Miranda Lambert Stops Show to Call out Women Taking Selfies—Influencer Says the Singer Tried to Make Them Look ‘Immature and Vain’
Country singer Miranda Lambert paused in the middle of a song during a show in Las Vegas on Sunday because a group of women took a photo. The “House That Built Me” singer went on to call out the group of women, letting the audience know they distracted her and were “pissing [her] off.” One woman in the photo has spoken out on the interaction.
Miranda Lambert paused her performance of ‘Tin Man’
The call out happened as the country singer was performing her ballad “Tin Man.” The artist suddenly stopped singing and let the audience know it was due to selfie-takers.
“I’m gonna stop right here for a second, I’m sorry,” Lambert told the audience at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino at Zappos Theater. “These girls are worried about their selfie and not listening to the song.”
“It’s pissing me off a bit,” Lambert added, clearly annoyed. “Sorry, I don’t like it. At all. We’re here to hear some country music tonight. I’m singing some country d*** music.”
Then, the “Palomino” singer gestured for the women to put their phones away and asked the audience, “Shall we start again?” The crowd erupted in cheers.
Adela Calin responds
A Las Vegas-based influencer with over 17,000 followers on Instagram named Adela Calin posted several photos from the show, claiming she was part of the group Lambert called out.
“These are the 2 pictures we were taking when Miranda Lambert stopped her concert and told us to sit down and not take selfies,” she said in the post on Monday.
Calin told NBC News she couldn’t believe it when Lambert stopped singing “Tin Man” to call out her and her friends.
“It was 30 seconds at most,” said Calin, 43. “We took the picture quickly and were going to sit back down.”
“It felt like I was back at school with the teacher scolding me for doing something wrong and telling me to sit down back in my place,” she said. “… I feel like she was determined to make us look like we were young, immature and vain. But we were just grown women in our 30s to 60s trying to take a picture.”
According to the Vegas influencer, she and her group attempted to get a good photo before the show started but the lighting was bad. So they asked the woman seated behind them to take a quick photo of their group near the end of the set.
“We were so excited because I think we had the best seats in the house, in the whole theater,” she said.
A heightened sensitivity around phones at shows
Calin has a theory that Lambert’s comment aimed at her and her friends may be related to a heightened sensitivity around phones at concerts in light of recent incidents. Singer Bebe Rexha was hit in the face by a phone thrown at her during a New York City concert earlier this month. She suffered a black eye and laceration. Nicolas Malvagna was arrested and charged with assault.
That same week, Drake was hit with a cell phone thrown on stage during a show of his in Chicago.
Calin says she understands artists who are concerned for their safety, but she is disappointed by Lambert’s comments aimed at her and her friends.
Calin and her friends are receiving support from the internet
Under Calin’s post, she and her friends have received many supportive comments.
“not sure if you ladies are on tiktok, but i want you to know the entire internet is taking your side!” commented one person. “take your pictures for this once in a lifetime memory and don’t even let her tell you otherwise. her comment was uncalled for and hope y’all still had a magical night.”
“Honestly what she did was SO incredibly rude,” wrote another. “You paid money to be there & if you want a picture that’s none of her business unless she wants to state no cameras allowed! I’m sorry she treated y’all this way, definitely lost some respect for her.”
“I was sitting right behind the pit and saw how she treated you ladies,” wrote another Instagram user who claimed to be at the show. “I also saw your faces after the fact. I cannot believe how she acted. I’m absolutely disgusted to be honest. Sorry you experienced that side of celebrity. I have the video of her telling y’all to sit down. It’s so gross.”
Of course, some fans see the situation from Lambert’s point of view as well. One commenter guessed that perhaps the photo-taker used the flash and it distracted the singer. Another Instagram user urged the women to “live in the moment” and to not sit in the front row if they’re going to take a photo.
