Adele has hit out at fans who have forgotten “show etiquette”, following a string of incidents where pop artists were hit by items thrown on stage.
There has been much debate in recent weeks about fan behaviour at concerts, after singer Bebe Rexha was struck in the head by a fan’s phone at a gig in New York in June.
Pop singers Ava Max and Pink have also been the subject of fan overreach, after being slapped in the face and pelted with a bag of ashes, respectively, while country-pop artist Kelsea Ballerini was hit in the face by a bracelet last week.
Appearing at her Weekends with Adele residency in Las Vegas on Saturday (1 July) night, Grammy-winning artist Adele joked that she would kill any audience member who threw items at her.
Addressing the crowd, the 35-year-old asked: “Have you noticed how people are forgetting f***ing show etiquette at the moment and just throwing s*** on stage?
“Have you seen that? I f***ing dare you, I dare you throw something at me, I’ll f***ing kill you.”
Using a t-shirt cannon, Adele then shot merchandise into the crowd, telling them that while they should “stop throwing things at the artist”, she “can shoot things at the audience”.
Singer Rexha had been performing in New York as part of her Best F’n Night of My Life tour on 17 June when a phone flew through the air and into her face.
In a video shot by another audience member and circulating on social media, Rexha could be seen falling to her knees at the impact. She was taken to hospital where she received stitches above her left eye and later shared a selfie on Instagram with a black eye and medical tape over her left eyebrow.
Following the incident, a 27-year-old man was arrested and charged in connection with the attack.
Just a week later, “Sweet But Psycho” singer Max was accosted during a concert in Los Angeles by a stage invader who slapped her in the face.
In London, meanwhile, Pink was left speechless after a fan threw a plastic bag containing their mother’s ashes onto the stage. She also received a large wheel of French Brie from another fan.
Country pop singer Kelsea Ballerini was also hit in the eye by a bracelet during a concert in Idaho.
Charlie Puth hit back at this behaviour during a recent live show, telling his audience: “This trend of throwing things at performers while they are on stage must come to an end.”
Adele’s Weekends with Adele concert series will run at The Colosseum at Caesar’s Palace until 4 November.
