“We’re not allowed to go on if you’re still up there,” Fred again.. told his overly excited LA fans.
Fred again.. (Facebook)
Last week was monumental for Fred again.. as the superstar producer played his first-ever stadium show in the US – albeit one he had to pause momentarily after fans invaded in the stage.
Taking over the LA Memorial Coliseum last Friday (June 14), the artist born Fred Gibson opted to perform part of his set from the crowd, taking a synthesiser into the stands to play his 2023 hit adore u with collaborator Obongjayar (according to NME). But some punters seemingly took his exit from the stage as an invitation to fill the space, climbing onto the structure that wrapped around the stadium.
Partway through his performance of adore u, Gibson was forced to stop the song and tell the group to get down, explaining that security informed him the show could not continue until they did. “We’re not allowed to go on if you’re still up there,” he can be heard saying in footage shot from an audience member. “I’m not going to lie, you look beautiful, but guys, you’ve got to get down or we can’t play the song.”
The whole incident appeared to last around three minutes; at one point, punters in the crowd began chanting at the stage-invaders to “get the fuck off!”
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Last Friday’s show marked Gibson’s biggest headline show in the US, announced just five days prior on Sunday June 9. The venue holds some 77,500 people, and while it didn’t look to be entirely filled, Gibson certainly had no problems selling tickets to the spontaneous gig.
Gibson’s 2024 has been shaping up to be enormous, with each tour bigger and more ambitious than the last. Back in February, for example, he sold out more than 100,000 tickets to his Australian arena tour in a matter of hours, and padded the run with a handful of surprise shows in clubs and theatres.
Reviewing his Sydney (Eora) show at Qudos Bank Arena, Jessie Lynch wrote for Purple Sneakers: “More than just playing the hits, what's most impressive about Fred again..’s live performance is his ability to curate a unique, free-flowing experience catered to the vibe of each individual crowd. He's not just performing – he's conducting an emotional journey, one that left Sydney fans walking away counting down until the next time they could do it all over again.”
Meanwhile, April saw Gibson announce a vinyl release for USB001, the first instalment in what he’s described as an“infinite” album project. It was followed up shortly thereafter with places to be, a new single featuring Anderson .Paak and CHIKA.