Throwing stuff at musicians on stage has become a very twisted trend over recent weeks – and experts are worried about where it might lead.
First, we had , who was left with a nasty black eye after a concertgoer
We then had by a stage invader, and Pink’s very awkward moment after a fan threw, erm, onto the stage…
That’s not all, as and have also become victims, while Lil Nas X even had chucked his way.
So, as these scary incidents leave celebs injured and fans questioning whether gigs will ever be 100% safe again, we asked an expert where this is all coming from.
Speaking exclusively to Metro.co.uk, Amanda Strowbridge – a therapist with 35 years of experience and the CEO of – explained how ‘attention seeking’ has got out of hand.
‘This is a decades-old practice whereby fans will show appreciation of their adored artist by throwing or giving something away,’ she began.
‘I believe that this practice now has an alternative required result in that it has become an attention-seeking activity.
‘The only way the fan can get to the artist is by throwing the object onto the stage in the hope that the artist will pick it up and so a connection, in the fan’s mind, has been made.
‘Now we have social media and Twitter, connections may be made via these mediums although there is no guarantee that the artist will even see that DM or quote.’
Amanda added that despite social media making stars more accessible, it’s only led to fans ‘escalating’ their attempts for attention.
‘On top of that, we now see viral trends, of which this is one,’ she continued.
‘So-called fans are throwing phones and more harmful objects in which to disrupt the artist’s performance and gain even more attention by possibly harming them and then have the clip go viral.
‘This is a triple whammy for the attention-seeking fan. Everyone at the concert will see this, and the artist will obviously notice a phone hitting them in the face more than a bunch of flowers landing a few feet away and if the clip does go viral they have hit the attention jackpot.’
She also notes that this sick phenomenon poses ‘physical dangers’ for other audience members.
‘Unfortunately, in today’s culture of attention and validation seeking, people will go to more and more risky ways to get their dopamine hit.’
Celebrities themselves have addressed the terror of having things thrown at them while performing.
After her own ordeal, country singer Kelsea told the crowd: ‘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. Don’t throw things, you know?’
While she (touch wood) hasn’t had any objects chucked at her on stage, Adele has made it very clear what her thoughts are as well.
While performing at her Las Vegas residency, the Easy On Me hitmaker had stern words for anything even thinking about trying it.
Adele said: ‘Have you noticed how people are, like, forgetting show etiquette at the moment, throwing (things) onstage? Have you seen it?
‘I dare you, dare you to throw something at me.
‘Stop throwing things at the artist!’
Meanwhile, fans have shared their fears that their favourite singers will stop performing completely if things get out of hand.
Honestly, we dread to think where it will end.
