Fans throwing stuff at artistes on stage: Show of love or lack of etiquette?

 Cardi B throws microphone at fan who threw a drink at her.

You might have seen the video of American rap star Cardi B furiously throwing her microphone at an audience member in a concert.

This was not the first time a fan has thrown something on stage during a performance. Sometimes it is bras and other items of clothing or even flowers to show appreciation.

Closer home, the trend hasn’t taken over as much as it has abroad. Instead, there have been isolated incidents that have stunned celebs. And when cheeky Kenyan fans are not throwing things on stage, there are instances when they have stolen the personal property of performers.

Last month, popular comedian Eric Omondi was shocked by the reception of fans in Kampala, Uganda, when the ladies ‘showed their appreciation’ in a special way.

The female fans threw their knickers on stage as the comedian entertained the crowd with jokes and antics, and Omondi captured the moment, sharing it on a video on Instagram.

"I got to Kampala late, and I couldn't even perform my set because the ladies kept throwing their bras and panties at me. I know you love me, Uganda, but that was too much," he wrote.

Fans debated on whether this was real or staged by the funnyman, who is known for stunts.

In 2004, Jamaican reggae star Sean Paul lost his phone after thieves masquerading as fans carried him up high following his performance at the Carnivore grounds.

Before Cardi and the mic, there was the light-hearted moment when last week, a fan threw her size 36G bra at Canadian-American rapper Drake.

Daily Mail reported on the incident: “Veronica Correia, 21, from Cumberland, Rhode Island, became a viral sensation after she tossed her underwear on stage during the rapper's show at the Barclay's Center in Brooklyn, New York.”

The report adds: Upon discovering the piece of clothing, [Drake] picked it up, checked the tag, and exclaimed: 'Damn. 36G? Locate this woman immediately.'”

 Drake

The young lady later secured a deal with Playboy Magazine, after the men’s lifestyle publication reached out to her and hired her as a model following the viral moment.

This was one of the good outcomes- the others haven’t been positive, and singers have even asked fans to stop throwing things on the stage.

People Magazine called it “one of the summer's more dangerous and troubling trends that has come at the expense of celebrities.”

“A slew of stars have spoken out about fans throwing things at them while they're performing on stage. Bebe Rexha was seriously hurt in New York City when a fan chucked a cell phone at her face (he was arrested), and Harry Styles has been hit by objects multiple times while touring Europe this summer.”

The report lists stars like Adele, Charlie Puth and Billie Eilish as some who have experienced the unfortunate trend.

Forbes listed other moments when the celebs have retaliated and appeared to be angered by their fans.

“Rapper Rico Nasty yelled expletives and jumped into the crowd after an audience member threw a bottle at her while opening for Playboi Carti’s 2021 show in Portland, Oregon.”

It added: “At a 2009 show, Pitbull was angered by a fan who repeatedly threw money on stage- after warning him to stop, the fan continued, and Pitbull invited him onstage, throwing a punch after the fan threw money in his face.

Singer Jason Derulo spoke out against the worrying trend earlier this month, telling TMZ: “I’ve had it happen to me. People are really into throwing their phones because they think the artiste is going to take a picture, and I think artistes [are] going to have to stop taking a photo.”

“It’s like the Matrix, you’ve gotta dodge these phones! It’s getting dangerous out here.

On Cardi B, BBC Entertainment reported: “Although the rapper no longer had a microphone, her voice was still heard on the pre-recorded backing track playing through the speakers,” adding, “In the footage, security staff are seen surrounding the perpetrator and recovering the rapper's microphone.”

The clip made its rounds on social media, with one of the uploads viewed over 30 million times on X (Twitter).

There were mixed reactions from people on the internet.

“Honestly, with all of the reports with Bebe Rexha and Kelsea Ballerini being hit with objects on stage that caused injuries.... and Harry Styles has had stuff thrown at him as well... I don't blame Cardi B at all,” wrote one X user.

“The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department has confirmed that a show attendee has come forward to ‘report a battery’,” Los Angeles Times reported.

“According to the victim, she was attending an event on July 29, 2023, at a property located in the 3500 block of Las Vegas Boulevard,” the Las Vegas police said in a statement. “During a concert, she was struck by an item that was thrown from the stage.”

People Magazine reported that the now infamous mic is being auctioned off for charity.

“According to an eBay listing by Scott Fisher — the owner of The Wave, the audio company that he says provided the mic for Cardi’s performance – 100% of the proceeds from the sale of the will be split between two charities, Friendship Circle Las Vegas and Wounded Warrior Project.”

The report noted that within hours, bids for the microphone had reached $30,100 (over Sh4.2 million) with the listing set to end on August 8.

 Cardi B on stage