Country music superstar Miranda Lambert, currently making waves with her Las Vegas residency, found herself under scrutiny when she paused a recent concert to address a fan’s behavior. Despite the criticism she has faced, Lambert appears unapologetic about highlighting what she saw as an inappropriate moment during her performance.
While singing her heartfelt tune, “Tin Man,” Lambert noticed a fan taking a “selfie” instead of focusing on the music. This prompted her to halt the concert momentarily. She took this break to address the fan directly, telling her, “I’m gonna stop for a minute.” Lambert expressed her belief that the concert should be about enjoying the music, not snapping selfies.
She remarked, “These girls are worried about their selfie and not listening to the song, it’s pissing me off a little bit. Sorry, I don’t like it at all. We’re here to hear some country music tonight. I’m singing some country damn music.” After the fan put her phone away, Lambert resumed her performance, receiving a supportive cheer from the audience for her candid approach.
In a subsequent concert, Lambert stopped again, this time to acknowledge a fan wearing a t-shirt with the slogan, “Shoot tequila, not selfies.” Lambert appeared to appreciate this sentiment, explaining to the audience, “Her shirt says, ‘Shoot tequila, not selfies,’ She did it, I didn’t!”
This incident only fueled further debate. Many concertgoers seemed to stand by Lambert, but on social media, opinions diverged. Some criticized Lambert’s actions as unnecessary shaming of her fans. A social media user mentioned, “Way to embarrass and shame your loyal fans who adore you.” Another suggested she could have taken a friendlier approach, advising, “She could’ve poked fun and posed in the selfie and then encouraged them to be in the moment after that. Not cool.”
Others underscored the importance of personal memories created at concerts, with one tweet stating, “Going to a concert is about creating an experience and a memory. If someone wants to take a picture to document that memory, they should be able to.”
The fan who took the selfie, Adela Calin, shared her take on the situation, explaining that the photo took no more than 30 seconds, taken swiftly before they were about to sit back down. However, before they could return to their seats, Lambert publicly reprimanded them. Calin expressed shock at being singled out in such a manner, feeling “appalled” at the public nature of the rebuke.
She described the episode as reminiscent of “being back at school with the teacher scolding me.” Calin believed Lambert aimed to portray them as “young, immature, and vain,” insisting they were simply women aged 30 to 60 capturing a memory at a concert they had eagerly attended.
This incident highlights an ongoing conversation about technology’s role in live performances, showing the divide between capturing memories and being present in the moment. Lambert’s actions continue to spark conversation among her fans and broader audiences alike.
