Beyonce has spent most of her life in the spotlight, and — unfortunately — having that kind of fame and renown can result in some scary encounters with fans. It can be a challenge to walk the line between being available for the fans who have helped celebrities build their wealth and status while also protecting their privacy and safety.
For Beyonce, that line was clearly crossed by a fan in Brazil who grabbed her while she was on stage.
Beyonce did a year-long world tour
In April 2013, Beyonce kicked off a whirlwind tour that would see her hopping across the globe. The tour began in Serbia and included 132 performances over its seven-leg journey. Early European stops included Croatia, Ireland, and Belgium. Next up was a North American portion through multiple U.S. cities and stops in Toronto and Montreal.
The tour wove its way through Latin America and Oceania before twisting back through North America and Europe a second time, ending in Lisbon on March 27, 2014.
It was during the September 15 performance in Sao Paulo, Brazil (part of the Latin American leg of the tour) that Beyonce ran into trouble with an overeager fan who couldn’t keep his hands to himself.
A fan grabbed Beyonce during a performance in Brazil
As Esther Zuckerman writing for The Atlantic reported the day after the Brazilian tour, Beyonce “was reaching down to fans while singing ‘Irreplaceable.’” Beyonce’s live performances have been a hit with fans because of how energetic and interactive she is while on stage, but the energy apparently overrode the common sense of at least one fan.
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Beyonce used this track throughout the tour as a time for fan participation and encouraged the audience to complete song lyrics and get into the hit. Part of the allure of the performance meant getting close to fans and extending her microphone so they could play along more fully. As Beyonce knelt down to reach toward the adoring concertgoers around her, one of the fans below “jumped up and tried to pull her down into the crowd.”
Of course, Beyonce isn’t performing without support, and a security guard was on the case in no time at all. The fan was escorted away from the singer. Beyonce — always the professional — continued her performance flawlessly.
Beyonce responded graciously to the incident
Beyonce has been accused of diva-like behavior since her Destiny’s Child days, so you might expect that a fan daring to cross the boundary and grab her would get quite an earful from the highly-praised star. On the contrary, the singer was actually quite gracious about the entire incident and took it as an opportunity to show her fans how much she appreciates them.
Video footage shows Beyonce stopping her security as they’re removing the man from the crowd. She told them “it’s alright,” and they let the man come back near the stage. Beyonce knelt down and extended her hand toward the man for a handshake. She then nodded at him while saying, “Thank you, I love you, too.”
Being on stage is a particularly vulnerable time for performers since there are often so many fans and being up close and personal is part of the (often pricey) experience. As BuzzFeed reports, many performers have been hit by items or grabbed by fans while doing live performances. In fact, during the same tour, Beyonce was accosted by a fan in Denmark who slapped her on the butt while she was performing. In that case, the pop star responded to the assault with a lot less patience. “I will have you escorted out of here now,” the singer made clear.
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