Pharrell Williams allegedly stormed off stage in Saudi Arabia after fans began throwing things at him.
Pharrell Williams Rips Into Crowd for “Dangerous Behavior” Before Ending Show
On Saturday (March 9), Pharrell was set to perform alongside Alicia Keys and electronic DJ Martin Garrix at the Formula 1 post-race concert in Saudi Arabia. While Pharrell reportedly did take the stage to perform his hits “Get Lucky” and “Happy,” the Neptunes producer stopped the show to ask attendees to stop throwing their electronic wristbands at the stage, as reported by Daily Mail.
“This is the liveliest city right now on the planet, but we have also got to be the safest,” Pharrell allegedly said. “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?”
The crowd cheered before Pharrell continued.
“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,” he called out. “Who understands what I’m saying?”
As the wristbands continued to soar to the stage, Pharrell apparently decided enough was enough and walked off the stage 15 minutes early. “OK, I am going to let you all finish,” he said before departing. As of this writing, there is no video available online of this incident. Daily Mail has provided screenshots from a video. A separate video shared by the U.S. Sun appears to show Pharrell on stage alongside Clipse’s No Malice and Pusha T, waiting for paramedics to make their way into the crowd. It’s unclear if anyone was hurt, and it has not been confirmed that King Push and Malice hit the stage together.
The tense moment came after Pharrell and Alicia Keys were already under fire by humanitarian organizations for even agreeing to perform in Saudi Arabia, which has been accused for years of persecuting women.
Read More: Looks Like Kanye West is Recording His New Album in Saudia Arabia
Pharrell Links With Miley Cyrus For “Doctor (Work It Out)”
The performance comes after Pharrell linked with Miley Cyrus for her new song “Doctor (Work It Out), which dropped on March 1. In an interview with Apple Music, Pharrell explained why he’s been in Miley’s corner for a while.
“I’ll never forget just meeting her at a time where people had pegged her to be one thing particularly,” he said. “She was Hannah Montana at the time, and she was growing up and really wanting to experience life no matter how far the precipice was, that was her … I just remember her just being in a place where no one really understood what she was, and I got it.”
The pair had previously worked together on Miley’s controversial 2013 album, Bangerz.