Miranda Lambert gives her all during concerts — and she wants her audience to do the same.
After pausing mid-song to scold a group of fans for taking selfies during her Las Vegas residency on Sunday, July 17, Lambert faced backlash from both concertgoers — some of whom exited the venue after her remarks — as well as music fans on social media.
Meanwhile, a source exclusively tells Us Weekly that Lambert’s remarks were more about respect for the performer while wanting fans to live in the moment.
“Miranda has been an entertainer for most of her life and feels like there is a level of respect that is expected when somebody is on stage. She understands fans are there to have fun, but she hopes people focus more on the show and being in the moment than using the opportunity to promote social media,” the insider says, adding, “Miranda is, and always has been, incredibly grateful for her fans and she feels blessed to have such dedicated followers.”
Lambert sang several lines of her hit “Tin Man” on Saturday before stopping to call out several fans in the audience for snapping shots of themselves.
“I’m gonna stop right here for a second, I’m sorry. These girls are worried about their selfie and not listening to the song,” the country crooner told the audience, according to a TikTok clip shared after the show. “It’s pissing me off a little bit. Sorry, I don’t like it. At all.”
She continued: “We’re here to hear some country music tonight. I’m singing some country damn music.”
In the TikTok clip, several fans could be seen leaving their seats after the incident, voicing their displeasure at Lambert’s words as they made their exit.
“Let’s go. Come on. You don’t do that to fans,” one attendee said.
On Monday, July 17, Adela Calin — one of the fans taking the selfie — spoke out about Lambert’s harsh words, comparing the singer’s “scolding” to a teacher’s admonishment in an interview with NBC News. She added she was “appalled” by Lambert’s behavior.
“I feel like she was determined to make us look like we were young, immature and vain,” Calin continued. “But we were just grown women in our 30s to 60s trying to take a picture.”
The group was “so excited because I think we had the best seats in the house in the whole theater,” Calin explained, noting that the photo took about “30 seconds at most” and that she and her friends “were going to sit back down” after snapping the image.
