stage. Eventually, they came back out and finished their set, but the concert wasn't the same after that, obviously.
Grabbed a guy by the hair once to keep him from climbing onstage.
Grace Slick smiled at me and blew me a kiss.
One time I was front row at a Van Halen concert. We had general admission back then and I made my way to the front.
Eddie Van Halen was right in front of me, looked straight at me and smiled. I froze with this dumb look on my face. Standing there like I couldn't move.
He probably thought I was a dumbass yet I can still say he smiled at me...
Was 10 rows back in Denver when Steve Tyler and Joe Perry came to blows.
P.S. In my youth, always managed to wander into the front row.
Damn near killed myself sliding down the cliff at Red Rocks once.
Mountain and Jethro Tull.
I saw CSN at Red Rocks. I love Red Rocks and CSN has always been one of my favorite groups
A buddy of mine used to tour with CSN on the B3. A local boy made good.
Just lost Mike Finnegan in 2021. A great loss to me and music as a whole.
Finnegan played with EVERYBODY over the years. Everybody loved him.
Back in my Denver/Boulder days saw a lot of shows at Red Rocks.
A truly great venue with many indelible memories for me.
(they eventually closed the tunnel after some folk fell to their deaths)
(You should look up Finnegan's incomplete resume on Wikipedia)
Nice. Jack Casady picked me and 2 friends up one day when we were hitchhiking from the City back to Mill Valley and put us on the Airplane's guest list for their show that weekend at Winterland. I met him again years later when I was representing a singer he was interested in, and he invited me over to his house here in L.A., took out his bass and asked what I wanted to hear. He had been one of my musical heroes since I was 15 and first heard the Airplane on the radio. He autographed a poster for me saying that he was glad he helped influence my youth. I still have it somewhere.
Met Garcia after a Dead show at Winterland many, many years ago.
(White Rabbit is still one of my favorite songs even after all these years)
I think the Jefferson Airplane song I like the best is "D.C.B.A. -25" from Surrealistic Pillow (I listened to it a couple of times recently after a very long time - probably decades - and it is really beautiful), although I like all of their songs.
I never met any of the members of the Grateful Dead, but I did see them in concert about 12 times between 1969 and 1976.
Never actually "saw" the Dead. Was doing crowd control outside.
You missed quite an experience.
I saw the Dead play a New Year's Eve concert at Winterland one time. They came on stage at midnight and played until about 6 or 6:30 a.m. They may have played an earlier set, too, but it's hard to remember after all these years.
My time in California was limited. Colorado called. Another band.
The life of the itinerant musician.
Got tired of touring and bands in general after awhile.
Built my own studio, wrote and recorded and let others suffer the road.
Still earn some royalties but do miss the stage at times.
Wish I knew back then what I know now in my late 60s.
Kind of surprised that I survived the drugs and alcohol on the road.
Girlies?? That word says a lot!
Folks need to learn that throwing things at performing artists even occurred centuries ago, and there was a "protocol" for how to do it.
In the 20th century, girls and women threw their undergarments onto the stages where Frank Sinatra and Elvis performed. Did they publicly curse at their fans? No, because their egos loved the attention. The same with politicians - even today.
If today's "artists" are so fragile, triggered, and ungrateful that people spend hundreds/thousands of dollars to see them, maybe they need a new line of work that will protect them from people's adoration.
so I guess getting injured in the face is the price these young women must pay
Before I further reply, perhaps you should indicate exactly where I said what you infer from comment 4 . Since I know you cannot, we are finished. Have a good day.
Frank and Elvis never complained about the underwear because they loved the attention. And then you go on to the next paragraph calling these young women fragile, triggered, and ungrateful about their fans spending money to see them. Well, just because someone buys a ticket doesn't give them the right to throw a phone at the performer and blackening her eye. In case you didn't know it, that's assault. Do you deny that you called them fragile, triggered, and ungrateful and suggested they find another line of work?
Correct.
Yes, it is assault, and I do know what assault is.
No, TG. There's no reason for me to deny what I clearly posted in comment 4 .
The End. FULL STOP.
Then you think these fragile, triggered, ungrateful young women should just take getting stuff thrown at them and shut the hell up?
ICYMI: so I guess getting injured in the face is the price these young women must pay
Well? Must they?
nothing like editing after I already posted my reply to you. Bad form, Jasper
Elvis said "I don't care what you say about me, just spell my name right".
Last time a woman threw her panties at me I was flattered.
Lingerie creates no permanent wounds.
What moron would throw their phone on stage. What did they think would happen...get invited on stage for a picture?
You just lost your phone idiot...
I hope they lose some freedom, too like for 30 days