Miranda Lambert’s fans are divided after the country singer was chastised for a hostile confrontation during her July 15 residency in Las Vegas.
Lambert promised Vulture that she would examine which music from her past were fan favorites while creating the set list for her months-long production.
“I realized that part of this Vegas show is, ‘Give the people what they want,’” she told the magazine. “They come in because they’ve been a fan for a while, and it’s a regular stop on their trip. I’m sure there are songs I’m sick of hearing that must be included in the set.”
But the behavior of a group of concertgoers during the performance of one of her most popular songs set Lambert off mid-song.
Miranda Lambert chastised audience members for snapping selfies.
Miranda Lambert interrupted her act on July 15 to admonish a group of audience members for taking photographs when she played a particularly emotional song.
In the TikTok video, the country star was performing her devastating 2017 hit, “Tin Man,” which has lyrics warning the Tin Man from “The Wizard of Oz” about the hazards of having a heart. After singing the first few lines, Lambert appears to spot the culprits in the audience and says, “I’m gonna stop right here for a sec.”
“These girls are worried about their selfies and not listening to the song,” the performer said into the microphone, pointing to the girls. “It irritates me a little bit.”
Lambert attempted to return the audience to the moment by restarting the song, but the crowd remained agitated. People can be seen going out of the theater in the video. “Let’s go,” one ecstatic audience member exclaimed. “You don’t do that to your fans.”
Following the incident, several concertgoers cheered Lambert on, while others defended the country singer online due to the emotional nature of the song.
Others, however, were not convinced. “Attend a concert to create an experience and a memory. Someone should be able to take a picture to capture that memory,” one individual tweeted.
“Gurl, at least they didn’t throw the phone at you for this,” another remarked during the recent plague of rowdy crowds. Lambert’s anger probably detracted more from the show than anyone taking a selfie could.
However, in the aftermath of the selfie incident, some fans have expressed their displeasure on social media, with others doubting their attendance entirely. “Just got a refund on my tickets,” one (former?) fan commented on Lambert’s Instagram backstage video. “I’m not going to see you after you humiliated those girls for no reason. Those tickets were paid for by them.” Ouch.
Miranda Lambert’s song “Tin Man” does not appear to be the kind to spark controversy. Perhaps the audience members were using the downtime to take photos? Since its publication on Lambert’s 2016 album, “The Weight of These Wings,” fans believe “Tin Man” was inspired by Lambert’s divorce from fellow country artist Blake Shelton in 2015.
While she hasn’t revealed the song’s exact origins, the “Hell on Heels” singer said in a 2017 interview with Taste of Country that the album was a “diary of the last couple years” of her life.
“Whatever influenced you the most, at whatever time in your life, comes out somewhere or another in your art,” Lambert revealed in a 2017 interview with Sounds Like Nashville.
The artist performed an acoustic version of “Tin Man” at the 2017 Academy of Country Music Awards, and Kelly Clarkson covered the song on her 2019 tour. Will the #selfiegate scandal become part of “Tin Man’s” legacy?