Pharrell Williams ended his set at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 15 minutes early due to dangerous crowd activity.
The ‘Happy’ hitmaker tried to inform the 30,000 gig-goers at Saturday’s (09.03.24) concert that throwing their light-up wristbands towards the stage, where he was flanked by dancers, was not safe, but they wouldn’t listen to him – so he walked away.
He told the audience at Saudi Corniche Circuit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: “This is the liveliest city right now on the planet but we have also got to be the safest.
“I know you guys are excited and I know you are wanting 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?
We must protect our women so if you want to throw them lights you have to throw them the other way, not at the stage. Who understands what I’m saying?”
Pharrell later instructed: “Let’s take those stupid wristbands and throw them in the air right now when I count to three. And now we are done.”
However, they didn’t listen, with the star declaring before leaving the stage: “OK, I am going to let you all finish.”
The likes of Harry Styles, Pink and Taylor Swift and Drake have been pelted by items in recent years.
Poor Bebe Rexha was left with a black eye after being hit in the face by a phone which was thrown at her by someone in the crowd at a show in New York.
Pink, meanwhile, had someone throw their mother’s ashes in bag at her during her BST Hyde Park concert in London.
The incidents led to Adele reminding gig-goers of concert “etiquette”.
The award-winning star jokingly dared her fans to throw an object at her during her ‘Weekends with Adele’ Las Vegas residency at Caesar’s Palace Hotel.
She told the crowd: “Have you noticed how people are, like, forgetting show etiquette at the moment, throwing (things) onstage? Have you seen it?
“I dare you, dare you to throw something at me.
“Stop throwing things at the artist!”