Miranda Lambert, the country music icon, found herself at the center of controversy during her highly anticipated “Velvet Rodeo” Las Vegas residency when she abruptly stopped singing mid-show to call out a group of fans for taking selfies. The incident, captured on video and shared on social media, has ignited a heated debate on audience etiquette and the use of smartphones at live performances.
As Lambert began singing her poignant ballad, “Tin Man,” she noticed some female concertgoers engrossed in snapping selfies instead of immersing themselves in the music. Fueled by frustration, the acclaimed singer interrupted the performance and addressed the selfie-takers for not listening to her song.
The video, posted on TikTok on July 15, 2023, received over 3.3 million views as of press time. However, her public reprimand received mixed reactions from the crowd. While some fans applauded Lambert’s stance against the distraction of technology during live performances, others were taken aback by the public shaming. A few attendees even walked out in protest, expressing their discontent with what the singer did.
Lambert has extended her Las Vegas residency, which kicked off in September 2022, from July to December 2023. She has been performing at sold-out shows at the Zappos Theater of Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino. The series of shows also coincided with the release of her newest album, “Palomino,” but her concert also featured a lot of her past songs and fan favorites.
The country songstress is best known for her chart-topping songs like “Gunpowder & Lead,” “Kerosene” and “The House that Built Me.” She won Best Country Album at the Grammys for “Platinum,” released in 2014.
One of the fans Lambert called out was Adela Calin, a social media influencer, who came forward to the press to share her perspective. Calin told NBC News that she and her friends had initially attempted to capture a photo before the show, but the lighting was not favorable.
During the concert, Calin and her friends decided to quickly snap a few pictures to commemorate the occasion. However, Lambert’s unexpected outburst left them feeling humiliated, as if they were disobedient schoolchildren.
On July 16, 2023, Calin took to Instagram to post the photos taken at the concert before the scolding. Admittedly, Calin said they were having a great time, but after the shaming, the vibe did not feel the same anymore.
“It felt like I was back at school with the teacher scolding me for doing something wrong and telling me to sit down back in my place. … I feel like she was determined to make us look like we were young, immature and vain. But we were just grown women in our 30s to 60s trying to take a picture,” the fan told NBC News.
The incident quickly gained traction on social media platforms, with opinions sharply divided. Social media users passionately debated the appropriateness of Lambert’s actions, with some asserting that fans should be allowed to enjoy concerts in their own way, while others defended the artist, claiming that emotional ballads like “Tin Man” warrant undivided attention and respect.
“Man no wonder Blake left her,” one fan said in the comments of the viral video, referencing Lambert’s ex-husband, Blake Shelton, and their controversial divorce.
The incident also reignited discussions about disruptive behavior at concerts and the role of technology in live music experiences. It highlighted the challenge performers face in maintaining a connection with their audience amid the constant distractions of smartphones and social media. It also came in the wake of many performers enduring strange and sometimes violent behavior from fans during their performances.
On June 25, 2023, a fan hurled a bag of her mother’s ashes onstage as singer P!nk was performing her hit song “Just Like A Pill” at the Summer Carnival Tour in London. The perturbed pop star couldn’t help but stop singing in disbelief. “This is your mom?” she asked the fan in bewilderment before carrying the bag away from her.
“I don’t know how I feel about this!” she exclaimed before going back to her performance.
On July 16, 2023, singer Bebe Rexha suffered a black eye and had to get stitches after a fan threw his phone at her as she was performing in New York, hitting her square in the face. She has since shared an update on Twitter with her fans and assured them she was “much better” alongside a harrowing close-up photo of her heavily bruised eye and cut that had been stitched up across her eyebrow. The 27-year-old fan, who was arrested on several misdemeanor charges, admitted to the act and told the authorities he had done it because he thought “it would be funny.”
While Lambert’s representatives have remained tight-lipped about the controversy, leaving fans and critics to continue the debate, another performer had a few words of advice for the country music star in the wake of the controversy.
On July 19, 2023, rapper and actor LL Cool J appeared on the “Mercedes in the Morning” show and had some critical things to say about Lambert’s actions.
“Miranda, get over it, baby,” the “NCIS: Los Angeles” star remarked. “They’re fans. It’s fans.” He added:
“Let me tell you something about art — and I say this with love. So, your job as an artist is to create art. The way people choose to interact with that art or engage in it and appreciate it is up to them. If you want to come to my show and you want to sit there and eat a bowl of potato salad with a baseball hat down to your nose, that’s what you choose to do. You gotta let the fans do what they want to do.”
When asked about the troubling incidents involving fans of late, the two-time Grammy winner responded, “What about the thousands of people who aren’t doing that? What, you got rules? No yellow shirts!”
However, the “Going Back To Cali” rapper conceded he may not have the full picture and said: “I can’t speak for (Lambert). I’m not gonna judge her. I have nothing unkind to say about her. I wish her the best. She has the right to her feelings. But to me, I let the fans be the fans and do what they want to do.”
LL Cool J, who is set to headline his first arena concert tour in 30 years called “The F.O.R.C.E. Live,” also had a message to his own fans set to make their way to his performances.
“You guys come to the show, enjoy yourself … if you want to take selfies. If you want to bring the old Polaroids from the early 1800s, that’s up to you.”
Do you agree with LL Cool J? Or do you think Miranda Lambert was justified in her actions? Let us know and be sure to pass this on to family and friends to find out what they think as well.
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