Cardi B throws microphone at audience member who threw a drink at her

People are still throwing things at celebrities, and now the celebrities are fighting back

Aux News Cardi B
Cardi B throws microphone at audience member who threw a drink at her
Cardi B Photo: acopo M. Raule/Getty Images for Fendi

The plague of concertgoers throwing things at people onstage continues to spread, with Cardi B being hit with someone’s drink this weekend at a show in Las Vegas. But, in what may be the new strategy for performers going forward, Cardi B immediately responded by chucking her microphone at the drink-tosser… or at least in the direction of the drink-tosser. It’s hard to tell from the various videos of the event if she actually hit the person who threw the drink on her, but it definitely seemed close. Either way, security swooped in pretty quickly and removed them, with Variety saying that Cardi B also left the stage afterward.

This follows a months-long trend of this sort of thing happening to people onstage at concerts (or, at the very least, an increase in us hearing about it, since we don’t have the data on how common this was before this summer) supposedly for some kind of weird viral clout—which would mean reporting on it like this is just giving the throwers what they want, but also it’s a Sunday and the Hollywood unions are on strike, so it’s either this or we squeeze two posts out of the Saw X trailer.

Other people hit by stuff recently are Kelsea Ballerini, Bebe Rexha, Pink, and Harry Styles (who has had to deal with this relatively frequently, which may be proof that this is less of a new trend than simply a more publicized trend). Even if it has been happening since the first humans stood on a stage to sing a song, though, that doesn’t mean it should continue. The AMPTP is eventually going to cave, and then movies and TV will be back, and then nobody’s going to think “the jerk who threw something at someone” is cool anymore.

94 Comments

  • south-of-heaven-av says:

    Same thing happened to Sebastian Bach at a Skid Row concert back in the late 80s and he ended up injuring a fan who didn’t even throw the bottle. I’m sympathetic, I would probably lose my shit if someone threw something at my head while I was trying to sing a song, but there’s security everywhere. Press charges and move on.

    • gildie-av says:

      I was at a small club show once where someone threw a glass at the band and the singer ran into the audience… To punch the wrong person. Everyone was shouting “it wasn’t him!” and the lights came on and that was that. I doubt you’re able to tell where in the crowd a projectile came from when you’re on stage.Someone at Cardi B’s level of fame is just asking to get sued for hitting the wrong person with the mic. Or even the right person, really, I mean if the performer causes damage they could be held liable even if they’re responding to something throw at them first. 

      • kinjakungen-av says:

        In the US, sufficiently good lawyers can get a person off for almost anything. Certainly for something as mundane as throwing a mic at someone. And a celeb like Cardi B could afford way better lawyers than basically anyone in her audience.

      • boggardlurch-av says:

        I will say that watching the very built lead singer of a band go after the correct racist that had just insulted a band member to their face and beat the bloody living hell out of him was a little fun, though.

      • strossusmenor-av says:

        and someone of Cardi B’s wealth is in a position to be completely unaffected by said lawsuit 

    • nooyawkah-av says:

      I remember than, he jumped feet first and kicked some young girl in the face. 

  • south-of-heaven-av says:

    The AMPTP is eventually going to cave, and then movies and TV will be back, and then nobody’s going to think “the jerk who threw something at someone” is cool anymore….what??

  • dpadsa-av says:

    If this continues to escalate and performers continue to end the show when it happens (they should) Eventually the other side of the coin is going to flip over and the people around them are going to administer justice by beating the crap out of them. They’ll probably deserve it, but that kind of mob justice can easily lead to deaths. 

    • tarst-av says:

      You mean we’ll enter the “finding out” phase of fucking around?

    • TRT-X-av says:

      Especially since mob justice may not always identify the right person.

    • hplbenn-av says:

      Or the performers can star carrying guns on stage. Put the fear of god in these assholes.

    • igotlickfootagain-av says:

      Obviously I don’t approve of mob justice or needless violence, but once you’re hurling projectiles at people you have become the one starting whatever shit follows. I honestly don’t understand why there’s a rash of these incidents. I figured “Don’t fucking throw stuff at people” was a fairly basic tenet of normal society.

      • breadnmaters-av says:

        Doing whatever tf one wants seems to be the new normal now. Social media rewards people for acting like dicks. Watching the video I was actually surprised that someone as famous as Cardi would let fans stand so close to the stage? Personally, I’m afraid of crowds. I’d want there to be considerable distance bewteen my famous self and people who are potential sociopaths. When one gets older it’s harder to remember the dumb things we did when we were younger. Violence is never ok, though. One commenter suggested just shutting everything down when this happens. Sounds like a plan to me; unfortunately it has to happen first.

      • freshness-av says:

        If you work in healthcare or any public service it’s not particularly surprising. People in general are a lot more angry/abusive post-pandemic and in the cost of living crisis. That’s in no way to excuse them but some of the shit staff are catching clearly comes from a place in no proximity to what they’re doing. To be as generous as possible, call it a big pandemic trauma hangover that hasn’t quite subsided.

    • naap51stang-av says:

      The Blues Brothers had the best way to combat it….CHICKEN WIRE.  😉

    • subahar-av says:

      Ain’t no “probably” about deserving it, friend

    • bcfred2-av says:

      If I’d shelled out for an increasingly expensive concert ticket and the artist quit the show because some asshole threw something at them, yeah I’d be pissed as hell and wouldn’t object one bit if the thrower got his ass kicked for it.If I’m the artist, I’d figure out who it was and say “I’m leaving the stage and not coming back until this person is gone.”

    • snooder87-av says:

      Nah, some band is just gonna hire the Hells Angels to run security…

  • phonypope-av says:

    The AMPTP is eventually going to cave

  • magpie187-av says:

    Did they throw the drink because she was lip synching? It’s still not ok but it was funny how the rap kept going after she threw the mic.

    • hellhog-av says:

      *Apparently* this is common practice at rap concerts for fuller sound.

    • kinjakungen-av says:

      Yeah, I’d love to pay a couple hundred bucks to stand around for a couple hours to listen to some playback playing motherfucker.Sounds like a great time, and an even greater way to spend money.Seriously though, I’m definitely eyeing this Lego typewriter, it looks friggin BOSS, and would look so great on the shelf of my bookcase once I get my old blu-ray movies tossed out (I’ve gone 100% streaming nowadays.) A Lego set would give me more enjoyment for longer than a concert ticket to go see some diva get on stage super late to perform, and would probably cost about the same too.

    • cho24-av says:

      Came here to say that. She sounds great, even without the mic.

    • ndlb-av says:

      TBF, we don’t know whether or not she put something IN his drink

  • breadnmaters-av says:

    As an undergrad I took a theatre class. I remember the prof telling us that Elizabethan stages were slanted because ‘groundlings’ threw food at the players and it would roll down to the edge – hence upstage, downstage. Myth? I don’t know, but it does seem to be an old tradition.This will continue because people are idiots. I’ve seen the same suggestion over and over. Put chicken wire or something around the stage. Or plexiglass. This is a very serious problem. Bowie nearly lost his one good eye. Bebe Rexha needed stitches after a phone was thrown at her. People have no shame or conscience – kids even less.

    • creyes4591-av says:

      I can’t help thinking of the chicken wire in front of the stage when the Blues Brothers played a C&W venue.

      • breadnmaters-av says:

        That’s always my first thought too. Of course the small pieces got through – and the beer. I just did a quick search and apparently this was common in some roadhouse bars. Of course it funnier since the Brothers stole another band’s gig and anticipated the kind of receptions they got.

        • peon21-av says:

          As if to prove your point, the bar in “Road House” indeed had chicken wire.But let’s not victim blame the performer. Any audience that warrants chicken wire doesn’t deserve music.

        • misscast-av says:

          I was in a road band in my 20’s and yea, we played some chicken wire gigs. Mostly NCO clubs on air bases. Civilian clubs were slightly more civilized.

          • breadnmaters-av says:

            Why do people throw stuff? Is it some kind of weird time-honored tradition because that just occurred to me.

          • misscast-av says:

            Young men  – liquor and testosterone are a lethal combination. Something always about to blow.

          • breadnmaters-av says:

            Perfectly said. It’s the most dangerous chemical on Earth, imo.

      • harpo87-av says:

        My first thought as well.

        “…chicken wire?”

      • rafterman00-av says:

        “We have both kinds of music here: country and Western.”

    • mshep-av says:

      Stages were raked so that audiences on the flat viewing surfaces could view the whole stage more easily. Now, it’s more common for seating areas to be raked, and for stages to be flat. Not sure whether or not the raked stage was the source for upstage and downstage, though.

      But, yeah, chucking garbage at entertainers as a tradition probably dates back to about 5 minutes after the start of the first performance.

    • fever-dog-av says:

      Lately I’ve been thinking that the 2nd half of the 20th century was an abberration and we’re now just getting back to normal incivility.

      • breadnmaters-av says:

        Do you think so? That’s an extremely interesting thesis. I’m going to be thinking about that now. There are typically ‘reasons’ for social behavior. If this was a sort of one-off, I wonder why.

        • fever-dog-av says:

          I dunno.  It’s not exactly a well thought out idea.  A good start might be to look at economic trends.  For sure economic and social policies in the United States aren’t adjusting to sociocultural realities mostly due to reactionary politics and careerism.  There are answers but they can’t be found in 1950s policies.

  • nobodyspecialatall-av says:

    throwing a drink at a performer wouldn’t fly at a strip club and it don’t fly at a music performance either. Cardi don’t play!

  • igotlickfootagain-av says:

    I wonder if this article will summon that weird commenter who was always complaining about Cardi B and how any article that didn’t mention and condemn her past was reverse sexism or something.

    • tarst-av says:

      Sadly, there are more than just one of these types of people. Part of me wants to record a song called “drugged and robbed by Cardi B”, but another part of me doesn’t want to give them any additional attention.

    • cavalish-av says:

      Males Rappers: “I have done a crime”Dudes: “this is so real what a genius”Female Rappers: “I have done a crime”Dudes: “Good heavens! Madame, be a Lady!”

    • stalkyweirdos-av says:

      She’s a definite incel lightning rod.

  • dikeithfowler-av says:

    This sort of thing happens occasionally in the UK but it got really out of hand at a festival in 2000 where people were throwing shoes, bottles of piss, bags of meat and someone’s wheel chair at pop duo Daphne and Celeste. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/mar/29/daphne-and-celeste-you-and-i-alone

    The article’s not too reliable though, I was at that festival (though I missed the whole Daphne and Celeste thing as they weren’t my cup of tea) and the vast majority of people there were indie kids, with some metalheads, but from what friends told me it was a mixture of both who hurled so much shit at the duo.

    • breadnmaters-av says:

      Why would people do that? Were they footballers who stumbled into the wrong venue?

    • Mr-John-av says:

      I was there – it happened.Reading back a few decades ago was notorious for bottles and plastic pints of piss being flung around.Still – you’ll have to go a long way to top Dillinger Escape Plan a few years later, where the singer took a shit on stage, smeared himself in it then ran into the crowd.First thing on a Sunday morning.

    • cannabuzz-av says:

      “Do you have everything for the festival in the bag?”“Sunscreen, blanket, water bottes, bags of meat, yep, let’s go.”

  • naap51stang-av says:

    I saw a photo she posted to social media, on a news site showing a cut and band-aid over her left eye, with a “black eye”.Heck, must have been FROZEN WATER whoever tossed it because the video I saw, the idiot didn’t let go of the container.Nice makeup job!  LOL

  • electricsheep198-av says:

    “but also it’s a Sunday and the Hollywood unions are on strike”What do you care if they’re on strike? It’s not as if y’all do recaps of television shows anymore anyway.  This is the same kind of stuff you’ve been reporting on for a while now.

  • hhotelconsult-av says:

    I laughed in the mid 90s when I heard some people were at a Soul Asylum show that got pissed at the crowd for throwing ice and cancelled. Les Claypool has had words with the crowd, thrown back shoes etc., and he’s stopped a show in the past. I know those are anecdotes, but I’ve grown up with bands stopping shows to say “stop throwing shit”. This isn’t new. What we need is people with a sense of history, research ability, or more thorough accounting of this. Because it’s not new, and it’s been here since people threw tomatoes at bad Shakespeare.edit: I remember seeing Black Flag, or Henry Rolling. it may have even been Jawbreaker or Green Day, I can’t remember.But the Lunachicks were playing in Boulder, and some moron dude yelled an objectifying grossness, and the lead stopped the show, isolated him in the crowd, and then like Indiana Jones looped the mic and cord and swung it around and around until she threw it like a fishing lure and that microphone thrashed his fucking face. He fell down, may have lost consciousness, and we saw all the blood as he was being escorted out and she was laughing her ass off to the crowd celebrating loudly.Misogynists can eff off, hecklers can eff off, trolls can eff off. There’s so much toxic noise. You desperate and needy attention seeking jealous assholes need to stay home.

  • tiz4tggr-av says:

    Can they blacklist people, kinda like folks on the no fly list, for concerts? Is there a database out there that houses this kind of behavior?And why in the world would you have a outdoor concert in Vegas of all places?

  • r0ckburner-av says:

    “. Even if it has been happening since the first humans stood on a stage to sing a song”.
    So: never watched “The Blues Brothers” then?

  • Mr-John-av says:

    Hats off to her though – she managed to keep going without a mic, or moving her lips. 

  • manosoffate123-av says:

    Some of y’all have never been to a punk or metal concert and it shows

  • ijohng00-av says:

    i feel like the pandemic fucked peoples minds up, and now people don’t know etiquette.

    • furioserfurioser-av says:

      The pandemic didn’t help, but the bigger culprit is social media and its monetisation of attention-seeking morons.

  • jeffreymyork-av says:

    Axl Rose approves. 

    • luasdublin-av says:

      Axel would have scuttled back to his room for another few hours (after arriving on stage two hours late ) , if someone had thrown anything at him.Although to his credit at least his singing would have stopped as soon as it happened ..as opposed to Milli Vanilli B here.

  • jeffreymyork-av says:

    David Yow got knocked tf out from a bottle that shattered on his head and kept performing after a few minutes down.

  • baggervancesbaggierpants-av says:

    we’re really not mentioning Dimebag Darrell? you never know what these fools are thinking. she should have had security go over there and *** them up. that was a damn good throw though.

  • luasdublin-av says:

    Being the eathshattering news this is , its been covered on THREE sections of the site in total , the winner being The Root’s section where commenters are straight up calling her skanky ass out on being disrespectful and lipsyncing to a paying crowd . I mean dont throw things at people (especially ice , but more importantly heavier microphones) , but also dont fucking lipsync.

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