“Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” to keep some fans from meeting their idols, even if it’s mid-performance.
Diana Ross has never been the type of performer to keep fans at arm’s length. The singer has built much of her live shows around that connection, from inviting audiences to dance to bringing them into the moment.
This latest interaction took an unexpected turn when Ross suddenly signaled for security as the situation unfolded onstage.
On Sept. 24, a clip surfaced of the 82-year-old vocalist having a tense interaction with a fan who took things too far.
Wearing a red dress with her signature voluminous hair, Ross shimmied onstage as the instrumental to her 1980s hit “Upside Down” played in the background.
Legendary Singer Diana Ross Sets a Drunken Guy Straight After Being Harassed Onstage
The footage was taken from her Aug. 28 performance at the Pacific Amphitheater in Costa Mesa, California.
Ross spotted two ladies in the crowd and said, “Wait, wait, wait. Bring them here.”
Seconds later, two blond women came onstage and started dancing—one a little more liberally than the other. Ross laughed and seemed to be enjoying herself as the extroverted dancer walked over to her.
The woman twirls in front of Ross, places her hand on the singer’s thigh, and drops down in front of the audience.
She turned back in front of the “Mahogany” actress and grabbed her wrist, making Ross visibly uncomfortable.
“Come get her. Come get her,” the singer can be heard saying as she looks off to the side, signaling security.
The woman seemed unaware and continued dancing while patting Ross on her backside and hip. The singer shook her hand free, and the woman then tried to grab her again.
Suddenly, a man in a white shirt who appeared to work at the facility attempted to escort the woman off the stage.
The woman nodded “OK” at the man but turned back to kiss Ross on the cheek.
Ross turned her head away to avoid contact. Ross then said “No kissing” into the mic as the crewman guided the woman off the stage. Before the video ends, Ross shimmied some more and continued to sing “Upside Down.”
In the comments of the Instagram clip, one person who felt protective of Ross said, “Get off our auntie.”
Another person who got frustrated with security’s delayed response asked, “Why was security acting with the haste of molasses?”
A third fan believed that, “She should have been tackled. Yoooo that’s Miss Ross! She handled it well but I’d probably fire someone.”
A fourth person commenting on a YouTube video said, “This why you don’t allow drunk people on stage.”
This isn’t the first time Ross has faced a chaotic incident while singing “Upside Down.”
In 2019, Ross staged a surprise performance at the opening of the Times Square Edition hotel in New York City when a belligerent fan suddenly provoked her.
The man made his way through the crowd to get to the front. Once he got close enough to Ross, he reached out to her with one hand.
But when she did not acknowledge the hand, he poked her in the leg. Ross got in defense mode and tried to slap the man’s hand. In response, he stuck a middle finger up at Ross.
The man later identified himself on Instagram as HRH Princess Diandra. He claims he found a room in the back with champagne and helped himself to an entire bottle.
After his interaction with Ross, he said he was kicked out.
