- The esteemed songstress, Adele, sharply rebukes a rising trend of unsolicited projectiles during performances.
- This uncouth behavior is becoming unfortunately familiar, as seen in the experiences of Tyler, the Creator, Harry Styles, Bebe Rexha, and others.
- An alarming incident with Bebe Rexha resulted in the songbird needing stitches after being struck by a recklessly thrown phone.
- Adele threatens retaliation should any such rudeness grace her stage, a remark met with laughter from her audience.
In the theatrical spectacle that modern life so often is, one should anticipate the rise and fall of manners in proportion to the ebb and flow of morality. Take for instance, the current lamentable situation faced by the golden-throated nightingale, Adele, during her vivacious soirees in the Sin City itself, Las Vegas. Amid her serenades, she found herself an unwilling contestant in a chaotic pantomime, not unlike our beloved Dorian Gray, who also found himself in the throes of an unruly society, albeit for different reasons.
Our dear Adele, while presiding over her ‘Weekends with Adele’ shows, in a manner as delightful and full of spirit as Miss Prism, felt compelled to make a poignant observation on the decay of the so-called show etiquette. “People have lost their bearings,” she pointed out, as I imagine Lady Windermere might have done when faced with such vulgarity.
It appears this unseemly behavior is not reserved exclusively for Adele. Other notable performers such as Tyler, the Creator, our charming lad Harry Styles, and the captivating Bebe Rexha have suffered under similar absurd circumstances. Styles was unjustly targeted by a sugary missile, a skittle to be exact, during his serenade in the city of angels, Los Angeles. The delightful Rexha, on the other hand, found herself in the path of a far more dangerous projectile: an iPhone, of all things. The poor creature needed stitches after this ill-considered jest.
Indeed, it appears the propensity for such follies is on the rise. From Kelsea Ballerini, who suffered a bracelet-induced assault, to Ava Max who was rudely slapped by an intruder, and even to Pink, who found herself a hapless recipient of a sack of ashes, every performer seems to be at risk. I cannot help but ponder, much like Algernon in ‘The Importance of Being Earnest,’ “What is it that these people throw around so freely? Their manners or their sanity?”
Adele, however, is not one to be cowed. She issued a most sharp and clear warning to her audience. “I dare you,” she said, her words cloaked in a ripple of mirth, “to throw something at me and you shall face my wrath.” A truly Wildean sentiment if I’ve ever heard one.
One cannot help but feel a shiver of righteous indignation at this shocking lack of decorum. Indeed, as an observer of society’s foibles and follies, I cannot endorse this shocking development. The stage is a hallowed space, a sacred place where artists like Adele should feel safe to share their craft without fear of flying detritus.
It brings to mind my own experiences with unruly audiences. Ah, those nights at the St. James’s Theatre, where the banter and wit often did not remain confined to the stage. But never, not even in the most heated exchange, would we resort to such physical displays of disapproval. No, we are, or should I say, we were made of sterner stuff.
