One of the more mind-blowingly idiotic trends in an era full of them is the recent spate of audience members throwing things at performers during concerts. In the past few weeks alone, Bebe Rexha was almost knocked out cold by a fan throwing a cellphone at her head in New York, Harry Styles was hit with an unidentified object in Vienna, and Latto responded to a similar projectile in Germany by saying “Want your ass beat?”
Saturday in Las Vegas, Cardi B proved yet again that she is not someone to trifle with: During a performance at Drai’s Beachclub in Las Vegas, an audience member threw a drink at the rapper while she performed her breakthrough hit, “Bodak Yellow.” A second later Cardi — who is apparently a lefty — instantly retaliated by hurling her microphone back at the offending “fan.” The video shows the person being escorted out by security; after hurling some doubtless colorful words at the offender, Cardi apparently left the stage after the incident.
This is not a new trend: back in the ‘70s audience members often set off firecrackers and M-80s at concerts — one seriously injured Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page’s right hand — and back in 2004, the stick of a lollipop some fan threw at David Bowie lodged in his eye, prompting a colorful and outraged reaction from the ordinarily cool performer.
But the trend these days seems to be more about people wanting to call attention to themselves, although to what end is unclear: Nicolas Malvagna, the 27-year-old grown man who threw his phone at Bebe Rexha, apparently thought “it would be funny,” according to a criminal complaint that followed his arrest on misdemeanor charges of harassment and assault — which is nowhere near sufficient punishment for someone who does something that dangerously stupid.
