There has been a weird and awful trend lately of people throwing things at concerts. Many celebrities have fallen victim to this very dangerous behavior.
Recently, Cardi B retaliated after a fan threw her drink at the performer while she was rapping on stage. In a video that went viral, it was very clear that the fan intentionally launched the contents of her drink to the singer. And because Cardi B doesn’t take things like this lightly, she threw her microphone back at the offender. It became a huge issue but surprisingly, netizens were siding with Cardi.
Their reactions might have to do with the fact that these things often happen at concerts. Harry Styles, in fact, has had so many things thrown at him during performances that he developed great reflexes at catching whatever is thrown.
However, Adele, another singer, has spoken out about this incident in her concert. She said, “Have you noticed what people are like forgetting f— show etiquette at the moment? People just throwing s– onstage, have you seen them? I f– dare you. Dare you to throw something at me and I’ll fu– kill you.” She then brandished a t-shirt thrower and waved it around.
But Why Do People Like Throwing Things at Concerts?
This incident has happened so frequently in the past few months that sociologists looked into why people liked throwing things at concerts. A University of Arizona professor in communication, Jennifer Stevens Aubrey, explained the logic behind these random actions.
She said that there are a couple of factors for these phenomena. The first factor that affects rowdy behavior at concerts is the pandemic. Because of COVID-19, people seemingly forgot how to act in public spaces. Concerts, especially, are emotional events, so some fans or haters take to the extreme.
During the pandemic, everyone was also hyperconnected through the internet. So when it was over and concerts became the norm again, people felt like they knew the performers on a personal level, more like a friend. So they think that if they throw things on stage, the performers will just take it in stride.
Stevens Aubrey also said, “Fans are let into the informal daily lives of many of their favorite performers, making people feel like they have a rather intimate one-way friendship with these performers. After all, they frequently ‘talk’ on their phones through these short-form videos. In the minds of the fans, they are friends.”
However, another theory comes into play as well. Some sociologists speculate that these things happen because people want to have their 5 seconds of fame on the internet. Some people are just desperate to be noticed by their idols that they end up throwing things at concerts to get attention.
Concerts are also jampacked events. Adding to the crowds of people around, concert lights are also focused onstage, leaving the crowd in darkness. The dark provides anonymity for concert-goers, giving them the courage to do drastic things.
This recent trend of throwing things at concerts should be highly discouraged. Just like how Bebe Rexha was injured by a projectile phone, artists and performers are exposed during concerts, leaving them in danger.