Kelsea Ballerini temporarily stopped her concert after she was hit in the face while on stage in Idaho.
The country-pop singer gave a show at the Outlaw Field at the Idaho Botanical Garden in Boise on Wednesday (28 June).
During a rendition of her 2022 track “If You Go Down”, Ballerini was hit in the face with an unidentified object after it was thrown by someone in the crowd.
The singer, 29, was forced to briefly pause her live show as she reacted to the shocking event. At first, she continued playing the acoustic guitar while turning to the back of the stage, before she made a “stop” hand signal to the crowd and exited.
According to a TikTok from an attendee at the show, Ballerini spoke about the bizarre moment when she returned to the stage.
“Can we just talk about what happened?” Ballerini addressed the crowd. “All I care about is keeping everyone safe. If you ever don’t feel safe, please let someone around you know.”
“If anyone’s pushing too much or you just have that gut feeling, just always flag it. Don’t throw things. You know?”
Though the item thrown at the singer hasn’t been officially confirmed, some commenters have said it was a friendship bracelet.
Kelsea Ballerini after being struck by an item on stage— (Twitter)
Ballerini’s official fan account posted a video of the moment on social media with a caption condemning throwing items at or to performers.
“Guys. I know we all mean well. We all want to show Kelsea love the best way we know how, and shower her with all the gifts. But throwing things on stage where artists are already so vulnerable is NOT the move.
“If you can’t hand it to her, there are so many other options. Lord, give it to us! We will make sure it gets to her. But PLEASE don’t put her in danger like this. Again, I know you all mean well, but this is becoming a safety issue. We love you guys. We do. But please make it stop.”
The Independent has approached a representative of Kelsea Ballerini for further comment.
This follows several other recent incidents of female artists being accosted or having random objects thrown at them during their concerts.
Bebe Rexha was struck in the head with a phone during a show in New York, after which she suffered a black eye and required stitches.
Days later, Ava Max was slapped by a stage invader while performing in Los Angeles. Then, Pink was bewildered when a fan threw their mother’s ashes on the stage as she performed as part of the British Summer Time festival in London’s Hyde Park.
