After coming under fire for smashing a fan’s disposable camera when something was thrown at him on stage, Steve Lacy is addressing the criticism head on.
According to Complex, while performing on Monday at the Orpheum Theater in New Orleans, the singer was hit by an object someone threw on the stage. Fan videos show him stopping and telling the crowd to not “throw shit on my fucking stage. Please!” He then asked an audience member in the front row for their disposable camera. The fan handed it over, which Lacy then threw across the stage. And that was the end of that, with the Gemini Rights artist saying “Yeah, that’s it. Peace” as he left the stage.
In the days since the show, Lacy has been criticized for destroying a fan’s property, as well as ending the concert early, which left some feeling like they didn’t get their money’s worth. On Tuesday, the “Bad Habit” singer posted a message on Instagram where he didn’t apologize for the incident, but did acknowledge that he should’ve handled things differently.
“Hell! Shoutout to the people not throwing disposable cameras at me and just coming to catch a vibe and connect. I had a really good time in Nola last night. I hate that the beauty of the connection I have with so many people in the crowd-gets lost when something negative happens,” he wrote. “I don’t believe I owe anyone an apology-maybe I could’ve reacted better? Sure. always. I’m a student of life. But I’m a real person with real feelings and real reactions. I’m not a product or a robot. I am human. I will continue to give my all at these shows. Please come with respect for urself and others please thank you love u.”
Among the artists supporting him in the replies were Chloe Bailey, Moses and Zack Fox.
I think we all know it’s asshole behavior to throw things at performers when you’re at a live event. Most venues will eject and ban guests caught doing this. However, Lacy also could have taken a few minutes to calm his emotions before reacting so rashly. Of course, as he said, he’s not a robot, he’s a real person with real feelings who is allowed to react when things are being thrown at him on stage.
As he moves forward with the rest of his tour and career, hopefully the singer will learn from this incident and realize that he doesn’t want moments like these to overshadow his amazing talent.