At a concert, it's security's job to protect both the artist and their fans. However, miscommunication, disagreements, and other issues can snowball into bigger trouble between the performer and the guards.
Here are 17 times singers clashed with security and why:
1. After being 30 minutes late for her 2023 Glastonbury Festival set because her "hair takes so long to do," Lana Del Rey had her mic cut off when the power was shut off due to the event's strict midnight curfew. However, she kept going, encouraging her fans to sing "Video Games" until security escorted her offstage.
Afterwards, she went in front of the stage to meet some of her fans in the front row and sing "Summertime Sadness" with them.
You can watch the full video of Lana singing with her fans a cappella before security made her leave below:
2. During the Philadelphia stop of the Eras Tour, Taylor Swift was singing "Bad Blood" when she noticed a security guard seemingly scolding an attendee. Without missing a beat, she called them out, shouting, "She's fine! She wasn't doing anything!" between lyrics.
On TikTok, the fan Taylor defended said that the security guard had been "harassing" her and her friends throughout the show, but he was escorted away after the singer called him out. She also said that Taylor's team gave them all tickets for the show the following night.
Here's the full video from another fan's point of view:
3. During the London stop of the Renaissance World Tour, Beyoncé tossed her sunglasses to the audience, where they were caught by two friends, but another fan tried to take them, then called security over. The guards took the glasses back, but Beyoncé noticed the commotion. While performing "Heated," she corrected their mistake and handed the glasses back to one of the original fans.
Valentino, the fan who received the glasses, told BuzzFeed, "This wasn't caught on camera," he continued, "but there was a guy with a black suit — I think he might have been the head of security. But I was bleeding after, gashed out. There was a massive cut on my finger. It was really an awful experience...[10 minutes later, Beyoncé] just hands me the sunglasses."
Here's the full video:
4. A decade earlier, Beyoncé was pulled offstage by an overly enthusiastic fan at the Sao Paulo show during her Mrs. Carter Show World Tour. After pulling them apart, security tried to kick the man out, but Beyoncé stopped them, calling out, "Hey, it's alright!" After finishing "Irreplaceable," she walked back over to shake the fan's hand and introduce herself.
Watch the full video here:
View this video on YouTube
5. During the Buenos Aires stop of Fifth Harmony's PSA World Tour, Dinah Jane suffered a wardrobe malfunction when her costume tore. Becky G, who was already in her sweats after opening for the girl group, ran onstage with an Argentinian flag to cover Dinah. However, a security guard mistook her for a fan, chased her, and yanked her away.
You can watch the full video below at the 0:42 mark:
View this video on YouTube
6. During the Albuquerque stop on Fall Out Boy's Friends or Enemies Tour, bassist Pete Wentz and a member of the band's security team pulled fans onstage to dance during the final song. However, one of the venue's guards got into a heated argument with the band's guard then shoved him, starting a physical altercation that spilled into the audience. Pete jumped in and joined the fight until he and his guard were held back by the venue's staff. As the lights came on, he shouted, "That's what you get when you fuck with my friends!"
A spokesperson for Fall Out Boy's management told MTV News, "A few kids jumped onstage with the band during the last song of the set. The band does not mind this, [because] they love when fans get more involved in the show. The security that was hired by the Sunshine [Theater] started aggressively throwing kids offstage. We have two security guards out with the band, [and] one of our guys told the Sunshine security to ease up on the kids. At that point, the Sunshine security started with our guy and shoved him, making first contact. Our guys retaliated against the house security to protect the Fall Out Boy fans and to defend themselves and the band."
Pete himself later told MTV News, "When I watch the video, I know what I see: I see their dude push Charlie. … A lot of people were like, 'Oh, it was just a security guy,’ but I've know Charlie since he was 16. … I'm not gonna let my friends fight alone. Nine times out of ten, that security guy would have kicked my ass because I'm not really into fighting. But you know, it was my friend."
The owner of the Sunshine Theater said that bringing fans onstage was against the venue's policy, so the band could've prevented the entire situation by following that rule.
7. When A Day to Remember played a show in Ocala, Florida, in 2009, a security guard allegedly punched a 16-year-old fan. Jeremy McKinnon, the lead singer, intervened, shouting, "Punch my fucking fan? You touch him — I swear to fucking God... These are my fucking fans! This is our fucking show! And you put your fucking hands on one of these kids?"
Ordering for the guards to be removed, he yelled, "Security doesn't punch fans, asshole!"
Here's the full video:
View this video on YouTube
8. During the Seattle show on his El Último Tour Del Mundo, Bad Bunny was surprised by a fan who jumped on stage and wrapped their arms around him from behind. As they were pulled away from him, Benito leaned over the security guards' arms to give them a kiss on the cheek.
Here's the full video:
9. When The Cribs played Sheffield University Students' Union in 2007, lead singer Ryan Jarman took off his shirt, then dove into the audience. Mistaking him for a crowd surfer, security tried to kick him out of the show.
Eventually, the band's guitar tech managed to convince the guards that Ryan was part of the band and needed to be allowed back onstage.
You can watch the full video below (warning: flashing lights):
View this video on YouTube
10. During Crystal Castles' set at Sonar Festival 2009, singer Alice Glass reportedly grew frustrated with audio issues and began chucking pieces of the drum kit at security. When a guard tried to stop her, she punched him.
You can watch a video here (warning: flashing lights):
View this video on YouTube
11. In 2009, DMX was over 90 minutes late to his own show in Colorado Springs, so security blocked him from getting on stage. The guards reportedly threatened to have the rapper and his entourage arrested, and he replied, "[Arrest me] for what? You ain't no police. I've been paid to perform."
Pam Pinnock, DMX's publicist, suffered minor injuries from being stepped on when she fell during the scuffle.
Nakia Walker, his manager, told MTV News, "X is a different man now, and in the past, he would have gotten angry and blown up, but he gets out and sees people leaving and sees them angry, and he starts a prayer in the parking lot to get them calmed down. Now, the crowd is following him back into the building, and security is trying to prevent him from getting on the stage."
12. During The Gossip's 2008 Glastonbury show, singer Beth Ditto tried to dance with a security guard, who refused to join in. As the set ended, she returned to the guard and jokingly proposed to him.
When he again declined to play along, she said, "There goes my dual citizenship."
13. When The Enemy played Reading and Leeds Festival in 2007, Andy Hopkins, the bassist, dove into the crowd, but security refused to let him rejoin the rest of the band onstage.
A few minutes later, he stormed back onstage, shouting, "If that had happened on the street, I would have had you..."
14. During a 1991 Nirvana show in Texas, Kurt Cobain did a stage dive. While trying to get him back onstage, a security guard hit him in the face, and he retaliated by slamming the bottom of his guitar into the guard's face. The guard hit back, but the situation was eventually diffused. Kurt waited backstage until the guard was gone, then the show continued.
However, the guard reportedly waited for the band to leave the venue and smashed their vehicle's windows.
15. When Citizen played House of Blues San Diego in 2014, venue security were seemingly being aggressive with fans in the front row. Frontman Mat Kerekes tried to get them to stop, but the situation escalated, resulting in a physical altercation.
After the show, the band tweeted, "We're sorry San Diego. Violence is never the answer when the job is to keep people secure. (Grown men, keep your hands off of young kids.) ... There is a right and a wrong way to handle everything. When push came to shove, the kids and venue showed their sensibility. ... The offending security was dealt with accordingly. No violence. No compromise. You chose the right — Thanks for everything. XO."
Here's a video shared by a fan:
16. During a 2017 Neck Deep gig in Nottingham, venue security seemingly used unnecessary force with crowd surfers. Ben Barlow, the lead singer, paused singing to tell the guards to stop, and Dani Washington, the drummer, stepped in to try to break it up. It led to an altercation between the band members and security, and eventually, they decided to cut the show short for the safety of their fans.
In a statement on Twitter, Neck Deep said, "The events that transpired last night were regretful and deeply unfortunate. Things rapidly escalated to a point that they should never have gotten to. We believe that violence is never a solution, and that everything that went down could and should have been handled better by all parties."
The venue owners told the Nottingham Post, "It appears that the band took exception to the way the Rock City security were handling fans who were crowd surfing into the pit and attempting to get on stage. This unfortunately escalated into a physical confrontation between the band and the security staff. Having reviewed the CCTV footage and spoken to witnesses, it doesn't appear that the security staff were disproportionate in their response to the crowd surfing. We take the safety of our customers very seriously and constantly review our crowd management policy. Of course, we know how disappointing this has been for the fans who didn't get to see the band play."
17. And finally, during a 2014 Simple Plan gig, singer Pierre Bouvier called out security for beating up an attendee for trying to get on stage. He said, "Do not beat up that kid. They beat him up, and they kick him out. Bring him back in!" At his direction, a team member retrieved the fan and brought them onstage, where the band members greeted them with hugs.
After making sure the fan was okay, the band continued playing.
You can watch the full video below:
