It seems that Beyoncé is not the only person who knows how to gather her production team when things go wrong on tour.
Hayley Williams, the lead singer for the rock group Paramore, grabbed the mic to let the person in charge of the pyrotechnics on stage know that they were about to get “fired.”
During the first show of her concerts at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, on Sunday, Nov. 26, the special effects failed three different times.
The singer was performing “Hard Times” from her 2017 “After Laughter” studio album when she began going into a cover of Blondie’s 1978 track “Heart Of Class” and the confetti cannons failed to go off.
“Somebody’s getting fired. Beyoncé did it so we can, too, and I can’t wait to speak with you.” She warbled over the mic, adding, “It’s the third time this has happened to us.”
Fans were cracking up online after video footage from the concert went viral.
“Her singing that during Hard Times got me laughing even more now,” one person wrote, with another one posting a GIF of the Gingerbread Man from Shrek plopping out candies.
the " I can’t wait to speak with you" pic.twitter.com/tlepz5Dexm
— camiseta armani con pantalones negros (@solvirgoluna) November 28, 2023
Others simply invited her to the barbecue, saying, “This is why she’s forever loved in my black household” and “Oh she beyhive for sure.”
Williams seemed to reference an August 2023 incident during Beyoncé’s sold-out Renaissance World Tour in Glendale, Arizona near Phoenix. In the middle of the “Formation” chart-topper’s concert, the sound went out, prompting the Houston native to stand still for a second with her dancers in full choreography, before leaving the stage.
Fans said on social media the outage took place during her “ALIEN SUPERSTAR” set.
Here’s the video pic.twitter.com/mezhjLFOIY
— BUGABOO WETTER REMIX (@keamxneyy) August 25, 2023
The crowd can be heard yelling, “Somebody getting fired.”
Beyoncé and her dancers were gone for 10 minutes before returning in new costumes to finish the show, once the technology issues were resolved.
Earlier in the summer, Cardi B had an issue with her tech while performing at Drai’s Beachclub in Las Vegas, Nevada. While she was performing, her mic kept going out. The Bronx beauty didn’t handle herself with as much class as Beyoncé or Williams. She took her mic and threw it at the DJ.
No word on if there were charges leveled against her, or if the DJ was fired.
In the case of another artist, 50 Cent, a judge recently ruled that he will not face criminal charges for throwing two phones into the audience because they didn’t work.
The second mic inadvertently hit a Los Angeles radio host, reportedly leaving her with a gash on her forehead that required stitches. The “Power” co-creator took accountability for his actions in a statement via his lawyer, noting that he did not intentionally strike the woman.
