As the music world continues to crawl out from under the covers of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, there are going to be a few stumbles and stubbed toes along the way.
During Maroon 5's amazing performance at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on October 23 -- part of Audacy's We Can Survive concert with a mission to support I’m Listening and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) -- singer Adam Levine had one of those 'rockstar moments' when a fan ran up on stage to greet him, and honestly, it may be a little too soon for that.
Adam's facial reaction and body language after being surprised (while singing with his eyes closed by someone all up in his space, mind you) received some harsh criticism in the comments section after a fan posted the interaction on TikTok -- and he has since responded asking those who have seen the clip to have some understanding.
"I just wanted to address the Hollywood Bowl incident thing, a fan coming up to me on stage," Adam said in his IG Story. "I have always been someone that loves, respects, worships our fans. Without our fans, we don't have a job. I say that all the time, to our fans. To think that anyone would believe that I thought that our fans were beneath us, or less than us, makes my stomach turn. That's just not who I am. That's not who I've ever been."
Adam continued, "So I just need you guys to know I was really startled, and sometimes when you're startled... you have to shake it off and move on. Because I'm doing my job up there. And it's what I pride myself on, so I need to let you guys know what my heart is, and my heart is that connection that exists between the band performing on stage and the fans." Before blowing a kiss to his 13.7 million followers, he added, "I hope we can all understand that."
While some of the comments pointed out that Levine should "sit down" and be thankful for the fans that his band has, others came to his defense with one particularly interesting take which asked, "How about we stop defending people touching other people without consent ✌️."
Related
I’m Listening is Audacy’s 365-day a year initiative that aims to encourage those who are dealing with mental health issues to understand they are not alone and that it is okay not to be OK.
Audacy is committed to supporting the health and success of the communities that are the heart of its business. I’m Listening aims to encourage those who are dealing with mental health issues to understand they are not alone. If you or anyone you know is struggling with depression or anxiety, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741-741. You can also find more resources here.
Listen to the lineup for Audacy's 2021 edition of 'We Can Survive,' along with those that have joined us in the past -- plus more of your favorite music on Audacy's exclusive stations like Let's Get Social, K-Bops, Beach Beats, Collabornation, and so much more!
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