What exactly do we think is going on here? Is it truly a pandemic-related gap in concert etiquette? Some kind of concerted effort to scare performers from ever getting on stage? A series of unfortunate coincidences? Whatever the case, it continues — people can't seem to stop whipping shit at artists on stage.
The latest victim of this bizarre trend is country star Kelsea Ballerini, who was struck in the face by what crowd members are calling a friendship bracelet (maybe not the best way to make friends, but what do I know) while performing in Boise, ID, last night (June 28).
Ballerini was singing her song "If You Go Down" at Outlaw Field at the Idaho Botanical Garden when she was hit, and in a video posted to Twitter, you can see Ballerini immediately turn away from the crowd and have a short conversation with her violinist before leaving the stage.
After taking a short break backstage, Ballerini returned to the microphone and said, "Can we just talk about what happened?"
"All I care about is keeping everyone safe. If you ever don't feel safe, please let someone around you know. If anyone's pushing too much or you just have that gut feeling, just always flag it," the singer continued. "Don't throw things. You know?"
That advice seems incredibly obvious, but it's also pretty obvious that it's not being heeded by a small subset of fans. This whole "tossing things on stage" and acting inappropriately at shows bit isn't exactly brand new — Harry Styles was hit with a bag of skittles (among other things) last year, and Lady Gaga and Steve Lacy both had objects thrown at them in 2022. However, the trend has seriously ramped up lately, with Bebe Rexha being struck in the face with a phone and Ava Max being slapped in the face in the last month.
Earlier this week, a fan tossed a bag of their mother's ashes on stage at a P!nk concert. Things are weird!
See footage of the Ballerini incident below.
The latest victim of this bizarre trend is country star Kelsea Ballerini, who was struck in the face by what crowd members are calling a friendship bracelet (maybe not the best way to make friends, but what do I know) while performing in Boise, ID, last night (June 28).
Ballerini was singing her song "If You Go Down" at Outlaw Field at the Idaho Botanical Garden when she was hit, and in a video posted to Twitter, you can see Ballerini immediately turn away from the crowd and have a short conversation with her violinist before leaving the stage.
After taking a short break backstage, Ballerini returned to the microphone and said, "Can we just talk about what happened?"
"All I care about is keeping everyone safe. If you ever don't feel safe, please let someone around you know. If anyone's pushing too much or you just have that gut feeling, just always flag it," the singer continued. "Don't throw things. You know?"
That advice seems incredibly obvious, but it's also pretty obvious that it's not being heeded by a small subset of fans. This whole "tossing things on stage" and acting inappropriately at shows bit isn't exactly brand new — Harry Styles was hit with a bag of skittles (among other things) last year, and Lady Gaga and Steve Lacy both had objects thrown at them in 2022. However, the trend has seriously ramped up lately, with Bebe Rexha being struck in the face with a phone and Ava Max being slapped in the face in the last month.
Earlier this week, a fan tossed a bag of their mother's ashes on stage at a P!nk concert. Things are weird!
See footage of the Ballerini incident below.
