Fans were excited to know that Pharrell Williams was one of the performers for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix show over the weekend. However, to their surprise, the musician stormed off the stage earlier than expected as he was angry; what happened?
According to the Daily Mail UK, the musician was in Saudi Arabia to perform at the Formula 1 post-race concert at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, along with headliners Martin Garrix and Alicia Keys.
However, during Pharrell's set, he reportedly got off stage 15 minutes earlier because he got mad at fans who threw their light-up wristbands onto the stage.
"This is the liveliest city on the planet right now, but we have also got to be the safest," he told the crowd, adding, "I know you guys are excited, and I know you want to throw your wrist gadgets and lights and all that, but you can't as the girls are dancing. And me? I love women. How about you?"
Pharrell William Got Angry at Saudi Concert
Pharrell went on to tell the crowd that people should protect women, so if they wanted to continue throwing their light-up wristbands, they should do it on the side, not directly onto the stage.
However, even though he warned concertgoers, they seemed to have ignored him as the wristbands continued to fly.
"Let's take those stupid wristbands and throw them in the air right now when I count to three. And now we are done," he said.
He later walked off stage, seemingly disappointed with the crowd.
The outlet noted that before leaving, he could perform his most significant songs, "Get Lucky" and "Happy."
As of this writing, Pharrell has yet to address the matter on his social media accounts.
Pharrell, Alicia Keys Gets Called Out For Performing in Saudi
Before the event, as Pharrell and Alicia Keys were announced as performers, a human rights campaigner named Peter Tatchell called them out.
Peter noted that the two musicians shouldn't perform in Saudi because of the country's laws about women, LGBTQIA+ community members, as well as religious and ethnic minorities.
In other reports, Alicia Keys has celebrated International Women's Day annually with a summit. 2024 marks the third year for her "Women To Women" summit, supported by her husband, Swizz Beatz, under his Good Intentions creative agency.
© 2024 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.