On the off-chance that somebody reading here didn’t see this elsewhere ….
Last night during the Oasis set at the Virgin Festival in Toronto, a member of the audience jumped onstage and pushed Noel Gallagher down, before being grabbed by security.
Here’s the video (jump ahead to around 1:30 if you have ADD):
You can read more about it on Pitchfork (with snarky commentary) or StereoGum (whose report is mildly lighter on snark) or the NME (who really are no fun at all). Apparently the band came back on after a five minute break to finish the set (minus a rumored guest appearance by Paul Weller), after which Noel was sent off to the hospital to be examined for a “suspected fractured rib and ligament damage”. The assailant was arrested.
(tangentially related reminisces below the fold)
I feel like I should find this funnier than I do, but mostly it just brings back somewhat disturbing memories. Back in 2005, I went to see Ian Brown play at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco. Early in the set, a fan jumped onstage and attacked Brown, which somehow led to Brown getting into a fight with a bouncer (!). That ended with several members of the band giving the bouncer a thorough kicking while he lay on the ground. Honestly, it was one of the most disgusting things I’ve ever seen, and though it makes me feel like a wuss to admit it, I really haven’t been able to enjoy Ian Brown’s music since.
Here’s a video of the altercation with the bouncer (I can’t find the earlier one with the fan):
