Stop throwing objects at the musicians! Underwear and sausages may pass, but telephones? [OPINIA]

In recent weeks, the web has been full of news about concerts of famous artists. Unfortunately, the reason was not the great atmosphere in front of the stage, or the unprecedented virtuosity presented on it, but the irresponsible behavior of the audience. During one of Drake’s last concerts, a fan threw a phone at him, Pink in London’s Hyde Park picked up someone’s mother’s ashes from the ground (thankfully placed in a plastic bag – not a heavy urn), and Corey Taylor of Slipknot got hit some time ago beer in the Netherlands.

Flying telephones, shoes, bras and sweaty T-shirts. Stop throwing objects at artists!

All of the above situations ended without tragedy and led to surprise, amusement or, at worst, soaking the shirt, but not every artist was so lucky. In June this year, American singer Beba Rexha was hospitalized. During the artist’s performance in New York, a fan threw a phone in her face. The 33-year-old fell on the stage and covered herself with her hands, there were no stitches.

To this day, however, the most famous incident of this type remains the Black Sabbath concert in 1982. Then a fan threw a live bat at Ozzy Osbourne. The artist, thinking it was a toy, grabbed the animal and bit its head off. An innocent creature suffered, but a fan could also expose the Prince of Darkness to the consequences. Immediately after the incident, the artist took painful injections against rabies transmitted by bats. As you can see, ridiculous ideas come to the minds of fans of any music genre.

Throwing objects is also a standard at Polish concerts. Recently, a dissatisfied participant of the Days of Włodawa decided to throw eggs at Zenek Martyniuk. I don’t like disco polo either, but I have a much better way to deal with this music than the aforementioned delinquent – I don’t listen. Krzysiek Sokołowski from Nocny Kochanka told me about slightly more pleasant reactions from the audience. Fans of the group usually throw bras on stage, but there were also men’s boxers and heavily sweaty T-shirts.

Despite everything, I must admit that sometimes extremely creative fans come to the concerts of Lovers. “Referring to our song about ‘a doctor with roots in Africa’ entitled ‘Dr O. Ngal’ someone once threw us a doctor’s coat on stage, but during the performance of the piece ‘Cudzesy’ the audience often throws packs of pipes or single cigarettes at us” . Other gifts from fans that Sokołowski collects from the stage can even be practical. “Recently, during one of the concerts in Great Britain, I said that we had run out of alcohol. Within 10 minutes, maybe 15 cups of whiskey and Guinness appeared on the stage. Polonia never disappoints!” – recalls the artist.

“I would say: underwear YES, the rest NOT VERY” – Krzysiek Sokołowski

However, the singer of Nocny Kochanek was most surprised by the concert in Poznań, where the audience showered the musicians with money. But this is not the end of Krzysiek Sokołowski’s bizarre stories straight from the tour. “There was another unusual situation, when someone threw a sausage on the stage, which after a while our bassist began to fry on fire coming from pyrotechnic devices” – says the frontman of Kochanki.

It’s hard not to smile when listening to stories like this. A sausage or a doctor’s coat on stage gives performances uniqueness, causes unique reactions in artists, which makes the concert memorable for both stars and fans. Unfortunately, there is also the other side of the coin mentioned by Sokołowski. “Sometimes someone throws a shoe without thinking, but fortunately this is rare” – the artist points out. At the same time, he notes that even harmless objects distract musicians on stage. “And you’re never sure what’s flying in your direction. As for me, I would say: underwear – YES, the rest – NOT VERY” – concludes the singer. However, are you sure underwear is a safe option when performing with pyrotechnics? Burning material can fall on the musician, cause burns or damage the equipment, so you should be extremely careful here as well, and at concerts full of emotions, adrenaline and often percentages buzzing in the fans’ bodies – it can be difficult.

“Just throw something at me and I’ll kill you.” Adele

A firm “NO” to objects flying overhead during concerts recently said Adele. The artist pointed out that fans must follow the rules at her performances. “Just try to throw something at me, I’ll kill you. Stop throwing objects at artists” – she announced half jokingly, half seriously. And you may say that here comes another Mrs. Fusspot, the destroyer of fun and smiles of children who can’t have fun, but as a frequent concert participant, I have to sign it.

Although the flowers and stuffed animals that Harry Styles notoriously receives at concerts can make you feel emotional, and other items make the concert more attractive, most of the objects thrown at the artists with impetus pose a threat to their health. And not only them. An object that does not reach the idol may also hit another fan standing under the stage, who will not have a chance to notice a shoe or phone flying towards him. Want to thank an idol for his work? Buy his music from legal sources, wear merch and come to concerts. That’s really enough.