Singers Keep Getting Attacked on Stage in Dangerous Trend

The line between fans and artist has never been so thin as a worrying trend is causing celebrities to get injured live on stage.

In the last year, Harry Styles, Ava Max, Bebe Rexha and more artists have been hit by projectiles thrown at them by supposed fans. Lil Nas X and Pink have been filmed reacting to having unusual items hurled at them during live performances too.

Charlie Puth told his fans on Twitter: "The trend... must come to an end," adding that "it's disrespectful and very dangerous."

A 27-year-old man was charged with assaulting pop star Rexha in New York in June after he allegedly threw his phone at her on stage. She canceled the show and later revealed the extent of her injuries on Instagram.

Nicolas Malvagna reportedly confessed to officers at the scene to throwing the phone, telling police officers: "I was trying to see if I could hit her with the phone at the end of the show because it would be funny."

While the number of reported incidents of musicians getting hit by items thrown by the crowd seems to be on the rise, there doesn't appear to be a concrete reason why. There's no online challenge, there's nothing linking the attacked artists together, and there's been no fan announcement explaining why.

Frank Salzano, managing partner of Salzano Ettinger Lampert & Wilson, LLP, a boutique entertainment and sports law firm based in Manhattan, believes the rise in violence against artists at live events can be attributed to the close "access" fans feel like they have nowadays.

"Fans have 24/7 connectivity with their favorite celebrities through social media platforms, which is the driving force behind this phenomenon," Salzano told Newsweek. "This 'access' results in fans having a false belief that they have a right to act out as they see fit, often crossing a clear line of decency, including in some instances rising to criminal behavior. These acts of violence will likely result in heightened security and more restrictive rules during concerts."

In the last 12 months, the following high profile performers have been hit by something thrown at them:

• Harry Styles was hit in the eye by a piece of candy while performing in Sweden in November 2022.
• Bebe Rexha was hit in the eye by a phone thrown at her during a New York City gig in June.
• Kelsea Ballerini was hit in the face with a bracelet during a gig in Idaho in June.
• Ava Max was slapped by a male fan who stormed the stage during a Los Angeles show in June.

Recent clips have gone viral of musicians having unusual items being thrown at them on stage, but not quite getting hit. Lil Nas X paused his show and reacted after someone threw a sex toy onstage, while Pink didn't known how to react after someone seemingly threw human ashes to her during a gig in London.

Adele addressed the ongoing issue during her Weekends with Adele Las Vegas residency on Saturday. In a clip shared on social media by @Adelettes2 and shot by @mikesnedegar, she talks to the crowd while holding a T-shirt gun.

"Have you noticed how people are forgetting f***ing show etiquette at the moment and just throwing s*** on stage?" she asked her crowd. "Have you seen that? I f***ing dare you, I dare you throw something at me, I'll f***ing kill you," she joked.

The rise in fans overstepping the boundaries with artists can be attributed to one infamous moment at the 2022 Academy Awards, according to media psychiatrist and author Carole Lieberman, M.D.

"The current trend of attacking artists is escalating—from stand-up comics to singers. It can be traced back to the Oscars, when Will Smith shockingly came on stage and attacked Chris Rock, with the slap heard 'round the world,'" Lieberman told Newsweek.

Blaming COVID-19, lockdowns and divisive news channels, Lieberman claimed society is "regressing" to a "primitive behavior."

If the current trend of fans throwing objects at artists continues, Lieberman concedes it could have "significant" repercussions on the performance industry.

"Putting up a plexiglass screen would be an unfortunate solution because the audience likes to feel connected to performers—and it would dull the performer's experience, as well. One idea is to create a master list of names of perpetrators that all performers (singers, standup comics, etc.) can refer to as a check against ticket buyers. This isn't foolproof, but a start," Lieberman said.