THE rabid need for attention by fans at concerts recently has sparked the ire of Adele. At a recent show in Las Vegas’ Caesar’s Palace Hotel & Casino, Adele dropped some choice words for concertgoers who have been throwing everything from ashes to sex toys at artists performing on stage.
“Have you noticed how people are, like, forgetting show etiquette at the moment, throwing things onstage? Have you seen it?” The singer said this in a TikTok video posted last Saturday.
“I dare you, dare you to throw something at me,“ she said, while jokingly brandishing a T-shirt gun onstage.
“Stop throwing things at the artist!”
Quite a number of artists have been facing concerning and bizarre attacks from fans over the past few weeks. Just recently, Lil Nas X dodged a sex toy that was thrown at him during Lollapalooza in Sweden.
The week before that, Kelsea Ballerini was hit in the face with a bracelet, and days before, someone threw a bag that allegedly contained their mother’s ashes on stage while Pink was performing.
The incidents seemingly all began earlier in June, with Bebe Rexha being hospitalised after an audience member threw a phone at her, which led to a black eye and laceration on her eyelid. The culprit has been arrested and charged with assault.
Experts are not sure what is behind this “trend”, but it is rather obvious that this is an evolution of fans wanting their 15 minutes of fame in a digital age where people are desperate to go viral for clout.
“It is important to ask questions about why these attacks are happening and what underlying causes or motivations may be leading people to act out in this way,“ licenced psychologist Nathan Brandon told USA TODAY.
“It can also underscore the importance of creating safe spaces for artistic expression and how such spaces can become places of healing, connection, and understanding.”